Many teachers have already been taking advantage of one of the most popular social media platforms in existence- Instagram.

In September 2015, Instagram hit 400 million users, beating out social networking rival Twitter.

Earlier this month, K-5 principal Adam Welcome shared with peers his school’s Instagram account, and encouraged other educators to use the platform to easily share the school’s on-goings with the community.

"If your school isn’t already on Instagram, I urge you to join the fun. Have fun with the filters and tell your story. It’s a great way to build school culture and keep your community involved in all the awesome things that are happening in your school,” he said in his ASCD Smartblog post.

The Montair School’s Instagram account using it as another way to let the community know when there is no school as well as to provide snapshots into what and how its students are learning.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Education decided to join in on this idea by creating its own Instagram account, where it will be celebrating education by sharing the nation’s stories.

In its very first post last week, the Department encouraged users to share their favorite education story by tagging its Instagram account, @usedgov and using #VoicesAcrossAmerica as the hashtag.

The Department prompted users to answer sample questions with their stories:

• Who is your favorite teacher?
• What odds have you overcome to get an education?
• If you had a dream school, what would it look like?
• Why is teaching the best job in the world?
• What are the qualities of a great teacher?
• What is your favorite subject in school? Why?

 

Education touches every single American. We see that in the teachers who wake up early to teach hundreds of kids, stay up late to grade papers, and create a lesson plan to do it all over again the next day. We see it in the kid who dreams of becoming an engineer and is able to take an AP class in his high school. We see it in the parent who is thrilled to find high-quality preschool in his community for his child. We see it in the student who immigrated to this country and is the first in her family to enroll and complete college in the United States. We see it in the adult learner who is gaining new knowledge and skills through community college. In all of these examples we see people who are improving their lives and looking to a future of hope and promise. We have been traveling the country capturing stories, your stories, and now we want to share them with you to inspire you. These are #VoicesAcrossAmerica ====================== We want to hear from you! Share your education story with us. Who is your favorite teacher? What odds have you overcome to get an education? If you had a dream school, what would it look like? Why is teaching the best job in the world? What are the qualities of a great teacher? What is your favorite subject in school? Why? Tag @usedgov and #VoicesAcrossAmerica to share.

A photo posted by U.S. Department of Education (@usedgov) on Feb 9, 2016 at 9:13am PST

Currently, the account features numerous stories of students and teachers who share their goals and accomplishments in their respective positions.

Check out the account here.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

2/23/2016