Steer Clear of Drawbacks for Success
Although Snapchat can be a powerful and unique classroom tool, there are a few drawbacks.
Some administrators may be hesitant to allow the app as a teaching tool, due to the negative stigma of social media.
Also, the minimum age for the app is 13, so this should only be used with older middle school and high school students.
To help ensure responsible use of the app, Holden recommended creating a classroom policy. The students are likely to follow the rules because they will be excited to use Snapchat for school. He also added, “I would not make it mandatory to ‘follow’ my classroom account, but what I would do is give (the students) so much value that they would feel like they’re missing out on something by not following your Snapchat account.”
About the Presenter
Shannon Holden has been a high school and middle school teacher and administrator in Texas and Missouri for 20 years. Shannon built a website to help reduce the 50% five-year attrition rate for new teachers in the educational profession. Shannon speaks to college students, teachers, and administrators across the Midwest about classroom management, maintaining positive relationships with parents, instructional strategies that engage students, and implementing technology in the classroom. He is the host of the New Teacher Help and TechTools for the Classroom communities on edWeb.net. Follow him on Twitter @newteacherhelp.
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