Don't Compete with Social Media. Integrate It!

This week, I had some words via Twitter with Wake County Public Schools for making decisions about policies that affect students without bringing students into the conversation in a respectful way. Students were upset when they learned Snapchat was blocked and they took their concerns to Twitter.

.@randixmartinez If your phone is put away, why would you care if snapchat is blocked? #logic

— Wake County Schools (@WCPSS) September 21, 2015

@WCPSS blocking snapchat just makes me dread school even more, congrats now students are even more miserable

— randi (@randixmartinez) September 21, 2015

@WCPSS @AnnaOlson68 Thank God I graduated. I hated school because of policies like this. And I think that's why most kids hate school

— Mike (MaGzz) (@zvoidteam) September 21, 2015

I chimed in, sharing a Tweet that received a lot of Twitter attention making more than 5000 impressions.  I asked this:

If Snapchat is more engaging than school, schools shd work on being more engaging cc @randixmartinez #StuVoice https://t.co/aCoO5r4Sv5

— Lisa Nielsen (@InnovativeEdu) September 24, 2015

Students started a petition that current has about 150 signatures asking their school to lift the ban.  On the petition students explain some ways they are using Snapchat for learning:

"Not only does Snapchat help us communicate with each other in and out of class, it helps quickly relay information between students for help on work. Just because there aren't school-related accounts on it, it's still a very useful tool and should not be blocked."

"There is no service at my school so those without iMessage cannot communicate with the outside world. Many use snapchat as a way to give information and updates throughout the day BRING IT BACK."

Teachers also chimed in sharing smart ways for using Snapchat.  For example Nikki Robertson explained Snapchat is used on the daily to tell stories of what is going on in her library.  

The most important point, however, probably came when I attended the Maker Faire Education Forum a few days later. Nancy Otero, known for her work with digital fabrication and project based learning was on a panel about "Making in Schools."  An audience member asked if making could compete with social media in schools.  I tweeted her response.

Yes! Q: Can Making compete w/social media? A. You don't need to compete w/social media. You can integrate it. - @LeSheepo #makeEDU

— Lisa Nielsen (@InnovativeEdu) September 25, 2015

And this is what it comes down to. When we stop banning and competing with social media and start listening to our students, we can figure out ways to integrate this powerful platform into learning in ways that help students communicate and connect with the world and each other.  

And, you know what? It looks like all this "taking it to social media" may have worked. On Friday, the student who made this story news, Tweeted this:

DID THEY ACTUALLY UNBLOCK SC?!? I DID SOMETHING SUCCESSFUL IN MY LIFE

— randi (@randixmartinez) September 25, 2015

If this is correct, then HT to @WCPSS for hearing school voice. Hearing and adjusting is good. Inviting students to the table to have a voice in the policies and guidelines that affect them is even better. 

Update....

Misunderstanding.  Student voice dismissed. Snapchat remains unblocked. 

@InnovativeEdu @Snapchat Thanks for the blog post and for your perspective. We did not unblock Snapchat. 😁

— Wake County Schools (@WCPSS) September 28, 2015