Introduction
Instagram is a free online photo-sharing, video-sharing and social networking application that allows users to take pictures and videos, apply digital filters and share them on a variety of social networking services. Users can take new photos or select pictures currently saved on their Apple or Android devices. Currently, Instagram also integrates with other social networking services allowing users to upload and share their photos and videos on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and Tumblr.
Instagram encourages sharing of photographs, experiences and interaction amongst users. The use of hashtags within the application allows pictures to be tagged with metadata and encourages users with similar interests and photographs to discover each other. Additionally, the ability to share photos on other social media platforms provides a broader audience to collaborate with.
Unique features include:
• photographs are confined to a square shape, similar to Kodak Instamatic or Polaroid Images.
• 16 cinema quality filters that highlight/subdue colors and tones
• 15 second video integration
Created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger in 2010, Instagram was created as a mobile photography check-in project. Within months, the service had one million registered users. This has since exploded to over time to now include over 100 million active users and average 58 photos per second upload rate. Systrom and Kreiger sold Instagram in 2012 to Facebook for approximately 1 billion dollars.
Web 2.0 Trends and its Impact in the Classroom
Current research about student engagement is telling us that engaging students in relevant learning experiences that connect to their interests and passions contribute highly to learning success. Success in learning is personal to each student and technology advocates suggest that Web 2.0 applications have tremendous potential to transform students’ learning. User generated content and the ability to scaffold your learning using mobile, anytime/anywhere applications is becoming increasingly popular in education (Anderson, 2007).
Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia and many other tools are part of nearly every students’ life (Light and Polin, 2010). Leveraging technology that students already use is an effective tool for engagement in learning.
Web 2.0 tools can be used:
• to connect students to learning resources.
• to stimulate student interest in a topic.
• to store student work.
• to create artifacts of their learning.
• to track and monitor student progress.
• to post and complete assignments.
• as a collaborative tool for educators and students.
• to track classroom and online discussions.
• as a classroom management tool.
• to connect to other learners around the world – the global classroom
Using Instagram in the Classroom
Instagram has multiple uses to enhance student learning across all curricular areas. It can easily be used to showcase student learning and share it with multiple audiences. Students can use #hashtags specific to a project so they can easily find photos and corresponding student work. Any class activity that engages students a step-by-step project can document the progress of their project using Instagram. When the project is finished students have a complete learning journey.
Art/Design Class: Have students explore various mediums of art at a museum and have them document their favorites using Instagram. Additionally, have them explore these mediums using a hashtag search. As a final step, have students create their own piece of art in their favorite medium and share it.
Language Arts/English Language Learning: Students may engage in the creation of photo essays and photojournalism. Students can take photos and add captions based on the terms of the assignment.
Math: Students can take pictures showing symmetry, parallel lines, reflection, angles, shapes and other examples of ‘math in action’.
Science – ask students to post pictures of ecosystems, document life-cycles, habitats, precipitation, etc.
Humanities – students can take pictures demonstrating various cultures, forms of government, populations, landforms and changes over time.
In general, Instagram offers an easy way to share classroom projects, work and milestones. There is no picture limit, and photos are never deleted which makes Instagram use versatile, flexible and unlimited.
Areas of Concern
When engaging in any social media/public activity is it imperative to ensure students are safe. Digital Citizenship mentoring will educate students about the proper use of web-based technology.
The terms of use state that Instagram is for ages 13 years and up, and therefore would only be appropriate for students in junior/middle and high school. Additionally, school districts may have guidelines regarding the use of Web 2.0 applications. These should be consulted before engaging in any activity using a web-based application.
Instagram requires the use of an iPod, iPhone or iPad or a tablet/phone with the Android operating system. Not all students will have access to this type of technology. It is important to ensure no student is left out of learning activities because they do not own their own technology. Often schools and school districts will have class sets of Apple Devices available for use.
Website References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram
http://www.seemycity.com/about/some-facts-about-instagram/
http://webtrends.about.com/od/Instagram/a/Instagram-Trends.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashtag
http://education.alberta.ca/teachers/aisi/themes/student-engagement.aspx
http://blog.instagram.com/post/55034203805/videofilters
http://cct.edc.org/sites/cct.edc.org/files/publications/Integrating%20Web2.0.PDF
http://21stcenturywalton.pbworks.com/f/What+is+Web+2.0.pdf
http://scholar.google.ca/scholar?hl=en&q=instagram+education&btnG=&as_sdt=1%2C5&as_sdtp=
http://www.edudemic.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/instagram-in-the-classroom.jpeg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network
http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashtag