Teachers and Social Media

I spend my summers learning new things.  I take online classes, watch a few webinars, and READ.  I just completed my recertification as a SMART Certified Education Trainer.  Little things like this become big when I don't have to do it once the school year starts.

One day as I was checking out my Facebook notifications, I realized so many of my friends were posting via Instagram.  I have an Instagram account.  Have had one for a couple of years.  I started it because I saw my 13- and 15-year old nephews posting pics and I wanted to see what they were doing.  They told me I needed an account to see their pics.  So with their guidance, I created an account.  Nothing much happened after that.

Now that I've read the faqs about Instagram, understand how it works, and have used it, I LOVE Instagram.  It's more personal.  It's a quick post that includes a photo.  I take pics of everything. Every rainbow I see.  Flowers.  People.  My dog.  Food.

 


Anything and everything.  I love it because it's not just sharing someone else's video or cartoon or another personality test.  I still like FB but Instagram serves a different purpose.

Instagram in the classroom . . .  We have policies about social media . . .  Don't know how or if I can use it.  Wonder if other teachers use Instagram.

I have a project that my Algebra 2 students do.  Take pics of things that look like the functions we have studied in the world around them.  They name the function, draw axes and write an "equation." Seems this could be fun to continue even after the project is due.  Maybe that's the nerdy teacher in me hoping.

This is a great article (Tips for Social Media Newbies) I just read this morning.  Passing it on.