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Technology Review Section Editor: Alex Moore

In this section, we feature websites, online manipulatives, and web - based applications that are appropriate for K - 12 mathematics instruction. We are looking for critical reviews of technologies which focus on both the benefits and limitations of using these tools in a K - 12 mathematics classroom.

Using Social Media in Teaching Mathematics:

Applications of Facebook and TikTok

Amanda Sawyer & Austin Evans

During the COVID - 19 pandemic, what were stu dents doing outside of their schoolwork? They were messaging their friends, learning new dances, and developing acting skills using social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok. Social media is an expanding apparatus that has been integrated into the everyday lives of our students. We, as teachers, can use these tools to assist them in their academic lives as well. Both Facebook and TikTok enable users to watch, share, and, most important ly, communicate their thoughts and perspectives. While students were stuck at home, they spent hours creating content and learning from their peers through these platforms. As a mathematics teacher educator and a practicing classroom teach er, we believe these same platforms can be used in our mathematics classrooms to strengthen commu nication and mathematical engagement with stu dents. In this article, we present some possibilities for how students can use Facebook and TikTok to support mathematical communication. Originally designed for college students, Facebook is a social networking website that allows you to connect with friends, family, and other community groups online through status updates, photos, and videos. On Facebook, individuals can post mathe matics problems asking their followers to comment on solutions with the expectation that they will an Facebook

swer the problem incorrectly. Figure 1 shows a basic system of equations problem using everyday objects. We thought this would be a unique and engaging way to bring a real - world context into my mathematics instruction while teaching an intro ductory lesson on how and why we solve system of equations in algebra. Students can see comments on the mathematics problem post and attempts by different people to solve the task. In most cases on Facebook, these comments will have been made by adults. By providing students with adults ’ misun derstandings, students see the value of making mis takes, can read different people ’ s attempts to solve the task, evaluate for themselves whether an at tempt is correct or not, and build algebraic reason ing. Overall, posting a mathematics problem on Facebook allows students to see multiple represen tations and solutions as well as common miscon ceptions in solving a system of equations. Teachers can post mathematical questions to their Facebook page to help facilitate discussions about multiple representations of solutions and individual misconceptions. For example, using the problem in Figure 1, students can ask their friends the follow ing questions: Can you please solve this problem for my class, and explain your thinking? (Prompt continues on next page.)

Virginia Mathematics Teacher vol. 48, no. 1

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