Instagram and Vine

This week I will look at two other forms of social media. Yes Facebook is not the only place kids are hanging out virtually. Vine has faded over the last few years; however Instagram is still a favorite. Both of these sites allow the user to post using video or pictures to express a message.

Instagram
(app store or www.instagram.com)

Instagram is a great way to stay connected online. Just a quick snapshot of a moment in time. Teachers can use this in the classroom in a variety of ways. I immediately think of using a picture to share imagery. Or a sequence of pictures to create a story. I do not like the idea that people can hide behind strange names. Identifying the other user seems a little difficult. The service acts much like Facebook but uses far less of the screen. I like the idea of seeing all the comments without having to click on another screen. This service is extremely comparable to Facebook and easy to set up and follow. I would recommend joining this site as it is easy and the students seem to like this site. Instagram is popular and fun.

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A photo posted by Connie Lee Knotts (@connieknotts) on Nov 14, 2015 at 6:14pm PST

Vine
(app or www.vine.co)

Vine is an interesting app to say the least. I struggled loading and creating the video. I resorted to just recording on my phone then uploading to the site. The videos are short and quick. This is a great way to catch the attention of a student in a quick flash. The videos will loop if you so choose. The major drawback to this site is the lack of use. Many students have moved on from vine. I would rather create a video and upload to Facebook. Vine almost seems like a waste of time. I would not recommend this app as the students do not actively use this anymore. The idea behind social media is to share information and be in the "cool" hangout sites.




Social media continues to progress. The attention span of students is much like many of the social media sites. While these are two additional sites to Facebook, there are so many more. Vine had its time but has gone by the wayside. Students tend to like Snapchat more than Vine. My recommendation is to stay in the know of the latest trends in social media. Facebook seems to be a staple while others come and go. Many times the social media sites are linked so joining more than one is easy. At this point most social media sites allow for videos and photos. The trick is finding the site most kids frequent.