Instagram

Mainly due to the inspiration from a book I am reading by George Couros, The Innovator's Mindset, my class now has an Instagram account.  Couros talks about a myriad of topics, all designed to empower learning, unleash talent, and ultimately lead to a culture of creativity. This book has been a game changer for me and led me to take a risk and set up the account. You can follow us on Instagram: mrsemslie.

All too often, we hear about the negative side of social media, but Couros does a phenomenal job of highlighting the importance of being connected and giving students an avenue to share their work.  The reality is kids are using social media on a daily basis, sometimes hourly, so why not show them the positive aspects?  

I use to think the world of social media did not apply to me as a teacher because 5th graders weren't using it, right? Wrong!  In fact, when I asked my students what types of social media they use, I had to google half of them!  We have to show kids what responsible posting and sharing look like.  The classroom is ironically, a perfect place. It's safe. I am there to supervise their posts from my device.  I am also there to navigate if negative comments do arise.  We can all learn together. 

Even if you do not feel this is the right time for your classroom to have an account, you can still teach responsible posting by doing some mock posting sessions.  At the end of the day, ask your students to compose a post describing the best and worse parts of their days. Perhaps, they could even keep a journal so they can look back at a post made weeks ago.  They need to understand, most posts/pictures are floating in cyberspace forever.  No take-backs.  

Like it or not, social media is not going anywhere, and our students must navigate these waters for many years to come, so let's get them started on the right path to understanding what is and is not appropriate to post.