“Distance Learning on Insta: Using Instagram Posts & Stories to Co-create and Share Student Ideas” by Alyssa Maldonado-Estrada
“Every student was required to make a new Instagram account that they would use just for class–to minimize the awkwardness of using their personal accounts, and I too made an account that was private and just for class use. On their account they would post weekly in response to the readings, films, or sources for that week. Each week they would post what I called a ‘Virtual Provocation’”
I agree with the author’s choice to tell students to create a new account. This helps students separate their personal lives on their personal account from their classroom work. Additionally, not all students have an Instagram account, and this does not make them feel like they are being forced to create a personal account. I thought Instagram was an interesting platform choice for educational work because Instagram is traditionally used to share our social lives with others, rather than our educational studies.
“In the pandemic, sometimes with shoddy WiFi, or devices shared between multiple siblings, it is important for students to be able to access course materials and even engage in course requirements on their phones.”
It is important to make sure students have equal access to online course materials. This was a challenge for many students during the COVID pandemic, when many students moved out of their university or off campus housing to stay at home with families. Additionally, young children were not able to attend schools in person.
“More, this platform pushed me to consider how to deliver information in bite-sized and visually interesting ways, and it helped me connect with my students outside of learning management software. It met me where I was and met them where they are.”
The author is acknowledging that sometimes students learn easier when they are receiving smaller portions of information rather than examining a larger size of information at once. Maldonado-Estrada is reflecting on what she learned about teaching students through this experiment. Although Instagram, or other virtual platforms, can not replace learning in a classroom, I did find it an interesting alternative learning tool used during the COVID pandemic, and could see it as a potential tool to continue using in education.
