Welcome to TikTok!
I had to do it; I had to see what all the fuss is about. I recently downloaded the TikTok app (previously branded as Music.ly) and after viewing the “For You” page for hours a while and being absolutely entertained I decided to take the plunge and try to create my own content; of course from the ed tech perspective (no one needs to see me dance around without being provided with tech tips as well!).
Like anything, there is a wide spectrum when it comes to user demographics, trends, and quality of content on TikTok. From what I could tell, the “For You” page populates based on your demographics, location, likes, etc so the content that I find is usually:
– whats trending
– Manitoba content
– teacher/education paradies
– travel/scenery images
– memes
I know this isn’t always the case for everyone and there are plenty of stories of content that is not appropriate for specific users. What I will say is that there are thousands of people using this platform in incredibly creative ways and making amazing videos.
If you’d like to learn more about the platform, I’ve found a quick blog post by Jennifer Casa-Todd (make sure you follow her if you’re not already) in which she summarizes 5 Things You Need To Know About TikTok as well as her review of Music.ly in the Classroom.
Here are few of my attempts at creating content (shared and embedded via Twitter since TikTok is app based only):
Are you using TikTok? What applications do you think it could have in the classroom?