Hi, My name' s Nia Wearn and this is how I use Facebook for Best Practice Models for Learning with Social Networks

1. Immerse yourself in Facebook
By Best Practice Models for Learning
with Social Networks
Who am I
How do I use Facebook?

2. Hi, I’m Nia Wearn, I’ll be helping you with
navigating Facebook – Feel free to add me
as a friend
http://www.facebook.com/wormella
In fact I’m on most Social Media under
‘Wormella’
I teach Computer Games I also use almost all of
Design at Staffs Uni – I do these, on an almost daily
design documentation and basis, to
marketing, but my main communicate, discover new
concentration is on how ideas, chat, inspire, help and
groups work, and how you have fun.
can get them to make
games. I’m what you call a
Digital Native
I use Facebook a lot for
this.. (or a geek, or a nerd, or just tragic…)

3. How I use Facebook #1 – Day to Day Communication
There isn’t really an average day, but in the last 24hrs I’ve used Facebook in the
following ways to communicate.
Message and Saved Chats (everyone from my husband, a
friend who’s leaving, some colleagues, my editor, a
student and a reminder about an event)
Comment on a post
Instant Message
A student was asking for help on an
A quick chat with assignment
one of my FYP
students about
his survey Note the
other student
chipping in
too – that’s
always nice to
see…
Notifications
24hrs of notifications

4. How I use Facebook #2 – Organising Friends
According to Facebook I have 636 friends – this isn’t really true
Some of them are
My friends are organised into lists – if
pubs, clubs, local
I could be bothered I would make
services, game accounts;
sure that only certain people could
there’s at least one cat, a
see certain stuff.
tortoise and a
megalomaniac stuffed
I just always keep in mind that my
lizard.
students, my mum, my mother-in-
law, my employers and my friends
Mainly they’re made up
can see pretty much everything I
of students – I made the
post. This keeps me in check…
decision a while ago to
only have 1 account
Facebook have made the privacy
settings and list sharing really easy –
(I did try having two, one
but it’s good practice to start putting
for work, one for play but
your friends into lists from day one.
it got messy)
Other people I work with Facebook will automatically start
have this two account making some lists for you…
system.

5. How I use Facebook #3 – Groups
Groups have evolved a lot since Facebook started – they are now a really useful
way of keeping in touch with people – you don’t need to be friends with everyone
in a group. Groups come in 3 flavours, open, closed & secret
Open Groups are great
for large causes etc –
anyone can join
Closed Groups like this
one for my FYP
students, or a group
project makes for a
safe environment to
swap details and ask
questions – and there’s
also group chat
Most of my students
work groups are closed
– with admins &
Secret Groups don’t appear members inviting others
anywhere else, great for but it tends to keep
discussions off radar or them focussed
organising surprise parties

6. How I use Facebook #4 – Pages
While you Join a Group you Like a Page – It’s a much more one sided relationship
then a group – great for promoting things like bands, or brands – you can limit
how people interact with a page, but they are always public, unlike groups
Pages act a little like people, they can like things, you can
send messages to all of the people that like it, but you
can’t chat with them.
As a Page Admin you get all kinds of
All of our juicy metrics on the reach and
courses have a interactions of your pages.
page with
specific info for
What you use, and how you use it, will dictate how you can best use
that course on
Facebook for learning…
it

7. How I use Facebook #5 – Events
Anything with a set time and place
can be made into an event.
Much like Groups – they can be Public or Private
(or somewhere in between) – You can RSVP yes, no
or maybe to any event sent to you.
We use them a lot to publicises
events, talks, games jams etc to our student body

8. How I use Facebook #6 – Sharing
Before you think I have too much time on my hands (although a lot of this is part of my
required duties) – a lot of content on my Facebook is shared from other things –
similarly lots of links etc are shared onto other things, like pages or groups
These have all come via
something else (a blog or
checkin service)
Most other Social Networks
have a share on / post to
Facebook option.
I make sure what I do share is
relevant
These are likes
and comments Almost every ‘item of content’
generated by on Facebook, a link, a status
the post from
GetGlue update, or a photo is sharable
– across everything else.
You can share most
things, from most things – so
Most blogs and sites have
from groups, or pages onto
a share on Facebook
profiles and vice-versa
button too

9. So, that’s a quick round up of how I use Facebook, to interact with students, keep
an eye on group work and promote our courses and events.
I’ll be on-line all day if you
need me for anything then add
me as a friend – then you can
send me a message or @
mention me in a status (that
way it will turn up on my
notifications)
To ‘@’ mention someone
Use the @character and start typing a name –
when you see the person you want to
mention come up click on them in with the
mouse. You will know it’s worked, my name
will be highlighted in blue – It makes it into a
link
(you can do the same trick with pages &
groups) Thanks for reading,
Nia