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A Co-Blog Post Co-Written and Co-Posted by Educators, Denis Sheeran and Tara Martin
Denis: Last year, right around Super Bowl time I started to notice the prolific tweeting of something called #BookSnaps. My Twitter bestie, Tara Martin, had started a movement in education where teachers and students would use Snapchat to share their thoughts, assessments, feedback, and comments on what they’d written, read and seen in books! This is an incredible hack of a social media tool for GOOD, not evil.
I suggested to Tara that we do live #SuperBowlSnaps during the game, taking and annotating pictures from the game, the commercials, the fans, our families and their reactions. It would be a fun way to incorporate the game into our lessons for the next day. At the time, Tara wasn’t a big football fan, but she was a fan of Snapchat.
Tara: Yes, it is safe to say, I was a bit hesitant because I typically make a ton of snacks for the Super Bowl party and pay little attention to the game. However, by adding my passion for visual, digital creations to connect with content (that was not so appealing), I learned a new appreciation for the game of football. Ok, I was immersed entirely from start to finish. Now, I’m a football fan, for sure!
As an educator, I couldn’t help but think…
How might “relevance” to the delivery of instruction, or method of learning, encourage students to learn more about topics that were once of no personal interest?
Denis: What I found to be outstanding was that we both left with a new skill and a new perspective. I loved football but was skeptical about Snapchat. After the game, I was ready to snap and snap often!
Tara: And, I loved Snapchat but was skeptical about football, despite my husband’s attempts to interest me in the game. Now the Super Bowl is rapidly approaching, and I haven’t even thought about the menu items I need to create. Instead, I’m messaging Denis via DM to chat about Super Bowl snapping!
Are you guys ready for the 2nd Annual #SuperBowlSnaps Challenge?!
1: Join us for the #SuperBowlSnaps II Challenge on Sunday, starting…whenever you start thinking about the Super Bowl!!! Tweet pictures through snapchat using this hashtag. What a wonderful way to make learning relevant by engaging your learners in a national event that most of your students are probably watching!
2: Create a learning prompt using SnapChat. It’s much like #BookSnaps but with Super Bowl content. How To Video HERE. More Creation Apps HERE.
Click the Padlet: 2017 #SuperBowlSnaps for examples from the Inaugural #SuperBowlSnaps.
Check out Instant Relevance, written by Denis Sheeran and published by DBC Inc., for more ways to connect students to current happenings around us.
Visit R.E.A.L, Tara Martin’s blog, and become inspired to grow as an educator as you read her experiences and share her growth. And if you’re interested in #BookSnaps, check out this post!
I am an educator who values the individuality and uniqueness of others. Writing the blog R.E.A.L. is an outlet for me to pay it forward by sharing ideas, influences, lessons learned and exposing a little vulnerability while encouraging others to maximize their R.E.A.L. potential, as well.