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Abstract
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INSTAGRAM: ENGAGING LEARNERS IN A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT
This research paper will review the educational applications of the social
media tool, Instagram, in secondary classrooms. The research shows that
peer reviews and critique, though not entirely sufficient in replacing teacher
feedback, can be an effective learning tool for students. There is also a
variety of research that shows how social media tools like Twitter, Facebook,
and Instagram help engage learners in their content. Teenage learners have
gradually shifted from Facebook and Twitter to Instagram, a social media
platform that focusses on pictures and videos, with captions and comments
available for users. Combining the advantages of using familiar social media
with students, and providing a forum for peer feedback and an authentic
audience, Instagram can be an effective means of integrating technology
into the classroom. Finally, studies show that young adults are leaving high
school and college with an insufficient understanding of social medias
benefits and dangers. Providing an opportunity for students to learn
responsible social media use at a young age provides life-long opportunities
in the workplace. When teachers use Instagram in secondary level
classrooms as a journaling and feedback tool, it allows for higher levels of
engagement and enhanced learning opportunities for students of the 21st
Century.
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INSTAGRAM: ENGAGING LEARNERS IN A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT
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INSTAGRAM: ENGAGING LEARNERS IN A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT
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INSTAGRAM: ENGAGING LEARNERS IN A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT
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INSTAGRAM: ENGAGING LEARNERS IN A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT
One major fear in allowing students to provide feedback for each other,
certainly at younger ages but even in post-secondary school, is the lack of
student understanding in how to provide quality feedback. For example,
research shows that college facultys greatest fear of peer feedback is the
perceived incapability of students to produce quality feedback to each other
(Pond, Ul-Haq, & Wade, 1995). This fear is an understandable drawback, but
if students are provided with instruction on how to give valuable feedback,
then peer reviews work as a mutually beneficial teaching method (Rubin,
2006). This instruction, of course, must be appropriate and modified for age
level and readiness.
Evidence suggests that students who use social media platforms for
peer feedback show higher levels of engagement, as well as improved
critical thinking skills and higher quality of material that is being reviewed
(Demirbilek, 2015). While many studies use Facebook or Wikis as Web 2.0
tools of choice to review perception and effectiveness of social media in the
classroom, Instagram contains the same essential functions.
In UCLA, one study suggested that college age students use Instagram
more than Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. The study also showed that
Instagram was the source of the highest level of student engagement and
attentiveness to the content (Salomon, 2013). Students who are using
Instagram can use the same effective measures of peer review as those with
other applications, yet may be even more engaged due to familiarity.
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INSTAGRAM: ENGAGING LEARNERS IN A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT
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INSTAGRAM: ENGAGING LEARNERS IN A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT
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INSTAGRAM: ENGAGING LEARNERS IN A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT
Assessment
In assessing a students use of Instagram as a peer feedback tool,
students should be graded on their level of constructiveness in their
comments, quality and helpfulness of feedback provided, and appropriate
use of technology. The first two aspects of this assessment would be
constant whether or not students were using technology, but remains
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INSTAGRAM: ENGAGING LEARNERS IN A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT
essential parts of the use of social media in this instance. The last aspect,
appropriate use of technology, is an important element for young students to
learn, as this is where the use of social media in the classroom differentiates
itself of social media use at home.
If learners are creating training videos on Instagram, for a math class
or otherwise, their assessment should be based off of clarity of instructions,
proper video use, and self-direction in posting to social media as well as
maintaining communication by responding to questions that students pose in
the comments. Providing feedback to peers who ask questions remains an
essential aspect of classroom social media use, so even though the majority
of an assessment such as this is based off of the instruction given in the
video, feedback remains emphasized.
Conclusion
Students who use social media tools in the classroom show increased
engagement and provide helpful support to students who need it. Instagram
specifically is considered by many adolescents to be the social media tool of
choice, so using it over other tools like Facebook or Twitter may increase
engagement due to familiarity and interest. The implications of this fact
provides a reason for teachers to cease avoiding social media use in the
classroom, and instead embrace it as a valuable learning tool.
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INSTAGRAM: ENGAGING LEARNERS IN A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT
References
Brocato, E. D., White, N. J., Bartkus, K., Brocato, A, A., (2015). Social media and
marketing education:
A review of current practices in curriculum development. A Journal of
Marketing Education,
37(2), 76-87.
Demirbilek, M. (2015). Social media and peer feedback: What do students really
think about using
Wiki and Facebook as platforms for peer feedback? Active Learning in Higher
Education,
16(3), 211-224.
Feldman, K. A. (1988). Effective college teaching from the students and facultys
view. Matched
or mismatched priorities? Research in Higher Education, 28(4), 291-344.
Pond, K., Ul-Haq, R.,& Wade,W. (1995). Peer review: A precursor to peer assessment.
Innovations
in Education and Training International, 32, p. 314-323.
Rubin, R. S. (2006). The academic journal review process as a framework for student
developmental
peer feedback. Journal of Management Education, 30(2), 378-398.
Salomon, D. (2013). Moving on from Facebook: Using Instagram to connect with
undergraduates and
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INSTAGRAM: ENGAGING LEARNERS IN A COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT
engage in teaching and learning. College & Research Libraries News, 74(8),
408-412. Retrieved from http://crln.acrl.org/content/74/8/408.short