Instagram

Instagram is a free online tool and app that allows friends and family to capture and share images and videos with users. Since Instagram is one of today's most popular teen social media platforms and there are more than 1 billion active users on Instagram on a monthly basis, some of your students are likely to be among these users. We know that, even during school, students use social media, including Instagram. You can tap into this powerful resource and meet students where they are, rather than worry about whether students are being distracted by Instagram in class. Instagram is not only for personal use, it can be used in your classroom as an instructional tool as well. You may ask your students, for example, to capture photographs or videos of their class work, homework, tasks, school events, post them on their own account, or a class account, and have discussions about the posts. 

https://www.instagram.com/ 

Learning Activities

Literature: Your students can take a photo of the cover of a book they have read and share it with book lovers on Instagram and make comments on the book. In this way you as a teacher help them build a community

Science: Students can capture photos or videos about phases of germination (or another scientific process) and engage in a critical examination of the differences in the photos/phases.

Language: Students can create visual flash cards, using photos from Instagram, to improve their vocabulary.

Arts: Students can create a digital photo gallery of their art projects to share with parents, teachers, and a broader community. Students can also use and critically examine the filters on Instagram to improve their photography skills and knowledge.

History: Students can take and explore photos of historic buildings in the city they live in to more closely examine history.

Music: Students who know how to play an instrument can teach others how to play it step by step through short videos.

Other: Instead of having a physical file of portfolio, you can encourage your students to create a digital portfolio, or e-portfolio, on Instagram.