Recently, I sat down with one of my favorite professors to discuss what kinds of social media she likes to use in her classroom. She said that her favorite form of social media to use in the classroom is twitter, because of its user friendliness. I asked her if she ever considered using Instagram in her classroom. She responded by saying that Instagram confused her, and that she was unsure how she could use it in her classroom. It is important to note that my professor was open to learning how to use Instagram. After a quick tutorial, about how to use Instagram, follow accounts, and use hashtags we were able to brainstorm some ways that Instagram could add variety to a lesson.
Some ideas that we came up with were, using posts as a review tool, using posts as a reminder of when important assignments are due, and using posts to suggest books on topics that are discussed in class. You may be thinking, well these are the same sorts of things that I am already doing on ( insert social media outlet). That may very well be true, but by adding Instagram into the mix, you are adding variety into your lesson plan while keeping your students engaged via a platform that they are all surely using.
Some helpful hints when starting a class Instagram:
- ensure students that the class Instagram will be used as a educational tool, and not a vessel for you to use as posting embarrassing pictures of students on the science field trip ( we have all been that student)
- make the username something simple, but not so simple that a million and one other teachers have the same username. ( Suggestion: make it a homework assignment that students find the class Instagram)
- reiterate that the class Instagram account can be a great study tool/ great way to communicate with other classmates.
Happy Teaching!
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