Taking a Look at Social Media in the Education Setting: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Social media can play a significant role in schools in a variety of ways. Social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, are all different methods in communicating information to students, parents, and community members. Posting regularly and appropriately can ensure that different sites are getting used to the best of their ability.

Facebook

To be quite honest, Facebook is an app that I am not all too familiar with. According to GCF Global, “Facebook is a social networking site that makes it easy for you to connect and share with family and friends online.” From what I have always seen and heard, people enjoy using Facebook because it is a way to stay informed on different occasions and news. It is important that schools and libraries have a Facebook page to be able to share and communicate information about different events, activities, information, and happenings in the school and library. From what I have noticed, it seems like there are more adults on Facebook than there are younger people such as teens. Because of this, there is a likely chance that most parents are on Facebook, so they are able to gather information about school that way.

 

I checked out a few middle school libraries to check out their posts and the majority of them had the same thing – news, information, library activities and the promotion of books. One thing that is incredibly important is to post regularly because users want to have up-to-date information. Some pros regarding Facebook is that it is an easy way to stay connected and it is a great site to market and advertise that happenings in the library or school. One major con may include privacy concerns. Facebook is often criticized for the way it handles user data and privacy and collection of personal information. It’s always best to think twice about the information being shared online.

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Twitter

Of all the social media apps out there, Twitter is one that I have always stuck by with – believe it or not since I was 13! As my likes and dislikes change, so do the people and organizations I follow. To be honest, my timeline is everywhere – from sports, to video games, to meme accounts, to book recommendations and news. The world of Twitter is very broad and ongoing. When first making an account, Twitter asks you what sort of topics you’re interested in. You are able to select at least 3 topics and then Twitter provides you with accounts they think you may like. Once you begin to follow more accounts based on your interests, the algorithm on Twitter does its magic and gives more suggested accounts and tweets. It is nearly impossible to get lost or give up because it’s “too hard” or “too confusing.” Twitter is easy and user friendly – you’ll get around!

 

Looking at from my experience, I have noticed that more adults and older teens are on Twitter when comparing to other ages. So while Twitter can be an excellent tool to showcase your library, I would find it more useful to follow other librarians and organizations to get more ideas and stay connected in that regard. Twitter provides networking opportunities as it allows for users to connect with others. However, there are some drawbacks. For instance, Twitter only allows for 280 characters in a single tweet, so you might have to post multiple times if wanting to spread something a bit more lengthy. Another drawback is that users of Twitter can spread misinformation – that is why it is so important to double check who you are following and ensure that they are reliable.

 

Being in the education field, there are many HUGE names in educational technology that are users of Twitter. The following are a few to take a look at:

 

Kathy Schrock @kathyschrock

With over 58,000 followers, Kath Schrock is a self-described “Educational Technologist, adjunct instructor, and influencer.” Her tweets heavily promote different technology tools and sites for education.

 

Linda Braun @lbraun2000

Linda Braun focuses on serving and advocating for teens. While Linda has not tweeted since March 2021, she still has an immense number of tweets that you can refer back to that are still relevant today.

 

The Daring Librarian @GwynethJones

Gweyneth Jones promotes diversity and inclusivity in all her tweets she composes herself and retweets from others. One of her most recent tweets from this month was a 16- question Kahoot game to celebrate Black History Month.

Jim Lerman @jimlerman

Jim Lerman shares an abundance of different technology tools via different articles. Articles he shares often includes “How-tos” and are aimed toward educators and students.

 

My personal favorite Twitter account to follow: 

Karina Quilantan @cuethelibrarian

As a middle school librarian, Karina knows all the ins and outs of middle school culture. Her Twitter feed is filled with advocacy, current trends, and ideas for the school library. She takes the role of a librarian in a whole new direction as she often thinks outside the box. It is evident that Karina always has her students in the forefront as she never runs out of ideas that will benefit her students. From creating a Library Ambassadors Program to creating a gaming club, Karina’s tweets will surely inspire any school librarian or teacher.

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Instagram

Instagram is a photo and video sharing app that is available on IPhone and Android that is free for all users. Like any social media app, this one comes with both pros and cons. Some pros for Instagram are that it is able to reach a wide variety of people, its ability to share information visually, users of all ages are using Instagram, and the opportunity for marketing. As a teacher and/or librarian, we want the opportunity to reach students, parents, and community members. Instagram makes it extremely easy to show the happing’s of the school, classroom, and library. One click to take a photo and another click to post to all your followers – it’s that easy!

 

Some cons when it comes to Instagram is that it may house cyberbullying and privacy concerns. To make it a safe space for everyone, Instagram has the option to “mute” and block keywords so people won’t be able to post certain words on the page.

 

For some of my first posts on my Instagram page, I thought it felt right to post some pictures of my classroom as a tour. It might help other fellow teachers get some new ideas!

 

My Instagram username: @educationmarlee