The same day that NPR ran the story, 10 Seconds At A Time, A Teacher Tries Snapchat To Engage Students, about a college instructor using it with his students, Snapchat unveiled a “massive” update to their app (see Snapchat seamlessly combines video, audio, GIFs, stickers in “Chat 2.0” and A rant about why Snapchat 2.0 is no disappearing teen fad, both from TechCrunch).
I’m still trying to figure out if there is any value to high school educators. I used it once when a student had been absent and another student sent a Snapchat of me saying that we all missed him and wanted him to come back (it blew his mind and still talks about it), but I just don’t know if there is a “there” there for us teachers.
What do you think?
You might also be interested in AJ Juliani’s post, The Complete Guide to Snapchat for Teachers and Parents.
I think that this would be a cool idea to get students engaged and using their phones for something productive. However, I’d be wary of the possibility some students would use this as an excuse to just Snapchat each other in class or get away with texting during the activity. It’s an idea with merit, but I can also see it being a hindrance in class if the student body isn’t mature enough.