Hi Michelle-- I read the other posts and understand the concerns with using Facebook. I also agree that Blackboard is clunky--as is the CMS we use which is adapted from Moodle. It works well enough, but a few alternatives you might consider are wikis through PBWorks and WordPress (blogging tool). These tools have far fewer privacy concerns though you may already have considered them. On a side note, I will soon post a CFP to this list for a special issue of the /Journal of Rhetoric, Professional Communication, and Globalization/. The special issue is on *training,* and we are soliciting both research papers and best practices pieces. I see the potential for many best practices pieces in this discussion and others on the list. Please consider the CFP. I should have an edited version out in the next week. In the meantime, if anyone has questions, please let me know. Best! Pam Dr. Pamela Estes Brewer Assistant Professor Director, Writing and Editing Internships Department of English Appalachian State University Manager, STC Academic Special Interest Group phone 828-262-2351 fax 828-262-2133 email brewerpe@appstate.edu Michelle Everson wrote:
Hi Everyone,
For awhile now, I've been toying with trying to incorporate Facebook into my courses as a way for students to talk about statistics they are seeing in the news (I teach statistics courses). My idea is to set up a group in Facebook where students could go to post things they are finding in the media related to statistics and to critique these items and comment on what others have posted. I would likely either set this up as an extra credit assignment (and have other options for students who do not want to use Facebook) or as a required assignment (again with another option for those students who might not want to use Facebook). I'm interested in trying Facebook because (a) I know many of my students use it and I thought this might engage them more, and (b) I like the layout of Facebook and the way you can easily link to things and share videos. I haven't found a blog interface that I like as much as Facebook.
I do have some concerns, of course, related to privacy issues, and I would not want students to feel that I am doing this because I want to pry into their personal lives (my goal here is not to "friend" all my students but to get them talking about statistics they see in everyday life and sharing things with each other). So, I'm wondering if anyone on this list has tried to use Facebook and would be willing to share what was done and how it worked, or give some tips on "best practices" for use of Facebook in an educational context.
Thank you in advance for anything you might have to share!
Sincerely,
Michelle Everson