Snapchat is a platform that I have been dragging my feet on for a myriad of reasons. The premise did not appeal to me; I don't like to be in pictures. Also, I find myself utilizing other platforms so frequently - adding another type of social media to my life seemed tedious and time-consuming. As I have watched students use it over the past few years, my initial hesitation has transformed into a heightened curiosity. From first glace, the time spent snapchatting and time spent actually chatting or engaging meaningfully did not seem to equate. One of my former speech captains and senior in my speech class at the time, came into class often with his arm extended high as he snapped pictures of himself all day long, documenting his day (He ended …show more content…
Snapchatting CAN elicit conversation
It has been fun to watch my summer school students talk with one another in the classroom and beyond. Their friendships have formed fast, and their willingness to share has made the tone of the class optimal for learning.
With Snapchat, stories play automatically making content accessible and integrated into their lives. This act of sharing creates conversation and keeps it going. It can spark a memory and serve as a reminder to students to re-engage with course content outside of school. Students are far more willing to snap someone than back or send someone a reminder while on Snapchat, thus increase the amount of communication they are having with one another. See a picture or a quick video reminds them to share and talk back to one another.
4. Snapchat can be used to promote content learning.
What better way to extend learning opportunities then to make content learning part of our stories? Snapchatting is a great way to capture great moments in the classroom and remind students of what they learned later in the evening. When students are playing through their stories, having a visual reminder of an exciting lab, fantastic presentation, funny moment, etc. can encourage recalling information, reflection, and remind students to review their homework for the next day. A science friend of mine does not have Snapchat but encourages students to have their phones out, take pictures, and share lab