This is the first article in the Social Learning with Instagram series.
I posted this image last month on Instagram to summary my one-year experience in that mobile photo-sharing space:
Here is the story behind this collage:
“It was exactly one year ago, with an iPhone4 in the hand, I started with the image in the middle on IG. Soon fell in love with macro lenses via @redsas Tracy – thank you for answering my question back with the answer: @photojojo’s macro lens! Much later learned to capture light (top right) from @backtobasics John, who is not here anymore – I miss John and his #b2b_ tags. I tell my stories through flowers that grow in my garden (top middle, bottom middle), in others’ gardens (middle left, NH), on roadsides (bottom left, Vermont), and from faraway places (middle right, Dominica). I also created a sandbox @seeallie365 to ask myself not to forget about “the big picture” and to see beyond flowers 🙂 The images created by me (top left, bottom right) will be put on the walls @althotel in Canada – Oh, Canada! I will come to visit again,soon. After all these 365 days, I still #love_purple.
Thank you for being here with me, my IG friends! I get to know so many of you fondly, connect with some of you intimately, and be inspired by you immensely. I appreciate you!”
This is a story about self-discovering and learning, and more importantly learning arts in a social media environment with your peers as teachers and yourself as the driver and designer for your own learning experience. I call it “social learning”, and I have several lessons learnt to share. Along the way, I will distill my story above, unpacking all the elements that are essential for an effective social learning process.
