The presence of students on the Internet is evident. They live in the digital world and communication with them is characterized by being faster, more direct and more fluid than before. According to the data collected by the study 'Social networks, social life: young people reveal their experiences', carried out by Common Sense Media, 22% of teenagers have Instagram as their favorite social network .
Although the most well-known purposes of this platform are those related to leisure or networking, in the field of education there are infinite possibilities of using it for collaborative work.
We talk about this and about the so-called #realinfluencers with Teresa Sánchez Valdés, a Therapeutic Pedagogy teacher who in just one year has gained more than 25,000 followers on her @entre_tea account .
Illusion, vocation and affection are the three words that accompany Teresa in her daily work to help her students excel.
Real influencers are those teachers who teach in the era of hashtags. Do you consider yourself a #realinfluencer?
I have never considered whether I am or am not an influencer. This term was unknown to me, so I assigned it to people linked to the world of fashion.
Now, seeing everything I'm doing and how many people I'm reaching, I think I'm doing something good. Reviving the enthusiasm of many teachers, giving advice and alternatives in teaching makes me feel very good, and even more so when they thank me for it.
If being an influencer means making the education system better, I hope to be one!!
When did you decide to start @entre_tea? What are your goals?
I started sharing little things I was doing in my classroom a year ago (on May 13, 2018). I thought that if they worked for me and my students enjoyed them, there were other children who also deserved that experience. That was the main reason I decided to create the account.
My main objective is to introduce different methodologies to the traditional ones, new ways of presenting content and working on it in such a way that any student, with any curricular level, can participate in the same space and time. Educational games in the classroom are necessary to create dialogue and learning among students.
Another of my main goals is to raise awareness of the special education sector . With everything I propose, it is easy to contribute to ensuring that students with specific needs are mainstreamed and included in classrooms.
Teresa Sanchez real influencer
How do your students react to your social media posts?
As far as I know, my students don't see my social media. It is true that when I bring something new to class or some resource, they get excited and ask me if I have also done it to teach on my blog.
It is we who must adapt to the current moment our students are going through, get closer to their interests and the new developments that technology brings us every day.
It was a math teacher, Guillermo, that I had in high school.
Up until that point I hated numbers. He was SUCH a good teacher, list of cell phone numbers with so much patience and dedication that I was fascinated with what he taught us.
In addition, he created a very calm atmosphere in class, transmitting tenderness, affection, kindness, responsibility ... Those values that every teacher must carry with them wherever they go.
Can technology be considered an ally of education today?
Of course, yes. Not only in classrooms to create interactive dynamics, use of technologies and promote digital competence (required by law), but also to create work networks and to share practices and experiences for teachers . I think it is very enriching to share and for all of us to know a little more about education in other centers, cities...
What are the main challenges facing teachers today?
Diversity. Every day we encounter more and more diversity of all kinds: family, cultural, economic, personal conditions, ideologies, personnel... It is a challenge to be able to establish dynamics and ways of working that reach all of our students.
Instagram is the most used social network
Do you think that the traditional model will end up adapting to the Classroom of the Future?
I think so. The traditional model is also evolving thanks to the confluence of so many new forms of teaching. The combination of new ways of working with more traditional methods makes us teachers realize the improvement in results. With this, we are encouraged to gradually reconvert our classes.
Furthermore, I believe that the new generations carry a tremendous bag of ideas and vocation , which will surely make the classroom of the future a reality.
I felt that if things went well for me and my students enjoyed it, there were other children who also deserved that experience.
What is the ideal educational space for you? What methodology would be your best ally?