Social media plays an essential role in learning institutions, enabling innovative teaching and learning approaches. Instagram is one of the popular networking platforms that has increasingly been used as a teaching tool by instructors in colleges and universities. Ingraining Instagram in school activities promotes student engagement, leading to more positive outcomes and improved performances.
One of the key factors that make using Instagram in the classroom more effective compared to other social media platforms is that it is an outstanding visual platform. As a result, it is difficult for learners to miss out on class activities published on the platform. Besides, using the social media platform allows instructors to instantly share massive information with a large number of learners. It becomes beneficial since learners can leverage it for self-paced learning.
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5 Ways that Instructors Could Use Instagram for Schools to Boost Learning Experience
- As a communication tool. Instructors could use official Instagram in schools to communicate with learners and other stakeholders. For instance, they could capitalize on its features to make official class announcements, such as upcoming assignments, and share updates, such as rescheduling classes, among others. Since the platform is highly visual, students and parents will easily memorize the communique as they will most likely remember visual presentations more than they can recall written text.
- Share classwork and other learning materials. Professors could use Instagram in school to share essential learning materials to support their class teachings. For example, a professor may use Instagram to post academic materials such as short instructional videos or innovative infographics to help students understand or have a clear picture of what they learn in class. As an instructor, the use of Instagram will enable you to enrich your classroom activities, enhancing students’ performance. Besides, it makes teaching easier and more enjoyable.
- A platform to recognize achievements. Another effective way that instructors could capitalize Instagram for schools is by using it to recognize students who have remarkable achievements. For instance, the instructor could use the platform to post students who perform the best in weekly contests. It will encourage students to work hard to get an opportunity to be recognized and posted on an official page. Consequently, their performance will increase, enabling them to achieve their academic goals.
- Popularize extracurricular activities. Institutions of higher learning could utilize the networking platform to popularize sporting activities and other extracurricular activities. As academic experts from CustomWritings, a website that will write an essay for you claim that co-curricular activities are extremely important in harnessing learner’s performances. Some of the most talented athletes are also highly talented in academic work. By using the social media platform, an institution could reach out to such students attracting them to the institution.
- Create a community. Another way that colleges and universities could utilize Instagram is by creating a community of the institutions’ stakeholders. The community will enhance interaction between Instagram community members. For instance, art students will have an opportunity to showcase their work. STEM learners will interact in solving complex concepts and so on. Such communities may also create opportunities for learners to develop networks that could lead to employment and other professional relationships.
4 Benefits of Using Instagram for Education
Just like in the business world, if you use Instagram in education you will reap numerous benefits that enhance the learning and teaching experience. Some of these benefits include;
- Increased student engagement: One of the benefits of using Instagram for school is that it will increase student engagement. The fact that learners can access materials at their convenience makes it even better to ensure they participate in classwork and other related activities.
- Prompt Sharing of Educational Materials: Instagram is a powerful resource tool that professors could utilize to share learning materials with students. For instance, professors could use the platform to share tons of learning materials in the form of links containing notes or reputable websites with credible information to complement what is learned in class.
- A platform to create networks: Instagram communities will help learners interact with each other, teachers, and professionals in their respective fields. As a result, they can share Ideas that could help in shaping their career paths. They will also get an opportunity to develop long-term relationships that would come in handy during their career. Students may also meet their future employers through the platform.
- Allow parents and guardians to be part of students’ academic journey: Instagram allows parents and guardians to be actively involved in the student’s academic journey. Through notifications, updates, as well as other communications made through social media posts, a parent can easily track their student’s performance and experiences in college.
Tips You Should Master to Use Instagram in School
- Ensure your account is highly optimized: One of the effective tips you could use to ensure the networking platform achieves its intended goals is to optimize it. Ensure that you use a professional profile using the school’s name and logo.
- Share relevant content: Ensure that you always share information that relates to the subject or class. Students should be aware of the content they would get from the page. For instance, you could share writing tips and guidelines to help learners become better at delivering top-notch essays.
- Creatively engage parents and students to ensure they contribute: You should engage parents and students to ensure they actively contribute to the posts. One of the main reasons for having an Instagram page is ensuring that learners are highly engaged compared to the traditional classroom approach. You can leverage interactive content such as quizzes and polls.
- Capitalize on the different Instagram features: Instagram has numerous features that are designed to appeal to different audiences. For instance, you could use reels to highlight important aspects of quality academic papers instead of photos and pictures. You can also use stories to create engaging content that appeals to a broader audience base.
- Share content routinely: Another important tip you should master is sharing content regularly to promote visibility. Creating engaging content will ensure your audience likes, comments, or even shares in their feeds, increasing visibility and reach. Ensure to share informative content to guarantee high engagement with the audience.
Wrapping Up
Instagram is one of the popular social networking platforms that support education in a significant way. Professors could leverage the platform as an innovative approach to teaching. Using Instagram appropriately will have numerous benefits for students, improving their performances. Instructors should understand the way Instagram works to ensure that their posts are visible and reach the intended audience. As a result, learners and other stakeholders will access information at the opportune time, making them remain engaged at all times.