Instagram as an Educational Tool for College Students
Instagram as an Educational Tool for Students
Instagram is the most important social network for American teens, and the number of registered youth is growing rapidly. While most teens use Instagram for posting their photos and videos, it’s not just about your selfies, food and fitness photos, and likes/reposts.
As the Internet makes the educational process more interesting than ever, teachers should jump at the opportunity to get the most out of this progress. Thus, it’s a great idea to start using social networks in the classroom.
Look:
Instagram can become a great educational tool that makes the educational process unique, interesting, and insightful.
If you want to develop (or improve) some useful skills, start using Instagram right now.
Here comes a list of reasons why using Instagram is beneficial:
Develop creativity Most Instagram users want to surprise their audience with great images, so they start making different photos, editing them, and publishing on the web. If you use Instagram, you might notice that there are many spammy photos. However, people do their best to become unique, and it helps to develop creativity.
Become tech-savvy. The Internet has become a main source of information and the best communication tool. It gives so many opportunity to tech-savvy users that it’s nearly impossible to stop using it. Thus, students should learn how to be tech-savvy, and using social networks is a way to become a proficient user as well.
Learn from gurus. Nowadays most gurus in all niches have their accounts on Instagram. They share not only personal photos but their stories and tips as well. Thus, students can find a person who is a source of inspiration and start following this profile.
Online studying. Students prefer interesting ways of studying, and Instagram helps to make the educational process unique. Teachers can give creative assignments that can be evaluated via Instagram (attending galleries, creating photo essays, making videos, etc.). Once a home assignment is done, ask a student to tag a teacher to get a mark.
Team building. No matter how big your group is, you can create a class account where all educational moments would be represented. Make photos, share tasks, write comments and keep in touch with your class even when you are on holidays. It helps to build a strong team as it shows group’s membership.
Does the number of followers matter?
Most Instagram users want to get more and more followers. They even start cheating to attract more readers, but it won’t work.
Obviously, the more followers you have, the more likely your content will be shared. However, quantity is over quantity, so having just the number is not enough. People should be interested in what you’re publishing. So, you need to attract relevant followers only.
Once you decided it’s high time to increase the number of likes on your profile, find out 5 easy ways to boost your followers on Instagram.
The Best Accounts to Follow
Finding inspiration on Instagram is a great thing to do. If you want to get motivation, you can search for images, using relevant hashtags (#students, #student_life, #college, etc.), but don’t forget to follow those accounts that inspire you the most. Here are top 3 accounts that can give you a motivation boost.
@coryrichard a National Geographic photographer and adventurer who loves traveling, filming, and climbing. His photos show the beauty of our world and, therefore, inspire.
reasons to follow: see the world, get inspiration.
@edutopia – if you want to get an insight or find out interesting tips on learning, you need to start following this account. It is useful for both students and teachers.
reasons to follow: boost motivation, life hacks, useful tips.
@amnh – even if you believe that you know almost everything about history, you need to start following the official Instagram page of the American Museum of Natural History.
reasons to follow: learn history, discover interesting facts and things about the history.
Living in the digital era, teachers and students cannot stop technological progress, and being in a trend is important. Next time you log in your Instagram account, look for insights on the web to broaden your mind. The educational process should be interesting, funny, and motivational, so don’t miss a chance to start learning better.
P.S. Although most people have watched this video parody about typical Instagram users, it’s still funny. Enjoy and keep in mind that Instagram is much more than mediocre photos people post daily.
Author’s bio: Andrew Howe is a student at Queens University of Charlotte where he studies language and literature. He has developed a useful tool Adverbless to give students a chance to improve their writing skills.
