Integrating Facebook into Language

Teaching.

By Cristóbal Montejo &

Iván Pérez

Contents

• Introduction.

•What is Facebook?

• Facebook in language teaching

• Students and teachers

• Useful ideas for language teaching.

• Don’ts and Do’s.

What is Facebook?

• A “social networking” site

• Framework for sharing information

• Complex control of who can see what

• Users have a “profile” with a picture and other personal details as they wish, including “limited profile”

• Based on “Networks”

• Facebook creates a newsfeed based on what your “friends” are doing

Facebook is a so

cial

utility that helps p

eople

communicate more

efficiently with their

friends, f

amilies a

nd

coworkers.

Facebook Timeline

• Started in Harvard University Feb 2004

• Later added academic addresses (.edu, .ac.uk etc) making “networks” for “colleges”

• Open to anyone with email in since September 2006.

Source: http://newsroom.fb.com/Key-Facts

Did You Know…1 BILLION+ Facebook users.

More than 50% log on to Facebook in any given day.

250 million+

photos are uploaded per day.

604 million+ active users currently access Facebook

through their mobile devices.

Facebook Stats

Source: http://www.facebakers.com/countries-with-facebook/

Advantages of Using Facebook in Education

• It is easy to use.

• Allows rapid updating, analyzing and sharing continuously increasing information stemming from our daily life.

• Establishes spontanesponous relationships.

• Supports informal learning practices by means of interaction and communication.

• Facilitates delivery of education.

Facebook and Teaching

• Personal and professional networking only differ in the content, not the tool.

• Students today are “digitally native”

• There is a divide between the way they learn and the way we teach.

• We are the digital immigrants!

• Teaching students the way they prefer to learn may improve attainment.

• Has beaten other online tools such as: blogs and wikis.

Advantages of Facebook Teaching

Studies have shown that integrated reading/writing/speaking/listening Web 2.0 activities experience real-world communication

and authentic interactions, expand language learning use and

exposure enhance correctness and involvement

while promoting student centered autonomous learning.

Technology-enhanced language learning fostersan active learning styleinteractivityself-controlmotivationimmediate feedback the ability to learn diverse and practical knowledge (Yang &

Chen, 2006) . students can be more active in interactive web environments get the taste of learning from and with their peers.

Facebook features• The Wall (Profile)

• Chatting, video-chat, messages INBOX

• Groups, pages

• Events

• Photos & Videos (with tagging)

• Posted items (text and URLs)

• Shared items

• Applications

• File attachment feature is available, 25mb maximum.

Facebook and Students

Students are reported to use Facebook Mostly to keep up with friends they are already

familiar with while few prefer to use it to make new friends or contact family members.

To display their identities through posting or replying posts about favorite music, favorite movie, favorite books and publishing photos.

Facebook and Teachers.

Teachers are reported to use Facebook Mostly to keep up with friends.To communicate with their family.To kill the time.

• Very few teachers use Facebook to communicate with colleagues, or for academic purposes.

• A large number of teachers are afraid of getting involved in the digital socializing and they see social networking as a distraction to students.

Creating a FB Account

• Go to www.facebook.com

• Sing up putting your name, email, password, date of birth, etc. Does not take more tan 2 minutes.

• Personalize your profile, add a picture.

• Make friends

• Get started with the real power of educating beyond the classroom.

Getting familiar with Facebook

Click Facebook

Learning Beyond the Classroom!

Think of Facebook Groups as an opportunity for you to extend learning outside the walls of the traditional classroom. When you use Facebook Groups to compliment what you teach in the

classroom, you are providing students with on- demand and mobile learning opportunities.

F

Facebook Groups Facebook Groups (facebook.com/groups) are online spaces where people can INTERACT,

SHARE and COLLABORATE with others.

You DON’T NEED TO BE FRIENDS with someone to interact with them in Facebook Groups.

Use Facebook Groups to provide students with ON-DEMAND and MOBILE LEARNING

opportunities.

Adapted from: http://facebookforeducators.org/groups

Creating a Facebook Group

1. Click on create group2. Name your group3. Type the Facebook

accounts of the ones who you want to be part of your group.

2

1

3

Adapted from: http://facebookforeducators.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/FacebookGroups.pdf

Content of ‘closed’ groups are private, available only to members of the group. Though, the groups membership list is visible to outsiders. You can change the privacy settings for your group by clicking the “Edit Settings” box located in the top right corner of Facebook Groups.

3 types of Facebook Groups: Open

Closed (recommended)

Secret

Facebook Groups Features1. Files

Allows you to upload a file (25 MB), or create

a Doc (wiki) where people can collectively

write and edit notes.

2. Group Chat

Allows members of the group to talk to

group members in real time, or catch up with

the

conversation later.

3. Ask Question

Allows you or students to poll members of

your group and have them share their

opinions or add a new question of their own.Adapted from: http://facebookforeducators.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/FacebookGroups.pdf

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Facebook Groups Features4. Add Photo / Video

Allows you to upload photos and videos, and share them

privately with just the members of your group.

5. Events

You can use Facebook Events to automatically remind

students about upcoming tests, events, and due dates for

term papers or projects.

6. Group Email

You can set up an e-mail address for your group. Emailssent to this address will go to all group members.

7. Write Post (Wall)Allows you to easily and quickly share content you find

on the web with any of your Facebook Groups.

Adapted from: http://facebookforeducators.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/FacebookGroups.pdf

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Communicating in FB groups

• Groups

• Discussions

• Poll

• Photos

• Videos

• Posted items (Web, URLs)

• Events and invitations

• Tutoring

Collaborating

• Collaborate with other Institution Groups

• Collaborate on creating a specific content

• Create events for specific conferences/meetings

• Post and share videos and photos of interest

• Plann events or activities

Suggested Activities in FB Groups

• Pre-class

•While-class

• Post-class

• Or extra activities.

• It could be a listening, speaking, writing or a reading activity.

Guess Where? /Guess what?

• Post a strange picture of your own or from the web to the group you have created, let your students comment on the picture guessing What is in the picture? Where was it taken? How old is it? etc. It is always a good idea to provide useful vocabulary to make the activity easier. Students comment on the picture using the useful vocabulary provided.

Useful vocabulary I think it’s …It looks like… I’m not sure, but it looks like..It might be…It could be…I’m sure it’s…Undoubtedly it’s…

Listening and Reading Activity

• Attach a worksheet in the file section of your group. Explain your students what is the activity about, post a video or a podcast from the web, ask your students to listen and complete the worksheet. For reading comprehension post an article from the web ask them to write a brief summary of the article in a word processor. Once they have their document ready, they should name it after their names for example: “summaryJuan.doc” and let them attach it on the group site.

Collective Story Telling

• Post a series of pictures on the group, explain that students should continue the sentence you have started (e.g. “He never imagined he could travel abroad with only $ 20.00…”), every student should write at least a paragraph. At the end the story should be revised and corrected if any mistakes.

Picture Comparison

• Similarly to picture description, post two altered pictures, go forward asking students to contrast the pictures posted, let every student comment on the picture, you can provide useful vocabulary to facilitate the activity. At the end make sure you give feedback to your students.

Collective Writing (Mini-project)

• You can ask your students to cooperatively write about a city, a well-known personality or topics they know.

E.g. about San Cristobal de Las Casas.

Give them details of what they should write in their project or upload in the cloud (Google drive) a frame paper to facilitate the collective writing.

Each student write, correct or modify facts of the topic just like in Wikis.

Other Activities

• Brainstorming

• Debates

• Online working

• Reviews of audio, video or an article.

• Online Lessons and tutoring.

1. Click on more 2. In company,

organization or institution, choose education

3. Name your page4. Agree Facebook

terms5. Get started.6. Invite your

friends to like your page.

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Example?

http://www.facebook.com/Harvard

More FREEDOM to customize DESIGN

Facebook Groups & Pages

Closed Groups

Courses Projects Ideas Alumni

Groups Pages

Open Communities

Promotion & Branding

Products Celebrities Self-Promotion

Communities Clubs

Library E-Learning Student Services Academic Affairs

PRE-CLASS Remind and gage how many that will be coming for class/tutorial/event (Event).

Introduce lessons or the content/discussions to be covered (Wall/Docs).

Students post questions before class/tutorial (Wall/Questions).

DURING CLASS Post comments/questions during class/tutorial (Wall/Questions).

Share opinions/resources during class/activities (Wall/Docs/Photos/Video).

POST-CLASS /BETWEEN CLASSES Post reflections/questions/notes after the class (Wall/Questions).

Facilitate discussions on relevant issues (Wall/Questions/Photos).

Students share their learning discoveries/findings (Docs/Photos/Video).

Lecturer/students comments links and resources shared during class (Wall).

Send message reminders/announcements about upcoming quizzes, assignments, etc.

Share informal learning (Wall/Questions/Docs/Photos/Video).

Use Facebook Groups/Pages to Amplify…

Adapted from: http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/140Learning/lecturefb.html

Things Educators Should…

Source: http://edudemic.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/fbteacher_fullsize.pdf

NEVER DO

Source: http://edudemic.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/fbteacher_fullsize.pdf

Things Educators Should Do

Moving Forward? Update your privacy settings.

Get over the term "friend" inviting atmosphere.

Create a Facebook Group (closed) or Page (open)

for your course, event or learning activity.

Use Facebook to Update, Share and Engage your

students.

Use Facebook for interactive visual assignments.

HAVE FUN!

Social Teaching Easy Shared Communic

ative and Collaborative

Mobile Learning Integrated tool

in one site Always

Connected!

Traditional Teaching Course notes Schedules Paper Email

Social learning VS. Traditional teaching