PLN Education Blog
My journey of learning digital literacy, establishing a personal learning network, and becoming a qualified 21st century teacher.
Maybe I am out of touch. Maybe I need to work harder to understand the social media of the current generation. But after watching "Snapchat Murders Facebook" I am not only left with more questions about this new form of social media, I am also concerned about what this implies about the social interactions my future students might be having. Call me "old school", but the best part of a story is that you can visit it over and over, it never disappears. Yet I got the impression that the allure of the Snapchat story is that you constantly have to be adding because what you have done will be gone in just 24 hours. And this is where my concern crept in. The video pointed out that you are documenting what you are doing for all of those following your story, but I wonder what kind of story can you really tell if you are always staring at your phone. Great concert, from the screen of my phone. Great game, from the screen of my home. Beautiful landscape, well you get the picture. Honestly, I see the magic of social media and being able to connect with people all around the world. Sure this opens you to other cultures and other perspectives, but how is this really enriching the lives of our students if they are so focused on getting their next little clip posted. There have been too many times that I have seen people in public staring and making funny faces in their phone, no doubt using the latest filter on Snapchat. One time I saw someone on a treadmill, yes treadmill, engaging in this new odd behavior. Do these people know what they look like? Do they even know that there is a world happening around them? These are my concerns. Students need technology, and need to feel connected, I understand that. But I worry that they are loosing out on the joy of good old fashion face to face human interaction. The are missing out on the joy of putting down the phone and being fully present for an experience like a concert, game, historical landmark (yes people take selfies at the Vietnam Memorial now, let that sink in). There is a difference between living in the moment, and living moment to moment. Our students, now more than ever, need to be able to look back and look forward, not just look at the right now. We cannot afford to live in the right now, there are real problems we are facing, and we need the next generation to understand that actions to not happen and disappear in 24 hours.
2 Comments
Brad
12/4/2016 04:36:10 pm
Good post. I agree with the idea that Snapchat encourages more focus on your phone rather than what's around you. I'm curious what will be replacing that and when?
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Kristen Runge
12/8/2016 08:12:49 am
Snapchat is an interesting piece of technology. I'm not going to lie, I have been that person making funny faces at my phone while trying out the latest Snapchat filter. While the app is entertaining, I completely agree with you when you say people today are spending more time on their phones rather than being present in the moment and I feel like Snapchat contributes heavily to this. Maybe instead of using Snapchat in the classroom, we can utilize the idea of documenting your daily story? Document what happened in your class today through a series of photos!
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AuthorMy name is Margaret Sullivan, and I am a teacher candidate at California State University San Marcos, on my way to becoming a 21st century science teacher Archives
December 2016
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