Post 6: Social Media and Webpage

 

    For my school library social media account, I chose to use Instagram and a Google site. I am currently a classroom teacher, not a media specialist, and my school does not have a social media account specific for the media center. I offered to create one, but the request was not approved by our district office yet. So, welcome to New Hope Middle School - home of the Warriors! Of course, both the Instagram and webpage note that this is a fake school created for a graduate assignment and all posts are for educational coursework only. I used Canva to design the school logo and mascot and to create the media center logo. I chose the book/laptop logo because I want my students to be technically savvy, information literate, and still read books for pleasure. This image seamlessly blended my ideas. For my posts, I am going to use the hashtag, #readerleaders, on every post to remind students of our media center message: Today's readers are tomorrow's leaders. 

 


      On a personal level, I am most accustomed to Facebook (I am 46 years old after all). I have a personal Instagram account, but I rarely post. I use it as a source for inspiration and information from those I follow more than as a tool for sharing anything. Fortunately, I have a 20-year-old daughter who is an "Insta" expert, and she is helping with the technicalities of the site. It's like having my own tech support right here at home! I also surveyed the students in my middle school science classes and Instagram was their recommendation for sharing library information. Since I hope to be the librarian at my current school, I decided they are the best resource I have available to learn about the needs of my future patrons.

     My first posts are a welcome back to our newly renovated media center and a reminder of the fall break just to share the school logo.







     The third post is a monthly calendar to remind students of events coming up in the media center. I hope to teach a book club elective course and a Maker Space/Tinker Club elective course when I am a media specialist, so I included a book club date as part of this post. This coming week, my real school is hosting the book fair, so I included that as well. 



          As a media specialist, my goal is to use social media to include parents and encourage students to visit the media center. So many of the students at my school now only go to the library when their ELA class is assigned a time to check out books. Many of them don't even know the librarian's name! So, my first goal, is to build community and foster an interest in using the library as both a resource for academic help and enjoyment of reading and learning for pleasure. I want my students to feel welcome and supported, whether that is academically, socially, or emotionally. In her article from this week's readings, Lucas Jensen pointed out that learners who feel connected and understood frequently have more internal motivation (Jensen, p. 28). If I can make them feel connected and understood, then hopefully they will build ownership of their learning choices and develop a desire to do their best. This should foster instruction/collaboration and communication. We must get students, parents, the community, and faculty involved before we can impact anything. 

 

        For advocacy, sharing the steps towards success and tracking improvements in student learning once they are involved will go a long way in showing the importance of an active, modern, fully staffed media center. Using a Google site and Instagram provides easy access to data tracking for engagement. 

    

Reference: 

Jensen. (2019). Integrating Social Media into Online Education. Library Technology Reports, 55(4), 27–30.


   

 

 

Comments

  1. Kacee MerrittOctober 15, 2022 at 9:15 AM


    Hi Heather,

    I love the logo you created for your school library. The yellow, blue, and purple shades go so well together and the book/laptop graphic highlights what the library offers. Requesting your students’ input about what social media account they would want the library to have is a great way to connect with your students and get them involved. I especially like that you advertised the library’s events using a calendar—what a unique idea! I cannot agree with you more about how as a future media specialist you want to build a community inside the library, and encourage students to use the library for its’ resources in an educational and pleasureful way. Great post!

    Kacee Merritt

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Whitney TylerOctober 15, 2022 at 10:25 PM

      Hello Heather! I love your logo you created to your fictional school. I also love the flyer you created for your post. For my assignment, I used Twitter. We have similar reasons for using either platform. I hope to engage families. My audience is a lot younger. I work with elementary students. Although some may have social media, we don't encourage social media use for students that young. Using social media will make our libraries more visible. I know you will be a pro at social media when you get started.

      Delete
  2. Carson McCallumOctober 16, 2022 at 5:19 AM

    I think your profile looks really cute! I think it makes your library seem very involved and approachable to students. I agree about getting involvement before being able to make change. The calendar post was a cute visual but also informative. I look forward to seeing more of your social media page!

    ReplyDelete

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