Who says learning needs to stop when school is out? This summer, I combined my love of travel with social media to try to get my students to continue learning, discovering, and being curious. As an avid world traveler, there have been so many moments where I wish I could share what I am experiencing with my students immediately. Eventually, I'll bring back video, photos, and artifacts to share during the school year, but there is something about being in the moment that makes it more special.
I created a private Instagram account at the beginning of the school year to see how I could use it as a teacher. I've made announcements, gave shout-outs, and shared nerdy history things to my student followers. I soon saw the power of social media and how I could extend much of my students' learning and experience with the content I shared that sometimes I just did not have time for in the classroom. For my middle school students, they speak social media so this was tapping into their discourse, their language, and their lives. I wasn't sure what to expect. Maybe my students would think I'm being super lame with my posts and not comment at all. Maybe I'll get flooded with irrelevant comments by students or even worse, inappropriate comments. You can never tell when it comes to middle school. However, to my pleasant surprise, my students jumped at the opportunity to post their thoughts, answers to my questions, and share their excitement at what I was posting.
What I love about using Instagram in this way is being able to expose students to something new, reviewing content that I've taught them, and connecting with my students. This also gives me an opportunity to model for my students digital citizenship through my use of social media. It really goes to show that my students are still thinking and learning something new this summer and experiencing my adventures thousands of miles away.
Here are some examples of my recent posts:
Other teachers that I work with also have Instagram accounts and have been very creative in how they connect with their students. Check out how an English teacher, Science teacher, and other History teachers use their Instagram accounts here:
Using Instagram definitely has its pros when it comes to engaging students. However, one cannot overlook potential issues when it comes to student privacy. To protect student privacy, I do not follow my current students and I verify accounts before allowing a student to follow me. I also speak with my students about making their accounts private and how to protect themselves when it comes to using social media. My account is also private which allows me to filter who follows me and I keep it to students and colleagues only at this time.
I would love to continue exploring the use of social media in education. Share how you use social media as an educator and ideas you have in the comments below.
I created a private Instagram account at the beginning of the school year to see how I could use it as a teacher. I've made announcements, gave shout-outs, and shared nerdy history things to my student followers. I soon saw the power of social media and how I could extend much of my students' learning and experience with the content I shared that sometimes I just did not have time for in the classroom. For my middle school students, they speak social media so this was tapping into their discourse, their language, and their lives. I wasn't sure what to expect. Maybe my students would think I'm being super lame with my posts and not comment at all. Maybe I'll get flooded with irrelevant comments by students or even worse, inappropriate comments. You can never tell when it comes to middle school. However, to my pleasant surprise, my students jumped at the opportunity to post their thoughts, answers to my questions, and share their excitement at what I was posting.
What I love about using Instagram in this way is being able to expose students to something new, reviewing content that I've taught them, and connecting with my students. This also gives me an opportunity to model for my students digital citizenship through my use of social media. It really goes to show that my students are still thinking and learning something new this summer and experiencing my adventures thousands of miles away.
Here are some examples of my recent posts:
Screenshots of Instagram posts used with permission by Abraham Angel, Allie Hill, Christina Masciel, and Shameemah Motala
I would love to continue exploring the use of social media in education. Share how you use social media as an educator and ideas you have in the comments below.
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