Tech Tool: Facebook Applications for Learning

There are many ways to use Facebook for both learning and productivity, and a number of apps that can help you do so.

Among the learning world, the current mantra is “use social networking tools to improve performance.” Consider Facebook.

According to the Educause report 7 Things You should Know About Facebook, “Facebook’s structure encour­ages users to view relationships in a broad context of learning, even as affiliations change—from high school to college to gradu­ate school to the workplace. By opening itself to virtually anyone, Facebook has become a model for how communities—of learn­ers, of workers, of any group with a common interest—can come together, define standards for interaction, and collaboratively cre­ate an environment that suits the needs of the members.”

Indeed, there are countless other articles touting the benefits of Facebook and detailing why we should be using it in our various learning solutions. However, concrete advice on how to use Facebook has proven difficult to find.  Check out these applications that represent some of the ideal tools Facebook has to offer online learning. 

For instructors and administrators

Share assignments, slides, and so much more with these applications.

·         BookTag: This app offers a great way to share and loan books out to students, plus create helpful quizzes for studying.

·         Webinaria Screencast Recorder: Record a video for students, and share it with this application.

·         SlideShare: Create presentations to send to students with this slideshow application.

·         Teach the People: Teach the People is an educational platform that uses Facebook.

·         Dojo Learning: Dojo Learning offers a great way to learn and create resources for learning on Facebook.

·         Learn: In this community app, you’ll find Addictive Learning.

·         KnowledgeBook: KnowledgeBook allows you to find and share skills and knowledge on Facebook.

·         Podclass: Podclass offers a course management system from within Facebook.

·         Teach and Learn: Teach and Learn offers a 3D learning space on Facebook.    

For learners

These tools are great for making easy work of studying, research, and more.

·         Books iRead: Share the books you're reading, and see what others think of books with this application.

·          Wikiseek Search: Use this research tool to find Wikipedia articles and more through Facebook. 

·          JSTOR Search: Find full text research articles on Facebook with this application.

·         Notecentric: Take notes right inside of Facebook and share them with classmates using this application.

For everyone

These apps are great for just about anyone.

·          Calendar: This calendar app from 30 Boxes lets you organize your days, set reminders, and share your calendar with others.

·          To-Do List: Stay on top of your tasks with this Facebook to-do application.
 

·          Files: Powered by Box.net, this application makes it easy to store and retrieve documents in Facebook, so you can access them anywhere you have a connection.

·         CourseFeed: Take advantage of CourseFeed's class sharing, announcements, file storage, notifications, and more on Facebook.

·         FriendFeed: Use FriendFeed as a convenient and time saving way to keep up with all of your friends’ online activities.

·         Professional Profile: Use Professional Profile for business networking on Facebook.

·         SocialCalendar: Get your social life together and share it with your friends using this calendar. 

Ryann Ellis is editor of Learning Circuits, ASTD's source for e-learning.To sign up for Learning Circuits, click here.

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