There are so many different social media outlets, but I'm going to specifically speak about Instagram in this post.
Instagram is a social networking platform that allows its' users to share pictures and videos. It is mainly a mobile media site, meaning that it is most easily accessed on a cell phone. A user can share their pictures or videos to other sites like, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Flickr. Users can also edit their pictures using different filters and editing tools. Descriptions can be added underneath all posts. And hashtags can be used as a fun way to tag your photo. For instance, if I have a picture of a frog, I could write #frog in a comment below my picture. Then I could click that #frog and it would take me to other pictures that have the same hashtag.
How do I use it in the classroom?
I immediately think of having a classroom Instagram page. This can be where you, the teacher, post cool pictures from experiments and demos that you and your class have completed. Students and parents could follow it to see what is happening in the classroom. It keeps everyone up to date about classroom progress.
Here are some really nice examples of what you could post as an educator. We performed dissections on flowers and took pictures and posted them.
As an extra bonus, you could write some review information in the captions of your posts to remind students what you talked about during the day.
Posting your own photos is great, but you can do more with Instagram!
There are some really cool science related profiles on Instagram. These can be used as resources within your classroom. Say you're in sixth grade science class and you're studying space exploration. Well, won't you look at that, they have a NASA Instagram page (@nasa)! You could use some of these pictures as discrepant events. Or you could have students choose images and research information about them.Other science Instagrams include:
- U.S. Department of the Interior: https://instagram.com/usinterior/
- National Geographic: http://instagram.com/natgeo
- Mars Curiosity Rover: https://instagram.com/marscuriosity/
- American Museum of Natural History: https://instagram.com/amnh
Final Thoughts
Personally, I love Instagram. I think it could be a really fun tool to use within the classroom. It would allow students and parents to see what is happening within the classroom. And it can also teach students about real world applications of the science that they are learning. It can be tricky to use in some situations, such as, not all students have access to a smart phone or even internet at home. So I don't think you would use it as a primary tool for the classroom. But, I think students would love having a group Instagram because you are connecting their learning with real world applications. I think everyone should give Instagram a try within the classroom!
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