Logo image
Back
Using Facebook: the parallel classroom
Conference presentation

Using Facebook: the parallel classroom

Paul A Williams and Ginna Brock
2015 Learning & Teaching Week Program Book, p.17
Learning & Teaching Week, 2015 (Sunshine Coast, Australia, 14-Sep-2015–18-Sep-2015)
University of the Sunshine Coast
2015
url
https://www.usc.edu.au/View
Webpage

Abstract

Curriculum and Pedagogy Facebook parallel classroom
In many of our lectures, students 'multitask', i.e. they listen to lectures but their laptops are open and they are on Facebook, Snapchat, or Twitter. Hardly anyone uses our BB discussion page. So we decided to introduce a Facebook page for class discussion, posting announcements, for general feedback, FAQs and assignment peer help. So far this has only been trialled in two of our Creative Writing classes, but the results are phenomenal. In this presentation we explore how this social medium has transformed our teaching and given depth to the dialogues and discussions of the tutorial and lecture, creating a parallel classroom. We also explore how the use of Facebook for our student run Creative Writing community, the USC Inklings, has created an intellectual, social and growing community, which both promotes social and university activities and furthers the objectives of our program. The use of Facebook for teaching is nothing revolutionary, but has enhanced learning and engagement by including students who otherwise would not participate. We also look at ways we could further the use of social media in the classroom, and some of the problems associated with it.

Details

Metrics

722 Record Views
Logo image