Facebook
Facebook is a great social media tool that can be used to communicate with fellow students regarding questions or networking purposes. It is believed there are more pros than cons. What are the pros and cons?
Elizabeth,
Management is sometimes the con. If you have a private group for your class only, you have to "let them in" and depending on the size of the class, they can take some time. Also, you may want to use it as an option for a discussion board, but not mandate it. I have used Twitter, Facebook and the Blackboard discussion board all in one course and the students choose which they prefer - but it's more work on the instructor. On the end of course survey, the students told me they preferred the BBoard discussion board because when they are in BBoard, they are expecting to do course work and when they are in FBook, the are expecting to socialize. Was an interesting experiment.
There are pros and cons to Facebook. Some pros are it is easily accessible to anyone with an internet connection. It is a free account. You can have more than one. You can have one for your class and one for your friends. It is available whenever the student is. Some cons are that the students may be distracted by the games and pokes to concentrate on what they are supposed to be doing. Another con is that the student could be having someone else do their work for them in this environment, after all, we can't see real time who it is that is writing those submissions. I have a special page set up for my as an instructor and mentor to my students who are graduated. We discuss certification testing, job challenges, and A/R questions. I have found this works really well.
You are absolutely right, Facebook, definitely can be a pro or con. If I am not mistaken, Facebook was developed by a college student so that those students could have a way to communicate with each other. However Facebook, has expanded to much more....good and bad!
Tonia,
Right on. There are pros and cons to everything. Thanks for emphasizing that.
Thanks.
Alice,
Yes, there are pros and cons to everything. I like your 'special page' for graduates. It's a great way to continue to be a mentor and keep in touch. Thanks!
I agree Alice, that while Facebook is a handy way of gathering up your contacts – friends, relatives and of course, students; it does have its drawbacks. One thing I find is that the "Facebook people" are continually changing aspects of the site which means that as an end-user we have to keep adjusting settings and also quickly adapt to the changing interface and all that that brings. So, as a social media tool for student/teacher communication, I find it less helpful for these reasons. Also, it tends to be a bit too informal and "chatty" and I think that this takes away from the stimulating environment that a more professional method of communication can provide. Emails are direct, to the point, however I find that students in general are less inclined to use emails these days, and I am not certain why except to suggest that perhaps it is now "old-fashioned" and replaced with "Tweeting", texting as such. I find a good response ratio using "texting" to reach out to students in need.
They seem to respond more quickly than email and sometimes do not even use email for their responses.
Richard,
Thanks for adding to Alice's posting and continuing the conversation. You bring up some good points about FBook. When I used it with my online course the students said they preferred the Blackboard Discussion Board to FBook for course work.
I encourage my students to connect with each other via Facebook. It seems to help them build relationships and get to know each other more. I don't use it as a classroom tool, because like was earlier said, it can be a distraction because they are expecting to socialize.
Jill,
That social side of students is fulfilled many times with some type of social outlet like Facebook. But, your comments are dead on. Thanks!
I have used Facebook as a way to send out reminders for class deadlines, and other informal class info (I teach literature, so author sightings in popular media, etc). I create a private group page, but only about half my class joins, as many students aren't on Facebook - I know, sounds crazy, but it's true. There seems to be a backlash against Facebook that is beginning to catch on.
I heard in a seminar once that students spend so many hours a day on FB, it's much better to reach them where they are, but when I set up a private FB page, I just end up posting my announcements twice: on the LMS, and on FB. It doesn't seem like a good use of my time, and the feedback I have received is lukewarm. Students don't seem to care about (or expect) FB integration in the classroom.
Erin,
When I first used FBI with an online course of 210, only 70 joined (this was about 4 years ago), but now I know others that are using FB and they have almost 100% participation. I do think it depends on the students, instructor and content. Thanks for your input.
Pros--allows individuals to connect across geographical boundaries, and it is a great networking tool.
Cons--it allows people TOO much access to your personal life, even if you have not posted material, pictures, etc. In other words, it is important what your "friends" post as well than can be seen by others. Also, with people accessing it during work hours, it may diminish effectiveness in the workplace.
Conni,
When you use it in your on,one course you can set up a group just for your class. And, you can make it clear that this space is for class discussions - nothing else.
I like to use Facebook as well. I'll create a page dedicated to that specific class and have everyone join on their first day. Students are on these sites none stop and having a class page makes asking a question on their assignment just a click away.
Emory,
Yes, me too. The dedicated page helps keep it private. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I recently received the MEd in Instructional Technology. At first, I did not understand the use of FB in an online classroom. However, taking classes in the MEd program taught me how to effectively integrate FB in an online class. I learned the following:
Pros:
FB is easy to adopt and allows more active discussions. Students are notified of new page activity whenever they log into FB each day, and that has helped maintain their engagement.
Cons:
Unfortunately, there must be cons, even to a great tool such as FB. Some include: sketchy engagement. While almost all students have signed up for the group, some rarely participate in discussions. Also, one of the biggest downfalls, is that FB users still see the same barrage of targeted ads, distracting from the learning environment.
Just my 2 cents! :-)
Willie ,
Glad you are continuing to learn. Many times you can't judge the use of FB or any other instructional method the first time. Try it again and again and get feedback from the students to improve things and you'll see a difference in the future. Thanks!
