Dive Brief:

• Some educators are trying out snapchat in an attempt to better engage students and meet them where they are.
• The social media platform allows users to send each other messages or images that disappear 10 seconds after being opened.
• Some college students says it's easier to retain knowledge delivered through the platform instead of traditional college lectures, NPR reports.

Dive Insight:

One high school Spanish teacher said the retention of vocabulary words isn't as good with Snapchat, saying the option is less rigorous than other methods of instruction. Others say the platform caters to and, some say, promotes a decreased attention span through its format. Still, as increasingly younger, social media savvy teachers enter schools, many are already using Snapchat and other social media tools and believe it is another way to meet students where they are.

Rudy Tyrell, an administrator at Gaithersburg High School in Maryland, said he doesn't "like adults keeping in touch with their current students in any form of media, as a general rule." Tyrell said group communication is appropriate for coaches and staff working with after-school clubs, who may not be able to achieve their extra-curricular objectives without being able to stay in touch with students, but advises against any one-to-one connection on social media. 

As administrators across the country continue to grapple with the changing communication landscape, clear boundaries and guidance will need to be established on a local level to guide both teachers and students. Like Twitter, use of Snapchat has advantages and disadvantages. Even when privacy settings are ratcheted up, there is still the potential to blur the lines of appropriate educator-student relationships. Districts can and should specifically articulate expectations by having a formal policy or guide.