Is Utilizing Facebook For eLearning A Good Choice For Learners?
Facebook was initially formed as a tool for social interaction, but in recent years, it has unleashed various capabilities that influence the eLearning field, too. Using this platform can increase learner engagement through groups and pages where people can interact, collaborate, ask questions, and build a community that helps them unite toward common goals. Moreover, it is easily accessible through smart devices and provides instructors with valuable insights regarding learner engagement and performance, which they can use to formulate their content accordingly. But there are many more benefits to utilizing Facebook for eLearning. In this article, we explore some you will definitely be interested to find out more about.
8 Ways Facebook Can Help eLearning Students
1. Microlearning
Technology may be useful and engaging, but it can also be distracting for some learners. That's why microlearning can help by delivering small and easily digestible chunks of knowledge. The main goal is to take only up to ten minutes to learn a new concept. Therefore, individuals are more engaged, and their retention improves massively. Through Facebook short videos, posts, and images, learners are exposed to information that's easier to remember than large texts with no interactive elements. Also, Facebook gives learners the ability to learn at any time and place, choosing their own pace and spending as much or as little time as they need to consume the necessary information, even if it means rewatching the content.
2. Live Sessions
When in-person training isn't possible, organizations can utilize Facebook to conduct live Q&As, guest speaker discussions, and virtual workshops. Although it's often enough to record a lecture and then offer it to learners on-demand, sometimes what you need to engage your audience is real-time interactivity. Not to mention that live streaming lessons is a sought-after choice for learners in faraway locations or with motor disabilities. However, with lives, there are some best practices you must follow. Remain authentic and don't stage-manage your background. Instead, focus on delivering your material effectively and engagingly. If you find it hard, record yourself first and review your delivery. Think about how you would like an instructor to speak to you if you were a learner.
3. Gamification
Any trainer or school teacher can create a Facebook group to share material and content and exchange opinions. To further improve people's engagement, they can even enforce gaming features. For example, they can share videos asking participants to find the correct answer or talk about the mistakes they found. Also, they may create fun and playful quizzes and ask learners to share their results in the comments. This form of challenge can encourage everyone to participate and prove their knowledge. Sharing their thoughts and questions in the comments can spark debates and meaningful conversations.
4. Social Learning
Facebook can't only be utilized in eLearning but also as an assistive tool for conventional in-class learning where learners share opinions, insights, and sources regarding the learning material. Educators can post updates, alerts, assignments, and curricula in their groups or pages so everyone is up to date, even if they miss classes. They can also post polls regarding the next teaching subject or assessment method and let learners express their opinions. Finally, instructors can encourage learners to post news, events, or seminars their colleagues may be interested in attending. This will promote knowledge exchange and perhaps help initiate interesting debates in the classroom.
5. Practicing Foreign Languages
Facebook can help individual learners practice foreign languages without the need to be tutored by a professional. There are hundreds of groups dedicated to language learning that anyone can join. Once you become a member, you can introduce yourself and get to know other learners or native speakers of your target language, as well as ask questions and share essays with other members. Not to mention, if you have a hobby, you may join a relevant group in the language you are trying to conquer. So, instead of sharing tips and asking questions in your mother tongue, you'll be practicing a different language. Lastly, you can change your account preferences to receive notifications in your preferred language.
6. Questions And Polls
eLearning often creates a barrier between learners and tutors, not allowing the former to express their opinions regarding teaching points and methods. If trainers want to keep their audience's engagement high, they must incorporate polls, posting them on their Facebook groups and waiting for everyone to share their opinions. Questions can revolve around problems learners often face, popular misconceptions, favorite learning points, and preferred interactive elements. As a result, educators get a better sense of their learners' needs and can assess their methods.
7. Digital Citizenship
Most people are familiar with using Facebook and the internet, but few acknowledge the importance of being alert while browsing the web. In eLearning, Facebook can be utilized to teach users to identify and analyze fake news. This is a crucial step for learners to be able to use trustworthy sources for their essays and learning experiences overall. Clickbait is also something they should learn to identify and avoid since, in many cases, it leads to malicious websites. Therefore, people should learn how to safeguard their online presence through the use of antivirus software and VPNs.
8. Global Connections
Social media offers the opportunity to connect with people from around the globe. On Facebook, as discussed earlier, people can join any group of their interest and participate in conversations. Let's say you are an English literature student and want to learn more about the country and its residents' daily lives to get a better understanding of the culture. Through Facebook, you don't have to travel to get to know a country, as you can gather information through other people's valuable experiences and insights. In many cases, receiving information and knowledge directly from a country's native is more trustworthy than other online sources.
Conclusion
Despite the many benefits Facebook offers in terms of learning, educators must first provide clear instructions on how to use it, especially regarding privacy settings. At the same time, boundaries should be set for what is acceptable within a group and how participants must stay civil and respectful of one another. Maintaining a high level of professionalism is a big challenge for both educators and learners, but if utilized properly, Facebook can transform eLearning into a more engaging and interactive process.
