Instagram, Facebook Pages and Groups, Twitter

Facebook Pages:
Schools use their Facebook pages in order to tell everyone about upcoming events and to make announcements. You can post flyers and pictures to the page to make it more visually appealing for everyone to receive the information.  It's a great place for all teachers, students, and parents to stay connected to what is going on in the campus. When fundraisers are approaching or when book fair is coming up they list out the dates and times, so that way everyone is informed. Some of the pages even post pictures on the site of things like Red Ribbon Week or when special events take place they are posted on the page. Libraries can post weekly book recommendations or even get the students engaged in reading bluebonnet books by showing book trailers each week and having them actually on display in the library. Facebook is classified as social media, so it is great way for everyone on campus to engage, have fun, and stay informed of what is happening. Some of the Facebook pages are also used to highlight something positive that happened on the campus or even what was going on in a classroom. Maybe a teacher completed a science experiment with her students, so that would be something to highlight. This is a great morale booster for teachers as well because they get pats on the back. I really like Facebook however I feel as though it is more outdated than the other social media sites that have now been created. I like it because any of the parents, students, and teachers can be a part of the page and have access to the information. It is simple and user friendly. It gets the information across and a minimalistic but efficient way. You can also regulate what goes on your page, if comments can be made, people tagged etc. You can also have more than one administrator to help regulate the page and share the responsibility. There is also no limit on text which is great! The only downside is that you cannot regulate who is able to view your page, as all pages are classified as public. This means EVERYONE can see what is posted on this page. I love how you can access Facebook from your cell phone or a laptop/desktop.  I created a Facebook page for my library: https://www.facebook.com/Bullfrog-Library-101549991612746

Twitter:
Twitter is one of my favorite platforms. I have used this for years with my own classroom students. It is a great way for everyone to see the information from everyone in your classroom, to school, to administrators, to people in your district and even to the parents at home. It's a great way to post pictures and flyers of upcoming events. I love the live feature because you can record something in that moment, and there is no time limit. You do have a text limit which can sometimes be difficult to stay within. I also like that you can tag other people in your post. As I explored the Ed Tech leaders' pages I found a lot of great information and useful tips. I noticed that some of the topics they discussed were things I had questions about in regards to technology. I noticed that in Kathy Schrock's page that she listed out a lot of tips about technology and how to use it. I really enjoyed Linda Brahn's page because it was truly written from her perspective, and she shared projects that she was/is involved in. I noticed that she is an advocate for the youth, and I really liked that. "Give Teens the Lead: How to move from teen-centered to teen-driven services, by @lbraun2000." Her Twitter is definitely in her voice, and just that helps me connect to her easier. On @lbraun2000's page, I was captivated by this quote, "For some kids, school work gives them a healthy focus. For others, self-care may be the priority." I enjoyed @globalearner's page because I felt like it was relevant to now. "Your students own their learning. teaching them to ask the most interesting questions.." was something that really struck me from his page. He discusses a lot of things about Covid-19, how that effects the classroom, and what we can do to rise above it to make it an easier transformation. Considering they are classified as educational leaders, it makes it more beneficial to me if they discuss trends or current events and how to embrace or cope. I love @GwynethJones because of how full of life she is. It seems as though she is willing to take risks, and that she is currently a librarian on a middle school campus. This helps her be more relatable to be because she is actually in the library itself. I love how she gives shout outs to her former and current students, this is a great platform to give your students recognition! On @JimLerman's page I liked that he also talks about current events and addresses them head on. Not only that but he posts a lot of different tools that can be utilized and focuses on things outside of a library such as mental health. All in all Twitter is probably my favorite platform to utilize because of how user friendly it is, it is easy to navigate, and visually appealing for everyone to use. I also like how people can comment on your posts! I also like how you can remove people from seeing your Twitter if they choose to follow you and you decline. Twitter is a definite must have in the education world! I also love playing with the hashtags and having fun with them! I love how you can access Twitter from your cell phone or a laptop/desktop. My Twitter handle is @MsCrabtree4.

Instagram:
Instagram has a lot of great capabilities. If I had one for my classroom, I would put it on private and have the students and parents ask to follow my Instagram page for confidentiality reasons. This is a great way to showcase student work by taking photos of that particular student's work. It highlights their achievements. Highlighting a student of the week. Each day you can add something to your story about that student or a picture that describes them. Taking photos in class whether it be daily or during fun and engaging activities and then posting them as a post and a story to display what your class did that day. It is a great way for everyone to see all of the cool things you are doing. If your class goes on any fieldtrips whether in person or virtual would be great moments to capture by photographs and have them posted to your Instagram page. Other people can comment on your photos and enjoy seeing what your students are doing. You can pose a challenge question and have the students respond....this could also be done effectively on Twitter and Facebook. I also like how it gives you potential people and pages to follow that have similar interests as you. I did create an Instagram, and I could see that the possibilities are endless for this social media site. I added two boomerangs to my story which just seemed to add a little more pizazz to the photos. I enjoyed playing with it and familiarizing myself with more of the features it offered. It was user friendly and straight to the point. The only downside that I struggled with on Instagram is you cannot add photos to your page from a desktop computer. It seems as though it can only be done through a device such as a cell phone. This was a little frustrating for me. Follow me on Instagram! :)
                                                       












https://www.instagram.com/an_always_learning_bookworm/

Tik-Tok:
Tik-Tok is one of the newest fads. I'm obsessed! I researched various teachers that are on Tik-Tok, and there are tons of them. I like that they are trying to stay relevant and stay connected to their students. I feel as though this is more beneficial for older students who use Tik-Tok more often than our elementary students. A lot of what I saw on Tik-Tok was teachers not necessarily teaching any actual concepts, but they were having fun. For students, this could make a world of a difference when they realize they have more in common with their teachers and are able to connect to them in a different way. I'm not sure if I'm brave enough to use this with my students, I think I prefer using the live feature on the various sites or capturing the moments in photos. Tik-Tok is unchartered territory that I would need to explore more if I was going to try to teach with it.