We have seen some great things being used and created by using Instagram – from brands to even teachers in the classroom. As a professor, I have used the platform myself to engage not only what it is like traveling, presenting research, or my personal life, but I do try to use it to engage my students and fellow colleagues in the classroom.
What I think is important as we celebrate Instagram’s fourth birthday is to look at not only how brands have used the platform over the years, but see how fellow professors have done this in their classes. There are several professors who are friends of mine who really have stepped it up with their Instagram profile to engage who they are as a professor as well as a person. I’d like to give shout outs to the following professors who have really used this platform very well in their classes and overall presence:
- Amber Hutchins (IG: @profhutchins): Amber does a great job in capturing her classes with great guest speakers who come to her social media classes at Kennesaw State University. However, Amber does a great job also in showcasing her wonderful personality and interests as well – which is a reflection of a strong online and offline personal brand.
- Nick Bowman (IG: BowmanSpartan): Nick’s awesome and very engaged on social media – but he does a great job in showcasing his personality as well as his story on a regular basis with his pictures on Instagram. While Nick has a few pictures on Instagram, you already get a glimpse to the type of professor he is based on his personality and hard work ethic.
- CarolynMaeKim (IG: @carolynmaekim): Many times, you see professors who are not willing to share a bit of themselves on social media, but Carolyn has done a great job in showcasing her interests in cooking and coffee (of course!) on Instagram. Instagram allows you to do this and along with her interests in PR and social media, Carolyn is able to visually showcase another part of her personal brand successfully through visuals on Instagram.
- Laura Spica (@lauraspica): A professor at the University of Tennessee and teaching a social media class this semester, Laura has showcased the culture, student assignments, and overall story behind #UTADV490 through Instagram. From pictures of her students participating in class assignments outside of lass to her personal life as a successful social media professional, Laura has done an excellent job in bridging both her professor/personal/professional brand together through a visual story.
- Gee Ekachai: (IG: @geeber): If you have not followed Gee, a professor from Marquette University, with her Instagram blog on Tunblr, you need to. If you want to see the latest and greatest third party apps to use for photography, Gee is the person and professor you need to follow. Gee does a great job in showcasing the various apps and features you can do with Instagram and photography. I’ve learned a lot from following Gee when it comes to Instagram and creating great visuals to tell my story as a professor. Thanks Gee!
In summary, all though Instagram has been around for four years, there are still a lot of great opportunities and creative ways Instagram can be used both in the classroom as well as outside of the classroom especially when it comes to Instagram. Are there other professors you feel are good examples to showcase as leaders in the area of using Instagram for the classroom?
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
0 Comments