1. and
in ESL classroom.
by Barbara Fiedor

2. statistics
2012

4. in numbers

6. The advantages of using FB and
Twitter in ESL
Facebook/Twotter aren’t just a great way
for you to find old friends or learn about
what's happening this weekend, it is also
an incredible learning tool. Teachers can
utilize these SNS for class projects, for
enhancing communication, and for
engaging students in a manner that might
not be entirely possible in traditional
classroom settings. Remember, teachers’
goal is to prepare Ss for our global society,
all because the Internet becomes our
default state of being.

7. How can you utilize FB/ Twitter in a good way?
• Create groups/Set a Facebook Page - You can create
groups/pages for entire classes or for study groups with
smaller subsets of students that allow for easy sharing of
information and communication, without students even having
to friend each other.
• Schedule events - From beginning of semester mixers to after-
finals celebrations, easily schedule events for the entire class
using Facebook.
• Send messages/tweets - From unexpected absences to
rescheduling exams, it's easy to send messages through
Facebook/Twitter.
• Share multimedia - With the ability to post videos, photos,
and more, you can share multimedia content easily with the
entire class.

8. • Post class notes - Post notes after each class period for
students to have access for review or in case they were absent.
• Make announcements - Instructors can send out reminders
about upcoming tests, upcoming due dates, or any classroom
news.
• Brainstorm - Students can have the ability to add their
thoughts to the class any time they occur allows for more
opportunities for brainstorming off each other.
• Share interesting websites - Students and instructors alike
can post interesting websites that add relevancy to the class.
• Post homework - Posting homework through Facebook/Twitter
not only provides easy access for students, it also puts in
writing specifically what is expected and when it is due.

9. Benefits of using Social Networking Sites on
your lessons
• Inviting atmosphere - it’s a pressure-free environment.
• Students are comfortable with Facebook/Twitter – Most students
are already users of Facebook/Twitter, so implementing it into class
provides a comfortable way for students to participate in class.
• Informal - The informality inherent in Facebook's/Twitter’s
connections lend to yet another reason students may be more willing
to participate in class activities here.
• Promotes collaboration - Facebook's/Twitter’s design promotes
social interchange between participants, thereby increasing
collaboration between students working on activities.
• Students engaged outside of class - When students are accessing
the class content more often, that means they will be thinking about
and engaging in the lessons more frequently.
• Ambient awareness - Facebook provides an excellent opportunity
for students and instructors to participate in ambient awareness, a
way of getting to know those you follow on social networks in more
meaningful ways.

10. Tips for teachers/future teachers
• Create a separate account just for your classes - Keep two
accounts if you want to use Facebook personally as well. This
keeps your Facebook relationship at school on a professional
level.
• Manage privacy settings - If you don't want to manage two
accounts, use these tips to manage privacy to keep your personal
and professional lives separate.
• Friend students carefully - Make sure you are friending
students in current and former classes for professional purposes.
Keep as professional a distance on Facebook as you would in
person.
• Ask students to put you on limited access to their pages -
This keeps you from having to see their Spring Break photos,
status updates that may indicate why they really missed that
midterm, or any other information that may compromise your
professional working relationship.

11. • Create lists - Create a list for each of your classes, then keep
students in each class on that list. This is a great way to
organize your students.
• Stay active - Keep posting messages, use as many Facebook
apps and resources as possible, and update status reports so
your students know you are engaged and you stay an
important part of the Facebook experience.
• Get over the term ‘friend’ - Many professors are disturbed by
the idea of making friends with their students. Instead of
adapting the Facebook term in the common way, try to think
about the relationship as one of a mentor, or in an Aristotelian
version of a utilitarian friend.

13. Twitter Lexicon
• Tweet: Your 140-character (or shorter) message
• Twittering: The act of sending your tweet
• Followers: People who receive your tweets
• Retweet: Forwarding a tweet to your followers
• @ : The symbol that precedes the name of a person
you’re replying to
• Tweep: Someone you know on Twitter
• Tweeple: See “tweep”
• Twoops: Accidentally sending a direct (private) message
publicly

16. Twitter in the classroom
IDEAS:
1) 140 a day Learning Log: Ask a student to tweet “What did we learn
today?”
2) Discuss weather/Learn brevity in writing.
3) Connect with classes on a project.
4) Start a “photo a day” project. Tweet one photo of a project or learning
activity every single day.
5) Tweet famous conversations. Have students tweet imagined
conversations between famous literary figures such as Romeo and
Juliet, Sherlock Holmes and Watson, or Dante and Beatrice.
TIPS:
1) Don’t feel like you need to watch the tweets ALL day.
2) Have a conversation with kids about age requirements to have their own
account and make it clear that you are not inviting 8 year olds to get a
Twitter account.
3) Encourage kids to ask questions of other classes. Weather? Current
learning topics?
4) Posting long links eats up the 140 characters allotted on Twitter, so
shorten URLs with this tool. – use https://bitly.com/

17. USEFUL APPs on Facebook -
http://www.facebook.com/appcenter/my
• Superflashcard – vocabulary/grammar teaching tool
http://bit.ly/10lQncl
• WeRead – reading comrehension (books available online)
http://bit.ly/Wcve5D also GoodReads - http://bit.ly/UOtKgg
• WorldCat - search for an item in libraries near you
http://bit.ly/UgN3Qo
• Opinion Polls – writing/creative thinking ask question and get
the answers from your Ss http://bit.ly/WDOuql
• BookReviews – writing – Ss can upload their creative pieces of
writing http://bit.ly/WoIGBm
• Slideshare – share you PPT presentation/find PPT presentation
you want
• Bitly - shortening long URL (especially useful with Twitter) -
https://bitly.com/

18. Disadvantages/Fears
• Time consuming
• Hinders real face-to-face communication
• Focuses more on written forms than on oral
production
• The users identity being excessively exposed