Instagram & Vine

Instagram 

Instagram is a fun way to share pictures with your friends and family. Teachers and students are also using it in several ways in the classroom. All you need to do is upload the app from your phone, once its uploaded click on it, make an account and in seconds you are snapping pictures of your choice. These images can be saved onto your device or they can be posted directly to Instagram. I uploaded an app for my phone to add text on the pictures. I’m happy to say that it was an app gone free. The app was Pic O Gram, it is really simple to use. I had to insert the text first and then I shared the photograph to Instagram. I learned that with Instagram you can share the pictures via Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Flickr. Take a look at these pictures I uploaded to my Instagram account.

Vine

Vine is a fun way to create and share short, creative, looping videos in a simple and quick way. I learned that Vine is owned by Twitter, so you can log in via Twitter, too. I have a Twitter account, but I logged in using my e-mail address. Vine only allows you to record 6 second videos and it only begins recording when your finger is on the screen. You can press and release to assemble videos in three or more parts. That’s what I did to make my videos. Take a look at these three videos I posted on my Vine account:

My pets, Milo, Rocky, and Riley

My study area

My boys

How can I as a teacher and future librarian use Instagram and Vine with students in the class?

·       I love Art therefore I can post an image on Instagram and students can evaluate it and discuss its hues, patterns, and its visual texture.

·       Students may write a summary of their findings.

·       I could perhaps use an image as a writing prompt.

·       I could perhaps use an image to narrate an create a story during read aloud time.

·       I could perhaps post images of different eras and have students write about those eras.

·       Students could use pictures of things that represent them and explain to the rest of the class how each image represents them.

·       I could share images of my future library displays.

·       I may share images of the reading corners to promote the library.

·       Images of upcoming books

·       I could use Vine videos to say three or four words that describe a book by holding the book as I say those words. Perhaps it intrigues readers to read the book.

·       I could have students create Vine videos on antonyms, synonyms, and homonyms- Create a video in which one student says “make,” another one says “create,” the third student says “produce,” and a fourth student says, “All synonyms of invent.” Of course, they would have to say it quickly.

·       Students could perhaps draw the beginning, middle, and end of a story and create a 6 second video of the story by holding up the drawings of their story.

·       I could also create a video of the classroom (quick peeks) to motivate students to return to school after the summer break.

·       As a future librarian I could do the same by creating a video of quick peeks to different areas of the library.