Facebook Tips for Teachers

Benefits from your effective use of Facebook with your students

• Relaxed, friendly and inviting atmosphere which encourages students participation and engagement
• Students feel comfortable learning through Facebook because most of them use it everyday
• Facebook can promote collaboration and social interchange between participants
• Students get engaged about their learning outside the classroom

Some important tips that teachers need to keep in mind when using Facebook with their students

• Teachers should create a desperate account just for their classes
• Manage your privacy settings to keep your professional and private lives separate. You need to be diligent about policing what kind of photos are shared on Facebook
• You need to give clear instructions to students on the kind of stuff to be shared on Facebook
• You should teach students about netiquette protocol. Ask for parental permission before getting students on Facebook
• When granted permission always keep parents updated about the learning that is taking place via Facebook
• Students should never post threats, racist materials, or libel
• Always engage in civil and respectful debates. Do not talk bad about your school.
• Do not add students as friends on personal accounts and always maintain your distance.
• Use Facebook 's flexible privacy settings to pick and choose who can see what on a profile page
• Teachers can set up a private class group to communicate with students
• If you have a classroom blog you can import it to Facebook for students to stay updated right from their profiles
• Do not post personal comments about ones children, pets,..etc., unless they are relevant to the tasks at hand
• Do not get involved in a student's private life
• No student should ever be forced to add one another as a friend
• Remind students to police themselves online. Students do better when they feel they are responsible for their learning
• The last tip is to always stay engaged. Try to remain so even if the class is a poor fit.

Ways you can use Facebook for educational purposes

• Create a group for your class and strengthen the communication between you and your students. Schedule events for the entire class.
• Use message utility in Facebook to message your students about unexpected absences, rescheduling of exams...etc.,
• Share multimedia content like videos, photos, clips and more with your entire class .
• Post class notes for students to review in case they were absent
• Try to involve students who are normally shy in the classroom
• Facilitate classroom connections through letting students know each other more. This is particularly helpful in large classes.
• Use Facebook to send reminders, announcements, upcoming due dates or any other classroom news.
• Sharing online content with students such as interesting websites, blogs, wikis, and more
• Add educational applications to your Facebook group. Scroll down for a list of such applications.
• Encourage students to post content of their own such as videos, images, news stories and other media that relate back to their lessons.
• Look for other classrooms online that are willing to collaborate on educational projects, assignments and discussions.
• Use the events section to remind students of the upcoming field trips

Source: http://www.educatorstechnology.com