Source: Barth, Rick. “Distance Learning on Insta: Using Instagram Posts & Stories to Co-Create and Share Student Ideas — Alyssa Maldonado-Estrada – Teaching Commons | Kalamazoo College,” August 25, 2020. https://teachingcommons.kzoo.edu/2020/08/25/distance-learnign-on-insta-using-instagram-posts-stories-to-co-create-and-share-student-ideas-alyssa-maldonado-estrada/.
” 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 call a ‘Virtual Provocation’ (Barth).”
This professor had students make an education instagram account in order to still connect with material during the early days of COVID. This is so important because it is a way that students are able to interact with their work using something they enjoy. The post to different sources for that week is not a ton of work, but it is something that allows for students to have some sort of work and they can learn a little. Lots of my teachers interacted with us on social media during high school. Using twitter and instagram allowed us to connect with extra work outside of the classroom and helped to keep people in the loop.
” Often these were critical, when they were voicing frustration with an author’s argument or critiquing missionaries and their role in colonization, or the Church’s theology of gender and sexuality, or the entanglement of religion and politics (Barth).”
I am curious to see if there were different disagreements among students post as they were able to read one another’s. This topic of Catholicism is very difficult and I am wondering if students were offended by what other people had to say. If this was the case, I wonder how the teacher handled this as things were all online and that becomes more difficult.
“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 (Barth).”
I think this is an idea that become very beneficial, but it is important to note that not all students have instagram or access to create one. Some parents may also not want their children to have instagram even if it is for education purposes. There needs to be a way that students can do something that includes everyone, but without going against a families morals. This is something I will have to think about as I become a teacher and I do not think instagram would be the answer, but it is a great option.
