Friday, September 2, 2011

Facebook for Students

As we stated last week in our post, "Social Media and Students," a recent study by MastersInEducation.org revealed that 96% of students surveyed use Facebook. That's a huge number, and one we cannot ignore, particularly in schools.

Not using a tool this popular with students could be compared to not allowing students to use backpacks, when 96% of them use them outside of school. Ok, perhaps the analogy can be seen as, "way off," but the point still stands. Students use Facebook everyday, all the time, except at school. For many, it's their main communication source. Much like telephones became a common standard of communication in American homes, Facebook has become a standard for teenagers.

Facebook is a teenager's all-in-package. With it, a student can:
  • Post status updates to all your friends know what you're doing with a single sentence
  • Upload pictures and videos you'd like everyone to see 
  • Send messages
  • Follow news feeds and celebrities
  • Connect with parents and teachers (if permitted)
  • Receive school announcements (if your school has a page)
  • Create school projects by making a page for it
  • Join a group (school or civic)
  • Keep an organized calendar in one place
  • Stay on top of school work if absent
  • Become more engaged in school conversations because they interact in a comfortable environment
  • Can connect with others for help with school work (possibly the teacher)
  • Students learn how to upload their own content, correctly, on the web
  • Create quizzes and polls to gather information from others
  • Lots of apps for learning

And last, but not least, students get hands-on instructions for using Social Media wisely and with correct etiquette. Instead of shying away from Social Media and hoping students understand the advantages and disadvantages of using it, they get first hand knowledge and lessons.

It's time for schools and classrooms to take the lead in teaching students how to use technology, and Social Media. Too many students are ill prepared for life beyond the classroom. They're not prepared for the jobs that don't exist today with technology that wasn't around just a few years ago. No one prepared them.

Isn't preparation for life beyond school what education is all about?

Great video on Facebook in schools from ChannelOneNews:


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