Tutorial Reviews

Facebook for Courses

Social media continues to evolve.  More and more users join in daily and this leads to more information being shared globally.  These days, people turn to social media for news, updates, and events.  Using it as an educational platform seems to be a logical step, but there are some concerns.

I don't know the percentage of the world population that is on Facebook, but I assume that most participants of an online course would have an account.  Lately there has been a big backlash from the public about Facebook's privacy.  Sometimes Facebook chances account settings without permission.  Also, it can be confusing to keep track of privacy settings that apply to pictures or posts.  Some people may be broadcasting their family photos to the general public and not even know it.  Facebook's privacy policy is iffy, at best, and changes all the time.  For this reason, I would not want to use for anything academic.  Additionally, course participants may not want to share their profile information with the other users.  Sure, you can add friends to different "circles" such as Acquaintances, co-workers, family, friends, but many Facebook users aren't familiar with how to do so.

I think some of the features Facebook offers are good for courses, such as Discussion Boards, the messaging system, and notifications, but these have been implemented into a system tailored primary for students and teachers.  Edmodo is the place, and its simply great for classes.  Speaking from experience, I can say that it takes what Facebook does well without all the mess.  Also, its secure.  Students need a special code to access the course.  Check out the video below to get an overview:



Class Wikis

The video showed a good example of a wiki being created and collaborated on with relative ease.  Unfortunately, my experience with Wikis has not been as simple.  I find them a bit clunky.  They are very flexible in that, if you know the code, you can format them any way you wish.  That initial learning curve is steep, though.  It is neat to see the progression of the Wiki as users add to it.  It certainly helps with building community.

I prefer Google Docs over Wikis, though.  I think sharing a document that has customizable privacy options, commenting, and exporting features makes it much more manageable.  Also, Google Docs is smartphone friendly and can be accessed anywhere.

Building Community

I thought Curt Bonk did a nice job explaining elements of an online community.  Just like a group that meets in person, icebreakers are a great idea.  Posting pictures of our workspace was a neat way to connect with others.  Unfortunately, I was a little late in joining in that thread.  Having students talk about their families, work experience, professional goals, and hobbies is an easy way to establish connections up front.

I also liked how he talked about personalizing the course content.  Designing projects around student interests is a goodway to encourage meaningful, authentic participation.  Bringing in guest speakers that are relevant to the course through Blackboard or other interactive platforms is another great idea.