Are you a teacher? Are you on Instagram? If you are both of these, you are in the right spot. Before we start, let’s connect on Instagram. Be sure to search me on your phone or mobile device at @educationtothecore. I would love for you to reach out by commenting or using the hashtag #educationtothecore on your teaching pictures so I can see what you are doing in your classroom! There are so many ways you can use Instagram to get ideas and improve your skills in the classroom. There are also things you can do to share your expertise with other educators. Read on to learn about 8 Instagram hacks you can use in your classroom!
1. Explore hashtags that are relevant to teaching and education.
If you haven’t already figured out hashtags, you are missing out! When you are searching on Instagram, you can search for top posts, people, tags, and places. When you search a hashtag, all the pictures that have been tagged with that hashtag are going to come up in your search. You are going to see about 9 of the top posts first, and then the rest of the posts are going to be arranged chronologically by post time. I love scrolling through certain hashtags to find teaching ideas, quotes, and occasional teaching humor. If you would like to see the hashtags I am using, be sure to view the descriptions under my photos. Those will get you started. Here are some more hashtags that our Primary Teacher Collaboration Group came up with! They are adding more, so be sure to join the conversation!!!
#teachersfollowteachers #teachersofig #teachersofinstagram #teacherspayteachers #iteachk #iteachfirst #iteachsecond #iteach #teachinginspiration #teachingquotes #classroommanagement #guidedreading #kindergartenteacher #firstgradeteacher #secondgradeteacher #iteachtoo #organizedteacher #teacherproblems #teacherhumor #teachersbelike #classroomorganization #teacher #teachers
2. Share your ideas to more than your friends and those who follow you by using hashtags.
Do you love to share your teaching ideas? Did you know that you can expand your reach by using hashtags so that other teachers can see the great things that are happening in your classroom? You can use hashtags on Instagram, and share your expertise with other teachers. You will have to set your profile to public, so if you are not prepared to do that, you could always make a separate teaching account! You could even go by an anonymous name! I always keep students’ faces out of my pictures. Remember to reference your school’s media policy when it comes to sharing events in your classroom.
3. Edit your profile to connect with teachers like you.
When you edit your profile, you can add what grade level, and/or subject you teach. By doing this, other teachers who teach the same grade level and/or subject can connect with you! Just remember, your profile has to be set to public in order to become searchable on Instagram. I have a public profile, but I make sure I don’t reveal any private information when I post.
4. Save your favorite teaching ideas and resources into a separate album.
I created an album on my iPhone, just for Instagram screenshots. That way, they don’t get lost in my camera roll! I can easily go to the album later and implement things I would like to do for my classroom.
5. View all the teaching ideas and resources you have already liked.
Did you know that you can find all the pictures you have liked in your options? Just click the wheel on your profile, and you are in options! Click on “Posts You’ve Liked,” and you will see a chronological list of every post you have ever liked!
6. Find teachers like you on Instagram.
In hack #3, I showed you how you could edit your profile to connect with teachers like you on Instagram. Here is how you find them: Just go to the search, and under people, search your “title.” Since I am interested in first grade content, I am going to search for “first grade teacher.” I could also search for other titles as well, depending on which type of teacher I am.
7. Search by location
This is cool if you have a specific school or educational location you enjoy getting updates from. I have recently been interested in Beta Academy, thanks to a fantastic teacher, Farrah Shipley. I watch her on Periscope all the time, and I love what they are doing over there. I always like to stay posted with all the great things that are happening at Beta.
And just like that, any post that was uploaded at Beta Academy comes into the feed. I can stay posted on their latest happenings year-round! I covered the pictures with an image, but if you were really searching, you could go in and see anything Beta Academy!
8. Share your posts to specific teacher friends.
Let’s face it. Although it’s great to share, sometimes we don’t want to post to the whole world. That is why I love taking pictures, and sharing them directly with another person. I can share with more than one person if I want, but they won’t be public if I just click “direct” before I post.
Want more Instagram tips for teachers? Try this fabulous post, “5 Ways Teachers Benefit by Using Instagram” by Angie over at Lucky Little Learners!
I hope you enjoyed these Instagram Hacks! If you liked this post, be sure to share or pin it for your teacher colleagues! If you want to stay updated, be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Teachers Pay Teachers to keep up with the latest freebies, tips, and ideas.
