Why I chose Social Media

5 Reasons I Chose Social Media

1. I wanted to really showoff what my students could do!

As you may have read in my first post, I was in search of a new way to share what was happening in our art classroom beyond our school building. We are a really small school in rural PA and while we do get the opportunity to participate in a few annual art shows, entries are often limited and only final products are exhibited. I wanted to show others the day-to-day creative thinking, discovery, and success.  The learning and making occurring in our little classroom is just too special to keep behind closed doors. 

2. My time is precious 

We currently have frames hung at five local businesses, which I call the GES Community Art Gallery. I change the art every other month or so. I love it. It is well worth doing, but it is also a lot of work. I have to select the work, send home letters, label and mount the work, and then go to each business to change the art. You may have also read that I started my first blog Olive Art! Do You??? . If you check it out you will notice that my posts have been sparse. Upon starting my career as an educator, art teacher blogs were fresh and relevant and an amazing resource, but upon starting my own I quickly realized how much time goes into one. Posting on social media doesn't take hours or paragraphs; it's brief, spontaneous, and instant. 

3. I like to try new things

When you are the only Kindergarten though sixth grade art teacher, in your district, it would be easy to become stuck in ones ways or in an old school of thought. I could be asking questions that require memorization v thought and wonder or be introducing the same projects I did last year, giving my students little choice in what they create. I could be selecting artists of study based on what I know rather than what they want to know, but this is not me. I like to try new things. I like to test out new trends in art education and be inspired by popular culture and current events.

4. My Principal told me to...

I too, once thought Twitter a space where people posed short, random and useless updates throughout their day. My principal kept sending me these awesome articles about STEAM and other amazing projects created in classrooms around the country, each one coming from Twitter.  He told me day after day of the professional potential until I finally gave in and gave Tweeting a try. I made and account, followed a few people, joined a few chats, and was instantly hooked. Through Twitter, Facebook groups, Instagram, and Pinterest, I am now connected to educators that challenge me to grow. The short, sometimes random, posts are seldom useless and inspire me every day.

5. "Everyone" else is doing it

Authors, artists, athletes, entertainers, entrepreneurs, app developers, art suppliers and more... are all using social media. So why shouldn't I. You can't even watch tv, without a stream of favicons lining the bottom of each commercial, asking you like, follow, tweet, or share. Even the local farmers market is on Pinterest and Facebook. It only makes sense for art teachers to be in the mix. You don't go to an empty restaurant hoping to make a new friend... you go to the party! Using social media professionally is like attending the best "office" party ever. All of your colleagues are excited and passionate about what they do and want to share it with you! 

Follow me on Twitter @MComp_OliveART and Instagram @GWDES_Arts

Original Post April 24, 2015 

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