I have been using Facebook for several years and have enjoyed having my account. When Facebook first started, many teens used this type of social media, but now it is used primarily by adults. I believe Facebook has many advantages. When I searched for school libraries, I was able to see that there are a lot of libraries using Facebook. I also noticed that all the schools in my district have a Facebook page. My campus library uses Facebook to promote activities, highlight students and teachers in our school. Facebook has many pros; for example, there is no limit on posts, pictures, or videos. The post can be as long or short as you want them to be. You can also create a story and add it to your page. The account can be private or public, depending on what your school decides. You are also able to edit your posts after they have been posted. It is easy to communicate with parents since the majority of them have a Facebook account. As for the cons, the only drawback I can think of is that not many teenagers are using Facebook anymore. There are also many different groups you can join. Some of the groups that I am part of are Seesaw Pioneers, Learning Librarians, and Teaching During COVID-19. Members of these groups are continually sharing ideas, lessons, and answering questions. I believe that being part of these groups has not only helped me to gain more resources, but I can learn a lot from other people.
I am relatively new to twitter. I joined twitter in 2019 because it was a requirement for one of my classes. Before that class, I had never thought about opening an account, but I am glad I did. I follow several of my professors and authors on twitter. They offer great ideas, resources, and webinars. The tweets that I enjoy the most are the promotion of new books and webinars. My district encourages teachers to utilize social media as a way of promoting our campuses. Teachers are given iPads and computers to be able to use them in school or at home. Even my superintendent has twitter. They ask all teachers that whenever they are posting something on twitter to make sure they hashtag the district. The only times I post is when we are having and activity or participating in events like Junior Robotics and Battle of the Books. One of the biggest pros of twitter is that people of all ages are using twitter. You can tweet pictures and videos. The cons would be that there is a limit on how many words you can use, and your tweets can not be edited. I don't think twitter is as user friendly as Facebook.
Kathy Schrock
@kathyschrock
Linda W Braun
@lbraun2000
Instagram
Kathy Schrock
@kathyschrock
Linda W Braun
@lbraun2000
Until today I didn't have an Instagram account. Since I was not familiar with it, I had to look at the Prezi videos and links to familiarize myself with Instagram. It was very easy to open an account. As soon as you open it gives you options of people you can follow. I know that my library does not have an Instagram account. The librarian mainly used Facebook and Twitter. We Are Teachers gave great ideas on how to use Instagram in the classroom, and of course, you can apply those to the library too. Once I am in the library, I do plan to use social media to advocate for my library. I plan to use Instagram to keep others inform of events happening in the library. I would love to teach my students how to post stories on their favorite books, authors, or activities. Instagram's pros are that it is used by people of all ages, easy to use; you can post stories, pictures, and videos on your personal feed. It is used by many for marketing. It is one of the most popular influential social networks, with over 800 million users worldwide. When you post a story on Instagram, it allows you to link it to Facebook and Twitter. Several cons of Instagram is that it has limited tools to edit the images. There are also many fake accounts created by others for fake news and advertising. The Instagram mobile app has more features than the web version.
Still Photo: Book Display Ideas
Video: Library Bulletin Boards
My Thoughts:
Social media is a great way to promote the library regardless of which platform you decide to use. All types of social media have pros and cons, but it is up to the librarian to determine how to handle the account. After reviewing these three types of social media accounts, my favorites are Facebook and Twitter. Facebook is user-friendly, and you can share videos from your phone, youtube, and other members. When I tried sharing a video from youtube on Instagram, I was not able to do it. I had to download another app that would allow me to repost, but the app had a subscription fee. After trying other apps, I was only able to share the video by using the screen record option on my iPhone.
TikTok:
I don't post videos on ticktock but I do enjoy seeing other people's videos. I was able to find several librarians using TikTok to showcase their library.
Tiktok Account: @yesenia_2698
Librarian's Video: Reading Igloo
Librarian's Video: Reading Igloo
I agree. There are so many different social media platforms out there that educators can use. I also believe an educator has to use what they are most comfortable with using and that keeping up to date with the activities, news, and pictures and videos will also keep parents and students engaged in the platform. I think with technology changing and finding different ways to learn, this could possibly be a way for students to learn at their level and what interests them. It will be exciting to see!
ReplyDeleteAs you mentioned all social media platforms have pros and cons, but as a future librarian, I think it is crucial for us to use these platforms to establish a report with our students and show them that we are interested in what they find as a means of communication. Social media can promote so many aspects of the library, and build a network with other libraries and librarians as well.
ReplyDeleteTwitter is a social media platform that my district also encourages us to use regularly. It's a bit harder for me to get into, but I ultimately love to follow for the same reasons you mentioned- book recommendations and webinars.
ReplyDelete