Classroom Technology Video

In Defense of TikTok: A Teacher on the App’s Power to Build Connections

By Kaylee Domzalski — March 19, 2024 2:25
Devotees of TikTok gather at the Capitol in Washington, as the House passed a bill that would lead to a nationwide ban of the popular video app if its China-based owner doesn't sell, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. Lawmakers contend the app's owner, ByteDance, is beholden to the Chinese government, which could demand access to the data of TikTok's consumers in the U.S.

For teachers, TikTok has been a place of community where they can share ideas with each other, and lessons with a world outside their classrooms.

Emily Glankler, a high school history teacher in Austin, created her account, Anti-Social Studies, in 2020, two years after starting a podcast and Instagram account under the same name. As of this month, she has more than 500K followers and uses the platform to discuss how she approaches different lessons in her classroom, while also providing engaging and in-depth history lessons for the general public.

Here, she discusses her concerns around the legislation recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that would force a sale of the popular app, or result in its removal from app stores entirely. The legislation now awaits action in the U.S. Senate.

Kaylee Domzalski is a video producer for Education Week.

Video

Reading & Literacy Video How Everyday Objects Can Strengthen Phonemic Awareness
Teachers can create homegrown kits to help students master phonemic awareness—how to manipulate the sounds in English.
2:17
Students at R. Brown McAllister Elementary School use mirrors to see themselves sounding out words for phonemic awareness during literary instruction in Concern, N.C., on March 19, 2025.
Students at R. Brown McAllister Elementary School use mirrors to see themselves sounding out words for phonemic awareness during literary instruction in Concern, N.C., on March 19, 2025.
Cornell Watson for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Video This High School Program Is Preparing Students to Be Detention Officers
For high school students interested in fields in criminal justice, this district’s program gives them the opportunity to graduate with a job in the field.
3:01
Reading & Literacy Video How Schools Can Help Older Students Struggling With Reading
With a growing number of struggling readers in the older grades, schools need school-wide strategies and individual interventions.
3:34
A teacher leads students in a discussion about hyperbole and symbolism in a high school English class.
A teacher leads students in a discussion about hyperbole and symbolism in a high school English class.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Reading & Literacy Video How to Structure Lessons to Build Reading and Writing Skills
Tips for teachers on ways to incorporate reading and writing into lessons to enhance both skills.
031225 Reading Month Thumbnail KM BS
Kate Medley for Education Week