Blog Post Five - Digital Tools and Platforms

    The first platform I am interested in discussing as an educational tool is Instagram. Instagram is a multi-faceted social media application which allows users to complete a variety of tasks through various methods of sharing content. Instagram could be considered a form of microblogging as it allows for users to share communication, photos, and videos while also engaging with each other through comments and reactions. In my experience, Instagram is not currently widely used in the educational environment. However, Web 2.0 tools such as social media are experiencing a greater push to be included in educational curriculum because they benefit student engagement, critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and innovation skills (Ledgerwood, 2022). Given the strong benefits of including social media platforms such as Instagram into curriculum there is reason to believe that the use of such platforms in curriculum will increase within upcoming years as schools increase their teaching of digital literacy.

    The levels of engagement on Instagram are multifaceted. From one perspective, engament can occur through the use of posts, stories, and reels. Posts, stories, and reels are created by the user to share content with the wider community. Posts and reels will appear on a users profile indefinitely whereas stories may only last 24 hours unless they are highlighted to remain on a users profile. These forms of engagement can allow students and teachers to share images and videos with corresponding captions. Additionally, these forms of engagement also allow students and teachers the opportunity to comment on and react to each others content. Such usage allows for teachers to create assignments and assessments based in blog settings where students are sharing what they’ve learning through multimedia resources and reflect on each others content. Additionally, direct messaging features of Instagram allow users to communicate with each other directly in groups or private chats. This could allow students a means of communicating with their teacher to ask questions as well as their peers to collaborate on assignments and content. Finally, Instagram has a Shop feature that allows creators to buy and sell materials. Teachers could create a classroom shop to help parents and students navigate, access, and purchase required course materials. Each of these aspects allow for different types of communication, collaboration, and consumption of content amongst the many invested stakeholders of a students education. By allowing accounts to remain private or public there is opportunity for teachers and students to create a closed circuit community in which they communicate with each other without outside influence, if that is desired.

(Image of the Instagram app icon)

    Instagram brings its own new methods of communication because it promotes a unique way of communicating knowledge and giving students the opportunity to communicate in various contexts (Ledgerwood, 2022). As previously stated, instagram allows for public communication by reacting or commenting on posts and reels as well as prive communication utilizing one-to-one or group direct messaging. Within the classroom this can support students ability to discuss project and share ideas with each other while also reflecting on each others content and ideas. However, outside of the classroom this can allow students to engage with external creators content through comments, reactions, and direct messaging in order to create a larger audience of learners. The utilization of social media in curriculum allows students the opportunity to collaborate on tasks and goals in a way where they can collectively accomplish something as a group by sharing ideas, creations, and resoruces with their larger audience (Ledgerwood, 2022). Additionally, Instagram has influences on consumption of content. Social media presents greatly increased opportunities for student engagement because social media tools in the classroom allow students to learn through doing, creating, and evaluating (Ledgerwood, 2022). However, on Instagram students are able to see what others are doing, creating, and evaluating as well. By following people of interest or discovering new people on their explorer page, students are able to consume content from a specific audience or greater collective of community by utilizing Instagram to view their content. Additionally, the search feature of Instagram allows users to search for specific people or accounts as well as types of content by using hashtags or key word searches. Public accounts allow other users to view and learn from all of their content whereas private accounts require that users are approved by the account owner before the user may view their content.

    Instagram, as with other social media platforms, has a variety of positive effects on student learning. As previously stated, integrating social media into curriculum has the capacity to benefit student engagement, critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and innovation skills (Ledgerwood, 2022). Following the learning theory of connectivism, social media platforms such as Instagram promote learning that occurs when learners connect to knowledge through the use of digital technologies and participate within learning communities to share and build their knowledge (Ledgerwood, 2022). However, there are concerns regarding the privacy of this learning method. Instagram is a public platform that is not limited to school use, thus meaning that there is an endless supply of users from across the globe with access to the content that is posted on the social media application. Teachers should be aware and mindful of the concern that students may not be comfortable sharing their knowledge for media due to the public nature of Instragram as a tool (Ledgerwood, 2022). However, accounts can be made private and there are other opportunities for students and teachers to adjust the usage of Instagram to create a more private experience for classroom users in collaboration with familial guardians.

(Elantum Digital, n.d.)

    Instagram utilizes a variety of literacies. Basic computer skills, network literacy, digital problem solving, and media literacy are all necessary in pursuing the uses of Instagram. Basic computer skills incorporate ones ability to control a digital device and use it to complete a task (Vanek, 2019). Because Instagram is accessed using a computer or phone, there is a certain level of basic computer skills that are necessary in order to navigate to the application and within the application. Network literacy is based on the concept of connectivism and involves the idea of how to learn from and through social media platforms in a way that hones in on skills necessary to access and curate information as required by social networks (Vanek, 2019). Digital problem solving is the ability to “navigate and use multiple digital resources to accomplish goals across domains, including work, personal interests, educational pursuits, social and professional networking, civic participation, and for future uses not yet conceptualized.” (Vanek, 2019, 2). Because Instagram can be used for personal reasons as well as educational and work related, there is a need for being able to successfully navigate it across such domains as required by digital problem solving. And finally, media literacy is focused on finding, evaluating, using, and communicating information through a range of media found online while also accounting for the production skills of such media (Vanek, 2019). These forms of literacy are all used in tandem to create a user that is comptent in digital literacy on Instagram.

    Finally, as previously mentioned, there are many uses for Instagram in the educational environment. Much as I sit here writing this blog using multimedia representation of my learning, Instagram can be utilized in a similar way. Offering diverse opportunities for student assessment of knowledge through blogging, video creation, and learning demonstration, Instagram can likely be best utilized as a means for students to share what they have learned. Additionally, Instagram can be utilized as a means of group communication for a whole class, small groups, or individual conversations amongst students. Through direct messaging as well as public reactions and comments, students can be encourage to engage with each others research and knowledge while also learning for themselves. I truly believe this platform can be adapted to meet nearly all goals an educator has for their students because it has such a diverse opportunity for engagement. Additionally, parents could easily create accounts to also monitor their students engagement with a course and help their student navigate discussions of safe internet practices. Overall, Instragram is an untapped world of digital literacy where students, teachers, and parents can benefit from all that it has to offer in curriculum.

(Skyliftmarketing, 2025)

    The second platform I would like to discuss is Google Classroom. Because Google Classroom is much more widely used in educational environments when compared to Instagram, I will keep this conversation much more brief and based off my own experinece with Google Classroom. Google classroom is a space where parents, teachers, and students can communicate with each other as well as access posted material. The main function of Google Classroom within eduction is to act as an online classroom space where students can access content digitally. 

    Parents can engage with Goggle Classroom by monitoring student completion and submission of work as well as accessing teacher posted content to help support parent understanding of what is being discussed in class. Additionally, students use Google Classroom to digital access course content as well as submit assignments online in the electronic format and access a variety of resources as posted by the teacher. And finally, a teacher utilizing Google Classroom may choose to post some or all of their course content to the platform digitally so that students can access it whenever they please, whether that be at school or at home. Teachers can also assess student assignments and grade them, directly from the google classroom application. Google Classroom is most effectively used by schools that integrate all Google platforms (such as Gmail, Google Docs, Google Slides, and others) into their educational pursuits. Students and teachers can communicate with each other on Google Classroom through their classroom stream, private comments on specific assignments, and through outside Google resoruces such as Gmail or comments on individual Google documents that are submitted to Google Classroom. Google classroom is less effective as a space for students to interact with each other as it is for a space where students can interact with their teacher. Most information is consumed on a teacher-to-student or student-to-teacher basis. Teachers can post content for students to consume and engage with. Additionally, students can submit content for teachers to assess. However, depending on the permissions that a teacher allots their students, students may be able to post and respond on their classroom stream in a way that supports class-wide discussions. In my experience the most positive effects of Google Classroom is it’s ability to allow teachers to create a digital space where students have around the clock access to course content and discussions as well as additional resources. However, limitations become evident if a district does not fully invest in all other Google resource. Because Google supports it’s own applications and practices through the use of a Google account, Google Classroom is almost useless if a school does not also utilize the other aspects of Google such as Google Documents, Slides, email, Chat, Meets, and all others. However, the opportunity for around the clock engagement through digital means and access to resources is evident if the school properly accepts all aspects of Google network. In terms of privacy and safety, Google Classroom is limited to exist solely within the educational institutions environment. Teachers and students have the ability to determine the level of privacy within their communication and submissions amongst each other. There is much less concern with privacy when considering the use of Google Classroom for assessing student knowledge as compared to other applications such as Instagram.

    

(Image of the Google Classroom Icon)

    As with any digital platform, Google Classroom Requires a variety of literacies. Basic computer skills, digital problem solving, information literacy, and media literacy are all necessary in successful navigation and use of Google Classroom. As basic computer skills was previously defined, such skills are necessary for accessing and utilizing Google Classroom because Google Classroom is an online space accessed through digital technology such as a computer or phone. Additionally, digital problem solving is also necessary because it involves “using digital technology, communication tools and networks to acquire and evaluate information, communicate with others and perform practical tasks.” (Vanek, 2019, 2) Students will need to use such skills to navigate Google Classroom and use it for completing assignments and participating in discussions. Information literacy includes a set of ability that require individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and effectively use the needed information (Vanek, 2019). Within Google Classroom students have to be able to search for the information they need and identify what information is relevant to the task they are trying to complete. Thus, information literacy is necessary in supporting student ability to navigate determining what information is necessary to them when they are viewing and using the resources posted to Google Classroom. Finally, media literacy is necessary as it includes what is discussed in information literacy while also considering the need to understand how to produce content (Vanek, 2019). Google Classroom often requires students to engage by contributing to class discussions or submitting assignments within the application itself. Students must have an understanding of how to produce such content in order to be successful within their use of Google Classroom, thus creating the need for media literacy.

(Ed Tech, 2024)

    In terms of aligning with educational goals, Google Classroom creates an alternative digital learning space where students can engage with content and submit assessments for teachers to track their goal achievement. Additionally, teachers can use this platform for effective teaching because it allows students who miss a class the opportunity to access the content, materials, and assignments they may have missed in their absence. Additionally, students with and without accommodation can have greater access to content through this digital space thus creating a universal design for learning by uploading extra resources and notes for all students to benefit from. Finally, parents can be easily provided access to Google Classroom content so that they may also stay up to date on what is being discussed in the classroom in order to better support their students learning at home. A teacher may decided to upload parent resources in order to further this benefit of the application. Additionally, parents can also use this platform to track their students progress on assignments and ensure their student is submitting assignments on time, if that is of concern to them. Overall, Google Classroom creates an easily accessible digital space for teachers, students, and parents to engage with content, submit assessments, and communicate with each other as needed with the only major downfall of the need for investment within the whole Google network in order to be able to benefit from all of the outlined uses.

All in all, there are many tools, platforms, and digital applications that can support student learning an development of new literacies. Social media platforms such as instagram, and online classroom communities such as Google Classroom are only two of the infinitely many possibility that teachers have for integrating technology into their curriculum. 

References

Ed Tech. (2024). 20+ tips to use Google Classroom effectively and efficiently. Ditch That Textbook. https://ditchthattextbook.com/10-tips-to-use-google-classroom-effectively-and-efficiently/

Elantum Digital. (n.d.). The Purpose of Instagram Features. Pinterest. https://tr.pinterest.com/pin/708050372708521814/
Ledgerwood, K. (2022). Technology and the Curriculum. Pressbooks. https://pressbooks.pub/techcurr20221/chapter/using-social-media-to-promote-21st-century-learning/

Skyliftmarketing. (2025). What’s New on Instagram 2025. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/DEfEs0vI1L-/

Vanek, J. (2019). Digital Literacy. The Skills that Matter in Adult Education. https://www.air.org/sites/default/files/TSTMDigitalLiteracyBrief-508.pdf