Utilizing Social Media for Community Building - Part 2

    

Students also want to know us (faculty and staff). They want confirmation that we live in the same world they do. So let me propose a revolutionary goal - No More Stock Photos! To the generation of heightened visual acuity, stock photos are the elevator music of the visible world.

Rather than grab attention, they signal to Gen Zers to ignore. I know easy to say for the guy who teaches photography, but I think almost all of us have access to the tools and skills to share our unique pictures confidently. Furthermore, social media technology has become an integral element of daily life. Social media now influences how people communicate, share information, broadcast events, update people, and create a community. 
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I want to focus on the community-building aspects of using social media in Higher Education. In the Photography Department at CGCC, we have used Instagram (@cgcc_photo) to connect students, faculty, staff, and larger communities. This account was started in 2018, before the COVID-19 pandemic, and thankfully so. This profile became a critical tool to foster community connection with isolated students during stay-at-home orders. Our campus presence came to a grinding halt, but our community flourished on Instagram. When schools embrace mobile technologies, they have the potential to increase educational opportunities for students whose personal circumstances prevent them from pursuing traditional higher education. Higher education institutions can ensure broader access and participation of non-traditional and disadvantaged groups of students by allowing them to interact with and access their education through social media and mobile technologies, which will positively impact equality, diversity, and inclusion within the organization.

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Dive Into Adobe Express to Edit Mobile Photos

Now that you got your hands on Adobe Photoshop Express from last week, we can dive into Adobe Express to edit and layout mobile photos to create posts, slideshows, and infographics. Adobe Express is a one-stop web-based app for editing mobile photos, searching, and Adding Stock Photos (Ugh, I know, but Adobe Stock has a ton of decent images to use. (I refuse to call stock images good).

​I have my students use Adobe Express to make visible and shareable the impactful Service-Learning work they do as part of their photography courses. We all use High Impact Practices (HIPs) in our classes, but now we need to strategize how to make these practices more visible and shareable (I know, I know - easy for the photography instructor to do this). Sharing the amazing work you’re having your students experience is an easily understood way to inspire, engage, and connect with those around you. Sharing documentation of this work isn’t just a brag - it lifts everyone around you (there are limits, obviously). So thoughtfully share!

I recently had a conversation with the founders of a non-profit community partner my classes work with, and they told me, “without photographs showing the community what we do, we wouldn’t be anywhere as impactful as we’ve been.” Photographs have told their story and allowed them to find the connections they need to stay afloat.

For example,
Someone corners you to explain an after-school skateboard program for elementary-aged at-risk youth
                                   vs. 
You see this graphic online, made with a cellphone and Adobe Express

There is a FREE version of Adobe Express with some of the features scaled back or unavailable, but it’s still very useful. If you want access to all the features of Express, you will need an Adobe Creative Cloud account. The educator monthly subscription is $9.99, but that gives you access to ALL Adobe products.

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We are sharing the work of our students with our digital community. These posts create a sense of belonging and acknowledgment for students and their work.

Conduct surveys to inform students about future classes and promote enrollment in our classes.

Share the High Impact Practices (HIPs) our students are engaged in, such as Service-Learning.

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Examples of Using Social Media to Foster Community Between our Students and a Larger Community

Calls for volunteer opportunities
specific to our students with
Arizona Non-Profits.

Invites to connect with local art/photography employers in the Valley, like Tempe Center for the Arts or the Visions Teen Workshops through Chandler Center for the Arts.

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Share Your Ideas

If you have other creative ways to utilize Social Media and/or Community Building please let us know at: [email protected]. 
​Special thanks to Buzzy for sharing ways to edit mobile photos, amazing examples, and more ways to build community!

Your Faculty Liaisons, Jen & Vanessa