Of all the media, Instagram, in particular, seems to be all the rage for younger generations, the multi-colored camera app present on almost all teenagers’ screens. Depending on who you talk to, there seems to be on an ongoing debate about the potential effects this app has on its users. We spend huge quantities of time scrolling through pictures and video clips of friends and strangers alike. We even post content of ourselves, presenting a public persona to be seen and hopefully liked, with the possibility of being judged as well. Some people may argue that it’s a forum for self expression, exploration, global connection and discovery, but we can’t deny that (for some) it acts as a breeding ground for harassment and trolling. That said, I have often pondered ways to use it in my classroom, considering the vast majority of students have it and enjoy it. If it’s so readily available to them, how can we make it educational? If we can, could we also make strides in improving students’ reading, writing and critical thinking skills?

I’ve recently had an “ah-ha” moment, as I have found a way to use Instagram to deepen my own learning. I have been following a local Nicaraguan newspaper’s account on Instagram who have been posting live videos of the protests and police brutality happening in their streets every day. In these posts, surveys are often included to gauge the public’s opinion and the visual clips always come with short captions, also giving context for what we’re seeing. The most educational aspect of all of this is that 100% of the content is authentic, meaning it’s created by native speakers of Spanish for a Spanish-speaking audience. It dawned on me, if I’m learning so much about current events and cultural content by means of Instagram, why can’t my students do the same? What is most appealing about this modality, and how it differs most from traditional outlets, is that all the videos posted are no longer than two minutes. As we know, adolescents’ attention span is not necessarily great. With these short clips, a lot of essential but concise information is front-loaded, while he caption only further aids in comprehension. Instead of them zoning out during a 30-minute presentation and getting bored, they are focused and attentive, all awhile intrinsically learning how they, too, should be efficiently presenting information in their written and oral assignments.

I think Instrgram could be an incredible tool in a foreign language classroom because a lot of scaffolding is already built in. The short videos offer authentic aural exercises along with the obvious visual aid; in addition, the caption of each photo or video offers context for the content, giving students reading practice in the target language. For more advanced learners, they can even read people’s comments to further reinforce what they heard or thought they understood. Possible issues teachers may face with this modality could be ensuring the content is age-appropriate and that all students have access to the modality. To avoid issues pertaining to the appropriateness of the content, teachers would simply have to pre-determine which pages were followed for the various levels taught. As far as accessibility issues, the great thing about Instagram is that the forum exists as a website too, so students don’t necessarily need a smartphone to use it. I plan to use Instagram as a means for students to show their learning about the world in a foreign language. They can follow predetermined local news channels and write biweekly reflections about what they saw and/or learned (depending on level). More advanced levels could even do cultural comparison activities to show their understanding of current events happening in Latin America versus in their home country, to further demonstrate their global citizenship. I much rather grade those reports than monotonous homework assignments.

Due to the fact adolescents are already using Instagram and are familiar with all its functions, completing assignments via the app will be intrinsically motivating. As we read in Brown’s (2011) curriculum integration article, allowing students choice in their learning and assignments improves their reading and writing skills, critical thinking skills, and better prepares them for adulthood.

Brown, D. F. (2011). Curriculum integration: Meaningful learning based on students’ questions.
Middle Grades Research Journal, 6(4), pp. 193-206.