WhatsApp with students?
Sometimes you catch a glimpse of a student's phone in class and really wish you could 'unsee' what you just saw! It's often way too much information. And why on earth were they on their phone in your class yet again?! They are usually snap chatting, taking yet another selfie (evidence that they were actually in a class?!). It's an ongoing problem that we all despair about.
However, I recently discovered that one of my classes had created a group chat on WhatsApp for college purposes! I was amazed. particularly as one of them saved me rushing about looking for missing students - she gave me an instant update on everybody's ETA and excuses. Then obligingly messaged them all reminding them to call in late through eh proper channels. And hurry up. We were in a rush to get a group project started in a practical space and this group chat saved me going back to the staff room to email or call students and meant that we could make a plan immediately about how to best use the time we had.
The beauty of WhatsApp (as opposed to Snapchat) is that groups of students can send each other files, photos, video and audio and then export their group chat and save it as evidence of collaborating on a project. The language they use might not be appropriate to a formal assignment and we may have no idea what they're talking about half the time but it's a way for them to engage with projects outside the classroom and communicate in a way that is accessible and easy. It's also highly likely that they are already using it socially so why not encourage them to put it to good use?
It's also compatible with most devices so fully inclusive. It's probably not a great idea to communicate with them via WhatsApp yourself though as they will then have your mobile number and you'll never escape!