Alright, here it is y'all; confession time... I am an Instagram newbie! I know, I know. Ironically, my mother has been the one who has been pushing me to start an Instagram account. (You don't have to feel embarrassed for me. I'm embarrassed enough for both of us!) I can now say, with a little confidence, I am well on my way to being an Instagram star! Not really, haha, but I am more comfortable linking all the accounts and highlighting all the amazing things I am doing within the school day.
I was confused at first on what the purpose of having multiple platforms were used for. I had a Twitter account for school and a personal Facebook account but didn't see the need for more platforms. I was putting my posts out there in the universe in some form or another so surely that should be sufficient. After numerous discussions with friends, they have shown me other people may feel more comfortable using a platform different from my preferred method. It may sound a little selfish, but I honestly hadn't thought about it from someone else's viewpoint before. With this in mind, I jumped in with both feet. I still have a lot to learn about filters, angles and the like, but I do like the idea of reaching more people to show them how the library can benefit the school, the students and the community.
Instagram - Follow me by searching @rseslibrary
As I stated, I am new to Instagram. I found it to be incredibly user-friendly. I downloaded an app separate from Instagram so I could add text to pictures before I upload them called Texty for Android. (It's limited in its use but also user-friendly). I am still learning how it all works but I am having a blast learning as I go.
I like that Instagram is very straight to the point. You don't have to spend a long time typing "just the right thing" for someone to stop and read it. It is very much letting the picture speak the 1,000 words for you. One thing I had trouble with was what a "story" was. A story is basically a tell-all about you before they get to scrolling your page. I view it as the highlights of whatever message you want to get across.
I would recommend Instagram for anyone who is interested in getting messages or points of view across to a wide audience. I will say, this seems to be much more efficient if your target audience is the younger generation. I do not find a lot of older generations using this app, but it is not unheard of.
Students could use this as a way to tell sequencing through the story mode, a narrative using pictures, or even finding real-world 3D shapes that correspond to their learning. The uses are unlimited!
Facebook "Pages" - Follow me by searching Amanda Flournoy (Mrs Flo)
or click the link ---------> https://www.facebook.com/amanda.flournoy.7946
Facebook is the entity that I am most familiar with. I started my own Facebook account back in my early college days. I honestly didn't think to follow other schools or check out professional pages, to be honest. I use Facebook for personal use and never thought about using it to reach a target audience. This was more my escape from the day-to-day grind. I follow self-published authors, neighborhood groups and other pages of topics that interest me. After creating a Facebook account for my school, I find Facebook to be great both personally and professionally. A lot of parents in my district use Facebook and this is another way I can reach them and show them the amazing things happening in the library. Facebook is beneficial for those whose audience is involved in Facebook. I see more of a parent connection rather than a student one with this platform.
Some library pages I found highlighted students' work, student activities and showcased the many options offered by the library. One, in particular, I found amazing was Duncanville High School Library where they show off a tremendous amount of photos celebrating what the students are doing at their school. I had the privilege of listening to these wonderful ladies speak at TCEA 2020 and they keep very busy. They house a very lively library....literally!
Twitter - Follow me by searching @rseslibrary
Now, this is my comfort zone! I have been a fan of twitter going on for about 2 years. I was hesitant at first but my previous district was all about branding. Twitter provided a great way to just that. Parents were able to follow and see what was happening inside the classroom. When I made the transition to a new district and to the library, I brought Twitter with me. My new Sueprindentent is a fan of Twitter but I haven't had much parent involvement just yet. I do reach the administration and central office which I find beneficial. It's nice that they see what goes on inside the library.
I love Facebook for personal use but have found that I don't get as distracted using Twitter for school or professional use. I like to scroll through the feed and see what I want to explore further rather than be bombarded with memes and silly videos (as those are my weakness). I have several district employees I follow, as well as, those I meet and network with. Among those are also professional institutions and big names in the field. A few of those I follow are listed below with some of their passions.
Kathy Schrock - @kathyschrock
Kathy seems like a wonderful lady who just wants to share her knowledge with the world! Almost every recent post has her sharing presentations or information that would benefit any librarian. I particularly loved the one where she shared her blog where she reflected on the year with all the new technology and how it could be utilized in the coming year. Her tweet on sketchnoting was beneficial to me as I've heard the term but haven't explored it myself. This provided me with an opportunity to dig deeper into a tool that could benefit my students and staff.
Linda Braun - @lbraun2000
Linda seems to me that she is passionate about inclusivity for all; races, gender, ages, etc. A few of her posts are articles reflecting on how young black girls are "adultified" or how boys need a strong connection to help them learn.
She also seems very down to earth and likely to strike up a conversation with people. Many of her posts pose a question and invite feedback from the community. She also posts a lot of helpful articles about the library and resources librarians can use to better their libraries which impacts countless students for the better.
Alan November - @globalearner
Alan seems like a very positive guy! He looks to celebrate what's going right in the teaching world. He even goes so far as to highlight why laughter is important. He can also be a bit humorous when technology breaks down and we have to rely on a good old fashioned book to help prop a projector.
Many of his posts have comments between the reader and himself. He seems very active and willing to interact with his audience.
The Daring Librarian - @GwynethJones
I follow her blog and am just as excited to follow her Twitter. She is living in the trenches (like most of us) and is sharing all the amazing things happening at her school in her library. I have lived in China myself so I loved seeing her Chinese dragon soaring through the library. She also takes the time to retweet positive posts from others such as sharing a promotion for reading diverse books written by people of color.
Jim Lerman - @jimlerman
Jim seems to be a no-frills kinda guy. All his posts are one picture with a short sentence explaining what it will be about. There is then a link to take you to his Scoop.it page where you see the full article or intended text. I had a hard time getting the links to open at first. I find it a bit confusing since it reminds me of a Padlet where there are many boxes next to each other. The bright side is by clicking each Twitter post, it does take you to the corresponding box which you can then click on for the article.
Many of his posts seem to be on the changing school environment and how, we as people, are shifting. He points out the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset, improving communication between you and home, and much, much more.
