Facebook Pages

Facebook "Pages" 

With the number of social media sites rapidly multiplying, it seems that Facebook is the one that will maintain the most mature members who love narratives. Even though the network does not have the buy-in from the tween group, the older teens are acquiring Facebook profiles to find out what they have been missing, along with most young adults, parents, and grandparents. It seems almost every news station, education organization, and business has a Facebook connection. School libraries are another entity also using Facebook pages to publicize and communicate current projects and calendar events along with posting pictures and creating posts that show the activity beyond book checkout in the library space. Pages filled with posts of book displays, celebration activities, and Makerspace inventions are bringing the community outside of the school walls into the hustle and bustle taking place within the library. The popular trend of social media sites may not reside within Facebook, but for the visitors exploring the pages, the information is timely and interactive. Followers can login to see images of students participating in reading programs, creative play, book fairs and engaging in educational courses.

For a look at the BBJH Library, visit https://fb.me/bbjhlibrary 

Twitter

Twitter is a basic, informal, real-time updated social media platform without all the hassle of seeing divisive posts, profile picture updates, and long rants. Twitter followers appreciate the site for the quick information and constant updating of current events, trends, and news. Educators are able to use the site to share resources and ideas and include links to dive in further to gather more information. A few of my favorites:

Kathy Schrock and Jim Lerman will be the best PD-on-the-go for anything tech.

5 Things That We Learned from Running Our Own Makerspaces https://t.co/cEIievNdIm

— Jim Lerman (@jimlerman) January 6, 2020

New @DiscoveryEd Kathy’s Katch blog post for May 2019: Extend your professional learning with online tools! https://t.co/rAUHHStjT0

— Kathy Schrock (@kathyschrock) May 1, 2019

Gwyneth Jones is a librarian that is great about showcasing her students and activities going on in her library.

Some of our latest hottest newest @hcpss_mhms Library Media books just came back! Come in and check it out to read this afternoon! Because it’s an early dismissal snow day! LOL🤪👏☃️❄️🌨 (Ps. posted earlier on @instagram - more of my kids follow us there! ) pic.twitter.com/v7eUta7fut

— Gwyneth Jones (@GwynethJones) January 8, 2020

I have an appreciation for original tweets so I would say that the biggest negative for me is when I follow an educational expert who only "retweets" posts instead of crafting their own ideas. Most of the retweets are informative and contain valuable information but if I only see retweets, I don't get much insight into the authenticity of the person. 

Follow BBJH Library https://twitter.com/bbjhlibrary

Instagram

Probably the most popular of the public social media sites for teenagers is Instagram. Most of them think Facebook is for old people and they haven't really used Twitter long enough to understand all the logistics but IG is their "go to" for connections in the public world of social media. I love Instagram for its quick scrolling and a look at pictures without an overload of written explanation and getting lost in comments (which often happens in Facebook). Using Instagram posts and stories to relate with students would be an ideal way to reach the generation that just wants to see a quick image and move on to the next. I don’t think this is the platform that would reach the largest group of parents, educational advocates, and the surrounding community, but it is gaining popularity as more people use multiple social media platforms.

Quick and Simple Ways to use Instagram in Education

• Sharing 10-12 book covers along with hashtags to create excitement about new books.
• Posting challenges!! BBJH currently has the 40 Book Challenge going on with all the 8th ELA classes. Teachers and librarians can snap pictures of students reading their book or checking out a new one in the library to encourage competition and suggest “next reads.”
• Library scavenger hunts! Direct students to search for a particular book title or books about a certain topic and bring to a teacher or librarian for a prize.
• Images of upcoming book releases of popular authors.
• Teacher's Choice books or "Currently Reading" books by staff in the school.
• Images of the book covers for an upcoming book order arrival.
• Information about upcoming book fairs.
• Pictures of students creating in Makerspace.
• Celebrations of literacy and student success.
• Announcement of an author visit or local book signing.

Students want to see themselves fit in their classrooms and the spaces of the school they attend, they want to feel connected. If educators use the IG platform to showcase student learning they can begin building connections with students even when they are not in the classroom. 

Follow BBJH Library on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/bbjhlibrary/

Final thought on social media in education—the downside of Instagram, Twitter and Facebook is feeling like I am constantly trying to catch everything happening on camera and documenting all activities throughout the day just to keep up. Scheduling time on a calendar a couple of days per week, just like scheduling a meeting, to update school social media sites has been the best way for me to spotlight the things happening but not feel like I have to constantly have my phone to snap pictures and immediately post. I don’t want to be so wrapped up in getting the picture and posting to lose the educational value in the moment.