I think people are quick to point out the inadequacies of Snapchat. It is dangerous because while we think the images disappear after 10 seconds, there are ways of keeping them. There are ways for children and adolescents to become enmeshed in accusations of child pornography with disappearing nude pictures. All of these things are true. But they can also be true about other social medias. That is why it is important to encourage using Snapchat for learning and friendly communication.
Snapchat is getting more and more multifaceted every day. Not only can you take selfies and videos, but you can also stream snaps from other countries all over the world. As I write, there is a stream going on for Barcelona where you can see what the life of locals is like. You can view places as if you’re traveling through the cities yourself. People are always saying “Hello from *insert city name here*!” and it reminds me of a pen pal type video chat. In the classroom, Snapchat could be used in language classes or in English classes to make snaps that you would send to an imaginary pen pal. Students could put these videos on their “story” and teachers and other students could view it within 24 hours before it goes away. Snapchat is also great for “A Day in the Life of” projects or selfie scavenger hunts. It is a way for students to get to know each other outside of the classroom arena and possibly form bonds that wouldn’t have existed without the presence of casual social media. There could even be a class Snapchat account onto which students could receive the login information and access on assigned days. This is great for students who are from different ethnic backgrounds to share the diversity of their lifestyle with all the other students. It allows for the chance for there to be less assumptions about a person. Snapchat’s video capabilities make it possible for teachers to also record, for example, pronunciations for language courses that students can view. As long as the video is on the story, you can view it as many times as is needed within the 24 hour period after it was posted. You can also see who has viewed the video to check participation.
Snapchat has also teamed up with other companies such as ESPN, National Geographic, CNN, Buzzfeed, Food Network, and more to show daily snaps of what is going on at those businesses. So Snapchat becomes more than just a way to talk to friends but a way to get quick tidbits of news and fun, cultural information. If there is something of interest to the student, they can send it to a friend. They are quick videos or images/text so students are more likely to view them to get information because they don’t have to commit a long amount of their time to it, when they could be socializing or doing “fun” stuff instead.
In terms of the issue of identities and adolescent development, Snapchat is beneficial because the videos are short and don’t require you to create and maintain one persona. You can be one person today and another tomorrow as you are discovering you want to be in the long haul. After 24 hours, you cannot re-watch the video and think “Oh man, why did I ever post/say/do/write that?” The past does not stay with you; Snapchat evolves with your development.
The bad thing is that in order to access Snapchat you have to have a smart phone from which you can download the app. Students who may be from lower economic backgrounds may then be left out if they do not have a phone through which they can use this tool. In this case, it is possible for the teacher or students to save the videos/pictures they take and post them elsewhere/email them to the class/etc.
I had never thought of using Snapchat in an educational context, but I think your ideas would be really interesting and engaging for students. Snapchat has become so popular these days, and I think incorporating it into learning would be a good way for students to engage with the content outside of class and use their home environments within their learning (especially with your idea of posting stories).
I think you would just have to be careful about the way you incorporate it into the classroom—if students were allowed to use their phones during large intervals of the class, it would be difficult to identify when they were using Snapchat and other apps for education and when they were using it for personal use. The teacher would have to be firm on their rules about when phones are allowed and make sure they maintain structure within the classroom.
Snapchat in the classroom can be such an amazing idea if presented properly to the students. I love that “Snapchat evolves with your development” because it can help students understand that they do not need to identify with only one persona. It will be amazing for our students to learn about others and learn about themselves. They can explore different parts of themselves without having to feel trapped in that one part or judged because they are trying something new.
I think it is very important to have our students use the social media and technology, that they are familiar with, as resources in the classroom. It is also a great idea to have alternatives for those students that can not have smart phones. Allowing the students to work in groups could also play a role in maximizing the accessibility of content throughout the classroom. They can learn how to plan and produce a short 10 to 15 second clip that they can then post on a class snapchat for the rest of their classmates to see and share with their friends outside of the classroom. I think this is a really wonderful idea and I appreciate that you’ve shared this with the class.
Involving technology, and applications popular with youth, in the class room may prove to be groundbreaking. I agree that we can find ways to involve technology within the classroom to get students engaged during a lesson; but I do want to address equity. You mention the students that come from a low socioeconomic background; and it is important that you do. These are the students that may lack the funding for not only smart phones, and computer, but also their books, pens, pencils, and composition notebooks. As educators we have to keep in mind the constant fight for equity across the schools of our nations. Some schools have already been providing their students with iPads, or laptops; which is great because all of their text books can be provided through their laptops, or ipads. This can help reduce the amount of weight in their back packs too; but how can we get these devices in every classroom? It;s important that we think about equity in the classroom. As our classes change every year, our curriculum should change as well. Gauge your students, ask yourself what is available to you and them, and then decide how you will involve your resources.