Facebook: teaching, communicating and collaborating

Manasvi D.K. Mehta

Agenda
Quick Facebook Introduction Privacy and Ownership Concerns Disciplinary Action Communicating Collaborating Teaching Practical

What is Facebook?
A social networking site Framework for 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
* Picture is important for recognition, especially with common names

What is Facebook?
Started in Harvard University Feb 2004 Later added academic addresses (.edu, .ac.uk etc) making networks for colleges
Oxford network has just over 33,000 people in it, out a possible c. 45,000

Regional and Employer networks also exist

Regional anyone can join, but cant change too often Employer requires email address in the right domain

Opened to anyone with email in Sep 2006

Facebook features
The Wall Messages INBOX (and threads) Pokes Groups Events Photos & Videos (with tagging) Posted items (text and URLs) Shared items Applications

Other Social Networking Sites

Bebo lots of school children MySpace musicians etc.
Sometimes called poor mans facebook

Friendfinder Twitter And other minor sites

Privacy Concerns
People worry about revealing their personal lives to the world Tutors and Students may want to keep things from each other!
Restricted Profiles can help

Identity Theft Risk

Dont show DOB and Home Address!

Facebook staff can check profiles (for policy violations) Things are cached on the web so even if you put something up then remove it, it may still be held elsewhere for years!

How to control privacy

Privacy screen on Facebook Settings for:
Profile Search News feed Poke, message, friend request Applications

Dont put stuff up you dont want others to see. Think about future employers etc.

Ownership Concerns
Facebook T&Cs say that they own everything you put there
All content on the Site are the proprietary property of the Company.

Copyright Policy is strict

But dont put things up you intend to publish or otherwise claim copyright to!
You acknowledge and agree that any questions, comments, suggestions, ideas, feedback or other information about the Site or the Service ("Submissions"), provided by you to Company are non-confidential and shall become the sole property of Company.

Disciplinary Action
Dont name your employer and then defame them or say anything to bring them into disrepute Oxford Students have been disciplined with evidence from Facebook after post-exam trashing In April, students at a Toronto school were banned from an end-of-the-year trip after disparaging remarks about a teacher were found on Facebook

So why use Facebook for 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

Digital Natives vs. Digital Immigrants

Teaching
Have your students in groups? Have them as Facebook friends perhaps with limited profile status Post and share URLs
Weblearn material Reading lists Other online material

Photos & Videos (but watch copyright!)

Communicating
Groups
Discussions Photos Videos Posted items (Weblearn URLs?) Group events and invitations Groups for tutorial groups? Dont have to be a friend to be in a group with someone

Personal messages & threads

Collaborating
Cross-Institution Groups Subject-specific groups
Try searches

Groups or Events for specific conferences/meetings

UCISA is experimenting with this

Easy way to post and share videos and photos Universal across HE worldwide (almost!) Dont forget ownership & privacy issues!

Exercises
Make a profile if you dont already have one
Adjust your privacy settings Join the Oxford network

Make friends with your neighbour Make your neighbour only see your limited profile Search for groups that cover your subject Make a group and invite your neighbour to it or join an existing one Have a look at the Oxford network page Search for some people you know
Unusual names are easier!

References
http://www.cit.cornell.edu/policy/memos/facebook.html
Useful notes from Cornell (April 2006)

http://www.educause.edu/apps/er/erm06/erm0660.asp
Notes from Educause December 2006 (long)

http://www.educause.edu/LIVE0621
Live presentation: Facing Facebook and other social networking technologies

http://blogs.edgehill.ac.uk/webservices/2007/10/30/fear-of-facebook/
Comments from a UK University

http://student.independent.co.uk/university_life/article3068385.ece
Networking sites: Professors keep out! (October 07)

http://www.apple.com/au/education/digitalkids/disconnect/landscape.html
The digital disconnect