Time for class: Everyone open Facebook

The second team tech talk today was by (JL)² about using Facebook in class. They started by asking pairs to think about frustrations with eLC or other learning management systems.

• Not consistent across classes
• Can't have more than one window open at the same time
• Just doesn't work!
• Not user-friendly
• Software conflicts - browsers, Java, etc
• Too many clicks

Using Facebook may not address all of these, but it does address some.

Next, Lindsey gave us a history of Facebook and some statistics.
Jeremy talked about some of the research about usage of Facebook in higher education.
Jessica showed us a video she made with some of the procedures involved in creating and using a Facebook group. 
Denise shared some drawbacks of using Facebook -

• distractions, advertising, instant messaging
• It may discourage face-to-face communication. 
• Some students may not participate as often as other students. 
• Also, it may be difficult to locate older posts/discussions. 
• Privacy is also an issue - for both students and teachers. However, some amount of teacher disclosure may be good for student motivation for class.

Good talk!