Facebook has been working with The Education Foundation and education leaders from institutions from across the UK to build a new toolkit for teachers interested in the application of social media in and around the classroom.
The toolkit, hosted at Edusocial.info, contains a range of practical guidance and advice built from over two years of work in UK schools, colleges and universities to apply social media to learning. The toolkit includes:
- A series of ‘How to’ guides for teachers looking to use Facebook Pages and Groups.
- Subject specific case studies – for example, using Facebook Pages to host scientific research, and using Facebook Groups to run sports teams.
- Tips on managing privacy, safety and security.
- Facebook in the real world – examples of Facebook in use in a range of institutions.
Now used by 34 million people in the UK and over 1 billion people globally, Facebook is a communications platform used by teachers and pupils alike – before, during and after attending school or college.
Also launching at this year’s Education Festival is an updated Facebook for Educators guide, available from Edusocial.info. The guide includes a series of case studies exploring the use of Facebook in schools for collaborative learning, as well as step-by step-guides for teachers and educators new to the platform.
Ian Fordham, co-founder at The Education Foundation, said: “In the past year we’ve worked with schools up and down the country to explore how Facebook can benefit learning, engagement and communication in schools, colleges and universities. Useful tools like Pages and Groups have the potential to revolutionise the way educators share knowledge, while enabling pupils and students to collaborate and share what they learn – in and out of the classroom.”
The project builds on earlier research work carried out by the Education Foundation in UK schools to better understand practical applications for social media in the classroom. Education Foundation research found Facebook to be a powerful tool to enable group learning, revision and collaboration among pupils.
This year’s Education Festival plays host to the Facebook Zone, a day long programme of talks and presentations from leading minds from the worlds of entrepreneurship, education and business. Speakers will include SB.TV co-founder Liam Tootill, Hove Park School Headteacher Derek Trimmer, Fluency CEO Sinead McManus, and Free:Formers co-founder Emma Cerrone.
