Day: 24 November 2021

Instagram is a social media platform that can be quite beneficial in education. User-friendly, easy to navigate, and teamed up with Facebook, there are endless ways this can be used in the education realm. Due to how popular this platform has become, so many people are connected which makes it very easy to engage with others and share information. Captivating photos coupled with facts, short videos to prompt certain ideas, and interactive stories are just a few of the ways that Instagram can be used to enhance education.

Staying current on social media does pose the potential of barriers to its users, and because of this it is not accessible to everyone.  If there was a platform that everyone could access equally, the dialogue in communities could evolve to such a wonderful place. Communication is so important in every aspect of human life, and by having a platform that everyone could equally connect on, communities could be elevated and continue to improve. 

The benefits of having a diverse and inclusive PLN in social media is that you are always learning from a wide variety of sources. With such a large amount of resources, wiser decisions can be made! These benefits keep growing when the resources in this PLN have the same understanding as you in the impact you’re homing to have on the community and how the messaging should be portrayed. Understanding the views of others is so key to having good communication, and if you can communicate well within your community then you are miles ahead of everyone else. 

There are always risks that come along with having a public audience, such is the way with the internet. The internet is forever! You can’t take back what you say, and things published on the internet can spread like wildfire. Due to the nature of the platforms this bares an imminent risk, especially for trusted people in the eye of the public as everything they say has the potential to follow them around for ever. On the other end of the spectrum, this could be seen as a benefit as it can help build up a persons repertoire. 

The best way to address negative replies and any critiques are be understanding that not everyone has the same values and outlooks. If there is an instance when you are in the wrong, it is important to be humble and possess the ability to admit when you’re wrong. 

Many notable individuals use social media to empower the voices of those who don’t have the opportunity to reach as many people as they could. These notable individuals use their power wisely, by ensuring none of the information they’re putting out there is false, and by being kind and understanding.

Benefits that come with being in the public eye and having a PLN is that there is a source of reputable information you can fall back onto and use as an important resource when needed. You can build a PLN that you can rely on by ensuring that the sources you include are strong and reliable, who have a strong PLN of their own! In order to minimize the risk of sharing misinformation, it is crucial to fact check things before they are said, and to follow all these up with strong references. 

Prior to engaging a social media campaign on Instagram for a fundraiser within an environmental education organization, I would work on creating my PLN by following accounts for similar organizations and studying up on how they’ve attempted similar scenarios and engaging with their content. I would also participate in a few workshops and webinars focused on launching social media campaigns and make connections through those spaces.

In order to create the social media campaign, I would focus on posting frequently and consistently on Instagram using interesting photos coupled with fun facts. These posts would pose questions to the viewers asking for their engagement, and would be posted in a count down style to get the audience excited about the upcoming fundraiser.