1. Using Facebook for educators – no need to be friends at all!
Few reasons why you should believe that facebook can has a place in the classroom :
1. The fact is, the majority of your students and their parents are probably
already on Facebook
2. Even when schools have a policy against being “friends” online, there are
tools you can use that won’t violate policy
3. Despite what you may hear, there are strong privacy options that you can set
up so only those that you want can access your information
4. We have an obligation as educators to model appropriate online behavior and
learn right along our students
Should we be “friends” with students?
You may do not want to friend your students on Facebook. I definitely don’t want
you to go against your desire! But, I feel that done responsibly, you should absolutely
friend your current students! Why?
 Get to know them in a whole different light – students share their likes, hobbies,
and more. Really getting to know your students transfers into a better experience in
the classroom and a better ability to reach every student.
 Create an open and supportive environment – if you are open to it, students could
even send you a quick chat message if they are stuck on a homework question in the
evening.
 Keep up with students years later – there is no doubt you are one of your students’
favorite teachers ever. Keep in touch and communicate years after they leave your
classroom.
Technology for teaching English lab

2. How to safely “friend” students on facebook :
Option 1: Use Lists to keep some things private
To set up a list of all of your students you will want to take the following steps:
1. Click on Friends in the left sidebar after logging in to Facebook
2. Click on Edit Friends at the top right
3. Click on +Create a List which will appear in the same location as the button from
step 2
4. Add all of your students to the list you just created by clicking on “Edit List” next
to their names
5. Click on Account > Privacy Settings in upper right corner
6. Click on Customize settings in bottom left
7. Use the drop down menu to limit your students from seeing what you don’t want
them to by clicking on Customize and then type in the name of your list in the Hide
these from these people: text box
You limited everything , when they visit your account, all they can see is your
profile image, school and work info, and that’s about it.
Option 2: Set-up a second account just for your students (and parents)
Many schools and experts are recommending that teachers create a whole new
facebook account just to use in their professional lives.
This may work for you, but in reality, you are less likely to be able to keep up with
more than one account and it kind of defeats the whole purpose anyway.
That being said, it may be a good option for you. Just create an account using your
school email address and only let students and parents friend you there.
Technology for teaching English lab

3. Why every educator, school, and organization needs a facebook page
Even better than friending students online is setting up a page.
Pages allow you to distribute announcements, blog posts, events, assignments, and
more .
This is better than using your personal profile because there is no need for parents or
students to be your friends to get the updates, and it can really be used to develop an
online community around your class or school.
How to create a facebook page (self study) :
1. Login to your facebook account
2. Go to facebook.com/pages
3. Click on “Create a page” in top right
4. Choose “Artist, Band, or Public Figure” if you are a teacher and choose
“Organization” if you are a school or group
5. Follow the steps on screen to get started
Adding the “like box” to your page (self sudy) :
One of the best ways of letting your students and others know about your page is to
put a “like box” on your blog, wiki, or website.
Here is how to get your own like box (self study) :
1. Go here to get the code needed for your box
2. Type in the URL or link to your facebook page
3. Choose if you want to show the stream – this will display the most recent posts to
your facebook page’s wall
4. Change the size and decide on the other options available
5. Click on Get Code and copy the iFrame code from the top box
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4. 6. In a blog, paste the code into the HTML Tab of a page or post, or into a blank text
widget in your sidebar
7. This code should also be able to be pasted in most wikis and websites – look for
help info on embedding code for more
Groups – An alternative to Pages
People would take more ownership of activity in a Group than a Page. In terms of
what the two features signify to users, a Group implies that the students are creators
of content, while the Page places the instructor more prominently as the ultimate
mediator of content.
So in deciding between a group and a page, you will want to think about your goals
for setting one or the other up.
How to set up a group
Setting up a group is a quick process.
1. Sign in to your facebook account.
2. Visit facebook.com/groups.
3. Click on the green “Create Group” button in the top right and follow the on screen
prompts.
Technology for teaching English lab

5. Facebook for e-Learning: 20 educational applications
Facebook is one of the fastest growing social networks that helps people
communicate efficiently with their friends, families, coworkers, and classmates.
How can we use Facebook for e-Learning ?
Some of the Facebook users are your learners and they know how to use Facebook
effectively .
Using Facebook for e-Learning could inspire many of our students to learn ,however
Facebook was not created to be used as a learning environment .
Three types of interaction :
1- Learner and content .
2- Learner and Instructor .
3- Learner and Learner .
20 Facebook educational applications based on the three types of interaction
Firstly : learner and content (9 applications)
1- SlideShare : you can create and share presentation on Facebook. At the same
time you can add documents, PDFs, add MP3 audio .
2- Mathematical Formulas : you can distribute mathematical formulas and
solutions to your learners. Learners can see the formulas even if they did not
add the application.
3- NewsRack : a fully featured RSS reader that can be used as a standalone
client with Google Readers. You can share information relevant to your
course with your learners.
4- Events Calendar : you can create, edit and maintain a monthly calendar on
your profile and share it with your learners.
5- Flashcards : you can create flashcards to help you study on Facebook.
6- Zoho Online Office : you can have all your office files such as documents,
spreadsheets, presentations online and share them with your learners.
7- UdutuLearnLets : you views courses that you have been given access to and
shows your progress.
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6. 8- WorldCat : you can do research, catalog your library collection and of course
share it with your learners.
9- Files : you can access your files from anywhere and share important work
files with your learners. Files is powered by Box.net.
Secondly : Learner and Instructor (5 applications) :
1- SurveyGizmo : you can create surveys, polls and quizzes and send them to
your classmates on Facebook.
2- UdutuTeach : this application allows you to import courses from myUdutu
(authoring tool). You can manage which learners can take your course and
track the progress.
3- Webinaria Screencast Recorder : you can create screencast tutorials or
record video presentation for sharing with your learners.
4- Skype Me : your learners could see when you are online (Virtual Office
Hours) and talk or chat with you for free!
5- Quiz Monster : create your own quiz Facebook application .
Thirdly : learners and learners (6 applications) :
1- Neat Chat : learners can chat on Facebook groups and pages. They can share
files, send private message and do much more through a fast and intuitive
interface
2- StudyGroups : quickly and easily collaborate with your classmates and plan
out homework for your courses.
3- Books iRead : share the books that you are reading with your classmates .
4- KoofersShare : your old tests, quizzes, and study guides with other students.
Technology for teaching English lab

7. 5- BookTag : this application let you create arbitrary book lists, label them and
share them with your classmates.
6- PeerPong : discover everyone’s expertise and connects you with the best
person to answer any question.
Useful group : Facebook for e-learning
Technology for teaching English lab