The Complete Facebook For Educators!

Facebook is controversial within the educational circles–should it or should it not be included as a valid learning tool.  Teachers coming under fire for Facebook postings.  Should teachers friend students, former students, etc.  At the very least, you should have as much information as possible before you make your final decision.  Of course, your school/district policies may make the decision for you–but if not, here is all the information you will need to make an informed decision on using Facebook as an educational tool.

Educational Uses of Facebook

Facebook is a social network, but can it be used effectively in schools?  Here are some ideas about using Facebook in education:

GuideBook and Apps

Now that you have some ideas about how to use Facebook and some great examples, it’s now time to get even more specific.  Take a look at these next two resources tailored specifically to teachers and learning!

Teacher’s Guide to Using Facebook (Read Fullscreen)

Facebook Top 20 Learning Applications–Video

What About Privacy???

Facebook privacy issues always seem to make the news.  Once again, knowing how to use Facebook properly is the key to minimizing privacy issues.  Fortunately, one of my great tech sources, MakeUseOf.com, just released a 52 page downloadable book on Facebook privacy!

The (Very) Unofficial Facebook Privacy Manual

A Guide To Facebook Security

Download (PDF, 1.42MB)

More Privacy Sources!

If that isn’t enough information on privacy, here are a few more sites that come in very handy when evaluating your privacy settings on Facebook:

• Reclaim Privacy–This website provides an independent and open tool for scanning your Facebook privacy settings.
• Privacy Defender–Protect your private information with PrivacyDefender, our easy-to-use Facebook app.
• Privacy Check–Use this site  to get your privacy score!
• 6 Simple Tips To Protect Your Privacy on Facebook–This post will look at the top ways you can protect your privacy when using the world’s most popular social network.

Still Not Enough–More Great Facebook Education Resources!

• Facebook in Education–That’s right!  There’s a Facebook page for Facebook in Education!
• Facebook in Education Diigo Group–A Diigo group for Facebook in Education
• Drive Belonging and Engagement in the Classroom Using Facebook [PDF]

I hope that this information helps you make an informed decision on using Facebook in the classroom.  Let me know of any more great Facebook resources I may have missed!  There is never too much information!

Related articles

• Using Facebook in the Elementary School Classroom [Prezi] (debaird.net)
• Should teachers be on Facebook? (timesunion.com)
• Using the Internet as a Tool for Multicultural Education (brighthub.com)
• Social Learning: Teachers Using Facebook Groups to Connect With Parents (debaird.net)
• Teachers, students, Facebook – a toxic mix (redtape.msnbc.com)

Tagged as: Education, Facebook, K through 12, Online Communities, Richard Byrne, Social network