Looking Into The Ways Instagram Сan Сontribute Τo eLearning This Year
With its strong emphasis on visual content, Instagram is gaining traction as one of the most aesthetic platforms to look into for a daily dose of inspiration. But is that really what this platform was designed for?
What if we switch the focus from personal to professional use? How can you add Instagram to your toolbox and leverage its power for your eTeaching purposes?
Many people believe that Instagram is less functional than YouTube and Twitter, and they cannot be wrong here. Instagram is a bit distracting, and the scope of its features is limited. Unlike Tweets, IG posts cannot spread like a wildfire and get to the top search results; competition is really rough out there. Also, Instagram cannot compete with YouTube as a library of video content as YouTube has a much richer repository.
Even so, Instagram has a range of potentially beneficial features, and it is increasingly popular among students. Teenagers find Instagram particularly fun to use due to the friendly UX and the ability to cross-post their content to different groups and other social media platforms.
Thus, Instagram is popular among students and graduates. For this reason, you should use it to support your eLearning courses. Here are a few helpful tips to make it happen!
1. Engaging Discussion
Powerful images resonate with our deepest feelings so they can spark a meaningful online discussion. Online discussions seem to be less destructing and stressful than real ones. Even introverted learners who often hang out at the back of a classroom are more likely to stand up online.
For this reason, you should engage your eLearners to share their opinion in a digital space. Believe it or not, Instagram is a great way to do that, since this platform is all about liking, sharing, and commenting, Instagram has an impressive engagement rate. That’s why you should use it to drive participation in virtual discussions.
Post a picture with a hidden context/social problem on it. You can also add the text to your photos using image editing tools like Crello. For instance, you can add a short question at the bottom of the image and address it to your students.
Your students may already have a certain idea/opinion set in their minds, but your perspective as a teacher may be a catalyst for change. Use Instagram to challenge eLearners’ assumptions and suggest an alternative way of thinking.
2. Quick Video Tutorials
Up until recently, Instagram was primarily an image-sharing platform, but now users also have the chance to share video clips on their pages. Thanks to this, you can turn the Instagram page into a valuable database of microlearning trainings and demos. Publish some online training video clips and your eLearners will instantly get access to them.
This is especially good for sharing different types of how-to videos and instructions. Your students will be able to watch them as many times as they need by clicking the play button located right in the center of the thumbnail.
There’s one limitation to using Instagram for videos: you can post clips that are 1 minute or under. So, this platform is not perfect for extensive walkthroughs. However, you can always break down a large chunk of information into smaller training sessions and then, upload them to your Instagram account.
3. Learning Roadmap
Some eLearners have no problems with staying productive and motivated, no matter what disruptions stand in their way. However, there are also students who get distracted and need regular reminders of their learning objectives. For these students, Instagram may turn out to be an effective progress tracking tool that allows them to monitor their signs of progress and celebrate each small victory.
If your students have a long learning road ahead, you may encourage them to create an Instagram account for sharing the results of every other learning goal they accomplish.
So, break down your eLearning process into several milestones, and ask your students to upload a photo when each of them is completed. Using milestones helps you enhance the productivity of your students and monitor how far they get in their studies.
As you can see, Instagram is a great supportive tool that can be used to establish a special bond with your students. Here are a few additional Instagram use cases that may come in handy for eTeaching:
- Students Appreciate The Chance To Use Their Creativity To The Fullest
For this reason, you should motivate them to participate in creative projects. To make that happen, you need to create a private Instagram account where you can share various pictures that would prompt them to write stories or essays. This would be a great addition to routine weekly assignments. - Use Instagram As A Board Of Inspirational Content
If you want to limit the audience to your eClassroom members only, just make the account private and share weekly news, stats, diagrams, and whatever else you find useful and inspirational as content. Students will appreciate that. - Instagram Can Serve As An Effective Reward System
Feature some of the best students’ projects in your account to motivate other students to get there. This is a wonderful way to maintain the quality of homework relatively high and motivate students to carry on with good results. - Assign Not-So-Obvious Projects To your eLearners
For instance, you may ask them to draw a self-portrait and share a photo of it. Or you can assign them several readings and ask them to share photos of characters or books they love most. - Make Fun
Just like all students, eLearners love participating in various creative projects and making some fun. That’s why you should try to convert traditional home tasks into funny ones. Ask your students to be their favorite comic characters and share photos one day.
Over To You
Social networks are perfect for establishing a closer bond with your eLearners. Using Instagram as a friendlier method of rewarding, assigning tasks, and motivating your students to be their best versions of selves may turn out to be exceedingly effective!
Consider the tips and tactics listed above to concentrate your eTeaching efforts on what really matters. Foot-drag learning materials to your students without making a significant time commitment.
Remember that the right strategies along with efficient implementation can turn a complicated teacher-student relationship into a full-blown marriage of minds!
