Snapchat released its first update last week since the “My Story” update was released in October 2013. This lets you save and share photos to all friends for 24 hours on Snapchat. The newest update that includes disappearing text messages and face-to-face video chat has made teens go crazy for the disappearing photo app.
The popular app, which launched in 2011, announced the redesign on Thursday. With the newest update, you can now swipe right on a friend’s name in your Snapchat inbox to begin chatting with them, as well as live video chat with your friends. An icon will show when a friend has Snapchat open and you will then be able to press and hold [like the normal Snapchat] their icon to chat with them.
Students have already gotten so addicted to the update, that some teachers had to take cell phones up in the middle of class, while others [teachers] took to Twitter to express their strong dislike of the app. It seems to have become every teacher’s worst nightmare. Students on the other hand, think the teachers are overreacting. A student even tweeted that her school has now blocked Snapchat.
Tracie Schroeder, a high school teacher at Council Grove in Kansas told Silicon Alley Insider in an interview, “I have no idea what all was included in the update, but you would have thought it was crack. They seriously could not keep away from it. I even had one girl crawl under the table with her phone.”
Have you downloaded the new Snapchat? Do you think teachers and schools are taking it too far?
In 16 years of teaching I can’t think of anything that has ever disrupted my classroom more than today’s @snapchat update.
— Tracie Schroeder (@bravesearth) May 1, 2014
Kids can learn more from a 6-second Snapchat vid than a 50-minute lecture from a live teacher. Discuss.
— Prof. Jeff H Jarvis (@ProfJeffJarvis) May 2, 2014
The school blocked snapchat
