Social networking is immensely popular among students. Since more and more cases of kidnapping, identity theft, online bullying, etc have been associated with social networking sites in the recent past, many feel that sites like Facebook can be misused by students. On the contrary, numerous teachers and lecturers feel that Facebook can be an effective platform of education for students.
Here are some of the ways through which Facebook can be effectively used in education:
Resource Platform
Facebook can do much more than finding friends and groups. When you type a query in the search field on Facebook, it will automatically start showing you suggestions as you type. At the bottom of the drop down menu, you can click on ‘see more results’. You can refine your search by choosing from options like People, Pages, Groups, Apps and Events. Instead of accessing Google Search, the search feature inside Facebook can be used to look up for information on the web. When you search for something, Facebook also shows you ‘Related Searches’ through which can access more of associated information.
Remote Education
A teacher can effectively use Facebook as a remote education platform to teach his students remotely. A decent webcam and a steady web connection is all you need to take online classes. All you need to do is add students to your friend list and then on the bottom right side of the screen, you will see the list of friends that are online. Click on the student that you would like to study with and then hit he video camera button to initiate video chat session and start teaching.
If you are doing it for the first time, when you hit the video camera button, you will be prompted to install Facebook’s video calling software. After you install the software, you can start the chat and add more students to have a group video chat. This way you can teach multiple students at a time.
Educational Games
You can play umpteen numbers of games on Facebook. There are various educational games that can improve the mental ability of the students. Math games, word games, strategy games, and so on are good learning games for students. Teachers can sometimes suggest their students to indulge in such games to enhance their thought process and understanding.
Arrange Events
Teachers can make effective use of Facebook to create educational events and invite students to attend them. The details of the upcoming excursion or picnic can be displayed as an event on Facebook. Students who access Facebook will see an alert of the event in the notification area and immediately respond to the invitation. Events feature can also be used by teachers for scheduling classes and exam sessions.
Sharing Information
Teachers can use Facebook to provide students with educational materials. Teachers can research on the web and share multimedia content like photos and videos to the entire class. It can be also used for sharing study materials like website links, blog links, eBooks and class notes. Students and teachers can also join groups like Education, Facebook for educators, etc that are built specially for students and teachers.
Builds Understanding Among Students
Students who are shy at communicating can open up by chatting with other students. By sharing information with each other, students can interact well with each other. They can also be encouraged to work collaboratively on educational assignments.
Facebook Apps
On Facebook, you can find various educational apps built for students and teachers. For students, there aree apps like WeRead, Study Groups and for teachers, there are apps like Courses, Worldcat, and so on.
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