5 Friendly Ways to Use Facebook in Your Teaching -- Campus Technology

Collaboration

5 Friendly Ways to Use Facebook in Your Teaching

By Dian Schaffhauser
10/01/10

Facebook as icebreaker. Use a structured format and a set of specific questions to get students to introduce themselves in a Facebook group: “Hi! My name is Bob. I’m from Arkansas. I like New York Super Fudge Chunk. Go Razorbacks!” Make the format rich so that students can find kindred spirits.

Team up. Use Facebook as an ongoing study group organizer, so students can post when they’re looking for help. Then encourage students to be responsive to peers. Faculty need to tune in too and look for ways to help when nobody else is picking up the slack.

E-portfolio lite. Have students use Facebook groups to post low-stake reflections (or links to reflections) on what they’re learning. If it’s high-stakes, then use a traditional e-portfolio program. Facebook is for making connections, not being evaluated.

Open office hours. Invite students to post their questions to your Facebook profile, then record a video with your answer to the question. If it worked for Stanford’s (CA) BJ Fogg (bjfogg.com), it can work for you!

Give shout-outs. Provide reflections on your latest class and use students’ names as much as possible: “Thanks to Ashley and Josh for their excellent contributions today in class….” “I want to thank Cameron for his question about yesterday’s topic.” That signals that your relationship with students, their participation in class, and their work in the course are all important.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

E-Mail this page

Printable Format

Featured

D2L Lumi AI Updates Add Personalized Study Supports

Learning platform D2L has announced new artificial intelligence features for D2L Lumi that help provide more personalized study supports for students.
Faculty Need Training, Time, and Tools to Make Course Content Accessible, Survey Finds

In a recent survey by Anthology, only one in five faculty (22%) said they consistently consider accessibility when designing course materials. And just 11% felt they had the right tools and training to create accessible course content.
September 2025 Tech Tactics in Education Conference Agenda Announced

Registration is free for this fully virtual Sept. 25 event, focused on "Overcoming Roadblocks to Innovation" in K-12 and higher education.
Google Intros Learning-Themed AI Mode Features for Search

Google has announced new AI Mode features in Search, including image and PDF queries on desktop, a Canvas tool for planning, real-time help with Search Live, and Lens integration in Chrome. Features are launching in the U.S. ahead of the school year.