More and more it seems that people are only interested in quick visuals and fast information. This is especially true in the modern age of social media with popular applications such as TikTok and Snapchat that allow for short videos to be shared instantly. Students are especially prone to this mode of information sharing and one of my most popular social media platforms right now is Instagram. This application allows for sharing of information through visual means such as photographs and short videos called ‘reels’.
By using Instagram in the school library, especially at the middle
and high school level, the librarian can engage with students in a way that is
comfortable to them. Lucas John Jensen writes, “An important factor in quality
instructional design is learning the characteristics of your learner group, and
this principle holds true when integrating social media into online education.”
His belief is echoed in through the vast number of instructional opportunities
the library provides that teachers and students might not know about. An Instagram
account that is specific to a school media center can reach all audiences in an
appealing way to show them the amazing opportunities available to them.
The first step in starting a school library Instagram is to
create an account. You want to ensure that your school name is incorporated to ensure
that it is easily found by people who are part of your school community. The
second step is to attract followers – people who will ‘follow’ your library digitally
and see your content. Molly Wetta offers a great suggestion in her article “Instagram
Now” to “Make sure there’s a link to your account from your website and share
it across other social media platforms.” By having your library’s Instagram
name (or handle) on every available piece of communication from the school,
then you can ensure more people will see it and hopefully follow the account.
Once an official account has been established, it’s time to
create your library’s content – this is where it gets fun! Instagram has a photo-based
format so take pictures of everything you do in the library from your shelves
to lessons to books and so on. Content can come from anywhere and it is
important to highlight everything the media center has to offer, not just what
people typically think of with a school library. Ideas can include student
recommendations, new book acquisitions, digital resources, staff professional
development, competitions, lessons, and so much more. The important idea to
remember is that you want to showcase your library and all its amazing
resources to your followers so that they come in person to engage with you and
your media center.
References:
Jensen. (2019).
Integrating social media into Online Education. Library Technology Reports,
55(4), 27–.
Wetta. (2016).
Instagram Now. School Library Journal, 62(2), 30–.
I think what you said about the social media tool being comfortable to your user is key. No body wants to use a social media platform they don’t like, and we certainly want our audience to be engaged! I really like the visual heaviness of Instagram and can see why it’s very popular with young users. To further the idea of promoting your social media on the website, I also think campaigning is necessary within the school. Post posters in the cafeteria, put flyers in the bathrooms, have bookmarks in the library, and add links in the school newsletter. Put that social media info up everywhere to ensure your great content is being seen!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't even thought about how I could utilize the reel feature, but you gave me so many ideas! Like you said, it seems now people are only concerned with quick information, which can be provided in photos or stories, but the reel feature can be used for book reviews, and professional development for teachers.
ReplyDeleteI second the comment on using reels! I don't know them very well but that is a fantastic idea to use for an Instagram page, especially for younger students that might have a better understanding of a video over a lengthy post. I also love the bitmoji you used for the account, I think those became very popular during virtual learning and I will have to add my own to my social media pages. Great posts, loved looking over the account and I will make sure to give it a follow!
ReplyDeleteHey, Sam!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed looking at your school library social media page and reading why you chose to use Instagram. I have to say that I love to use Instagram in my personal life. It just seems so easy to use. Thinking about the ease of use that Instagram has for users, especially users like me (because sometimes I feel like I am not very tech savvy) made me want to use it for my elementary school students.
I like the way you said that a social media account for a school library needs to be “appealing” to the user. I think that this idea is so important. I think making a social media account that is eye catching and user-friendly is so important because I know myself that when something is not appealing to me I do not want to use it at all. Therefore, we need to take this fact into consideration when making anything for the library. We need to make ALL that we do appealing to our users.
Thank you for sharing.
Sincerely,
Courtland Smith
I think you have it right with using a tool that students are comfortable with. If you were to use something new to them they wouldn't necessarily use it as much. With Instagram, they are already on it so what is one more page to follow. Meeting students where they are is key. I chose Instagram for mine as well, but I hadn't thought about using the reels feature. I think that is a great idea and I'll have to look further into that!
ReplyDelete