Connecting with My Students through Instagram Stories

One of the highlights for me this week is being able to connect with my students virtually via Instagram Stories. Working at a community in South Central Los Angeles, I realized that many of my students do not have the resources to travel to places or enjoy outdoor activities with their families. Through social media, I was able to be at one place with my students and open their eyes to see a world outside of their own.

I begin by advertising my expedition through my own teacher instagram account @mislou212. This is a public account that my students can follow. Prior to posting pictures of my students, I have requested parent permission to use their photos.

Currently I have 217 followers and around 70~100 followers watch my stories throughout my 7-day expedition everyday.

Here are some unique features that my students can interact with during this expedition:

Q&A: Using real-time images, ask students multiple-choice question that I encountered while collecting caterpillars.

       

Eye Spy: Challenge students to spot a caterpillar that camouflaged with the surrounding environment.

    

Opinion Poll: The forest where we searched for caterpillars was near the U.S. and Mexico border. We saw a ripped backpack, empty food can and soda cans left possibly by migrants rising their lives to cross the border. Students were asked to to put themselves in the migrants' shoes with this question below.


Fun Videos: Showing a video of Ms. Johnson overcoming her fear with touching the caterpillar (Sphinx) with the help of Julie, an EarthWatch volunteer.

Ask an Expert: Tanner Matson, an Entomologist and graduate student from University of Connecticut, offers to answer any question about insects in the next 24 hours (the duration of every Instagram Story before it disappears.) Answers to the questions are posted a day after this initial video.

It's a blessing and joy to participate in this EarthWatch expedition with fellow L.A. educators and researchers with a strong passion in entomology and climate change. From this trip, my perspective of insects has certainly changed. I am leaving with a greater appreciation of the natural world and the intricate relationship between insects and its biome. I hope my students feel the same way through watching my stories. Thank you EarthWatch for this opportunity!