Instagram for Elementary School Library

For a social media account, I decided to start with Instagram. I choose Instagram because I couldn't choose TikTok 😂. Seriously, if I wanted to use social media to connect with the kids. I would definitely use TikTok (#Booktok).

 I decided to use Instagram because my target audience are the parents of my kids, and the kids too. They are young so many of them don't have their own accounts but most have parents with accounts. A poll, conducted by the University of Michigan Pediatrics Research Department, found that  50% of kids age 10-12 and 32% of kids age 7-9 (according to parents) use social media. This poll came out in October 2021 (Michigan Medicine, 2021). And what social media are they using? Most are on TikTok, with others are on Snapchat and Instagram. Parents are not on Snapchat as much and according the Pew Research Center adults between 20-29 use Instagram more than Facebook (Pew Research Center, 2021). While I could have chosen Snapchat, I don't like the platform structure so I opted against it. I want kids to be able to rewatch the videos that are shared. 

The temporary logo I created until we have a contest....


Given the lack of parental involvement at my current school with the social media accounts, I definitely think promotion will be needed. If I want this account to get results, I will need to promote it. I think the best way to promote it is to have some contests (Wetta, 2016). Given time, I would like to have a design a logo contest (my first post). I would also like to feature a few kids sharing favorite books and maybe a have a kid film a library tour. The cool thing about this age group: they are upfront and excitable. If they know their friend is book talking on Instagram, they will go home and beg mom to subscribe to the account and to let them watch. I could create a student advisory board and change the kids on it each month--they could help me design posts and find faculty to feature their favorite books (Wetta, 2016).  In this way I could model good digital citizenship as Nikki Robertson suggests  in her book Connected Librarian. 

The first post..

So the purpose for this account is to promote the library. Except among teachers, there is definitely a community perception that libraries are nothing but a bunch of books and the librarian is the person who checks out those books. I want to help the school community understand that the librarian is here to promote learning, in all forms, and that the library is the heart of the building. I will not be using this account to provide resources to teachers. I will promote books in our library that support the curriculum and promote books that are being overlooked by students. This will serve parents (who often want recommendations for what their kids should read and kids and teachers. Sometimes I will use this account to remind kids and parents of author visits, book fairs, and library/Chromebook policies.  

I really appreciated Wetta's article, "Instagram Now" which gave Instagram suggestions (apps to use to make posting easier) and reminded me not to follow individual parents or students unless they have a book-themed account. 

Some background. I work in a 3rd-5th grade elementary school library in an economically disadvantaged part of Michigan. Our principal has maintained a Facebook and Instagram account for the school for 4 years. She posts positive and informative images and graphics almost every school day but does not get much interaction, maybe 8 likes on Facebook and 3 on Instagram. She will not allow any other social media accounts to be created for the school and will only allow me to post occassionally with approval first. Families sign media release forms at the beginning of the year if they are ok with having their child's photo on social media. So for this post and eventually my website, I am creating a social media account for a fictitious school that can be switched someday to my current school or a new one.  



Michigan Medicine. (2021, October 18).  National poll: 1/3 of kids ages 7-9 use social media. Eureka Alert. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/931448

Pew Research Center. (2021, April 6). Age gaps in Snapchat, Instagram are particularly wide, less so with Facebook. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/04/07/social-media-use-in-2021/pi_2021-04-07_social-media_0-02a/

Robertson, Nikki. (2017). Connected librarians: Tap social media to enhance professional development and student learning.  International Society for Technology in Education. 

Wetta, Molly. (2016, February). Instagram now. School Library Journal, 2 (62).  


Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 5, 2022 at 8:03 AM

    Laura,
    It looks like your account is off to a great start! I thought the logo idea was a great way to kick-off engagement with social media accounts and I am glad that you are using it with your account. Hopefully your account will have more interactions than the the accounts managed by your principal. I have often thought about posting read-alouds online for my students and parents, but my time is so limited with teaching as a part of the academic arts rotation. Maybe you could post some read alouds to get some parent involvement! Best of luck as you navigate your new account!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Maggie WrightMarch 6, 2022 at 8:30 AM

    Hi Laura,
    You have so many great ideas on how to promote and how you will use your Instagram! I love your ideas for having students involved in the process such as filming a tour and sharing their favorite books. The logo contest is such an amazing idea as well!! I also liked that you pointed out showing that the school that the library is more than just books on a shelf and the librarian checking them out. This is a great way to display how much the library can do for students and the school community.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Renata InabinetMarch 6, 2022 at 5:55 PM

    Laura,

    Great idea for the contests. I am currently doing a bookmark contest K-2 and 3-5. Parents love to see their children's work shared so I would definitely recommend that for driving up posts. While I am primarily a Facebook user I do manage all of our school accounts and I have found the key is to keep posts short, engaging, and share lots of pictures. Parents want to see what their children are doing, they want to experience what they are not there for... this is how you drive up engagement. I would also make sure you are posting at different times of the day so that all parents have a chance to see it scrolling in their feed. I look forward to hearing how your page grows!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Working with Hearing Impaired students

Image
At 2 am one morning in 2015, a loud alarm startled me out of my sleep.  My alarm clock was not on. It was in my head. The beeping would not stop but eventually changed to high pitched buzz. Sleeping was difficult.  I was only 35. Seven years later it is still there. Constant ringing in your ears is called tinnitus. In my case, the cause of tinnitus is unknown. Since that morning my hearing has steadily declined. I wear two hearing aids (which are ridiculously expensive devices). Even with the aids, I regularly do not hear what people say---it depends on the room acoustics, the pitch of the person's voice, and where they look when they speak.  In recent years, as my hearing has gotten worse, I've learned to advocate for myself. I ask people to speak up,  to look up, even to remove their masks. I ask professors for captioning on videos, and I get special headphones when I go to movie theaters. Sometimes I get what I call advocation exhaustion. If I have repeated my req...
Read more

AASL And ISTE standards

Image
 Necessary background: For 4 years I've been operating a library in an elementary school for 3rd-5th graders in Michigan. Michigan has no state or local (at least in my district) standards for school librarians. I am paid as a parapro. My primary job is to maintain the books, check them out, collect fines. Since I wasn't hired as a teacher, I am not expected to teach. It is a part time job. I am a certified teacher though.  Teaching is instinctive for me so I teach while in the library. There is no curriculum. There are no other librarians to learn, grow or collaborate with. The job is whatever I make it. Even with all the lacking parts, I love the job  How can either the AASL or ISTE standards be applied in a state/district that still views school librarians as book-moving luxuries who can be cut in seasons of budget strains? The standards in both AASL and ISTE align with my vision for what a school librarian should be. Yet, the standards feel dreamy and impossible. One ...
Read more

Websites to teach digital literacy

Image
In my 3rd-5th grade building, teachers are overwhelmed. Last year, kids were either remote or in person. Classes were smaller. This year, classes are back up to around 30, teachers have to teach in person, and manage web cams for kids who are quarantined due to COVID. They are exhausted.  Yet, we need to add digital and informational literacy to daily instruction if we want to prepare our kids for the future. . Currently, most digital literacy happens by trial and error, not planned lessons. It is sporadic because it is not part of the curriculum. We have to stop assuming kids know how to use technology because it has been part of their lives since birth. Just because kids can share funny cat videos on TikTok does not mean they know how to troubleshoot if a piece of technology is not working (try shutting if off?), or how to organize papers and notes into folders so they can be found later, or how to determine if information on a website can be trusted. Honestly, many kids cannot e...
Read more