Facebook: Friend or Foe?

1. Facebook: Friend or Foe? Simon Jones (HESaS), Steve Woodward, Haydn Blackey (CELT)

2. Get out of my space! • Jones, Blackey et al. (2009) found among students “massive use of educational technology with (a) distinct divide between the learning space and personal space” (Jones, Blackey et al. 2009 p.776). • “Few participants report using social networking sites for [educational] tasks … the fact that academic uses of social networking has not emerged as a common use, even within an academic institution, should be a reason to carefully consider whether students perceive a necessary separation of school life and social life. (Ophus and Abbitt, 2009 p.645)

3. Bespoke Solutions? • Oradini and Saunders (2007) have shown that attempts to harness the student-centred/ student-led power of social networking and set this within a recognisable (and controllable) institutional context by creating similar bespoke services via Elgg or Ning have met with mixed results • Many Facebook-active students logging on once only and deciding that Facebook “does it better”.

4. Social Networking Forms Communities • “Informal learning is a significant aspect of our learning experience. Formal education no longer comprises the majority of our learning. Learning now occurs in a variety of ways – through communities of practice, personal networks …” (Siemens, 2004). • Combination produces better learning outcomes than individual isolation: essentially, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts when forging interactive and collaborative learning experiences among connected communities of learners (Doolan, 2006; Palloff and Pratt, 1999; Garrison and Vaughan, 2008).

5. Enthnography • The methodology used in this paper involved a qualitative evaluation of 360 learners based on an ethnographic review of formal and informal Facebook mediated interactions to identify how a Facebook community impacts on the learning experience of students. • The authors chose to adopt an ethnographic approach to undertake this research as the research is focussed on a community of learners. • Ethnography, which emerged in the disciplines of anthropology and sociology, enables researchers to look at human societies and communities in an empirical way so as to explore their processes, meanings and values.

6. Geography Blended Learning Community

7. Geography Blended Learning Community

8. Geography Blended Learning Community

9. Geography Blended Learning Community

10. Geography Blended Learning Community

11. Geography Blended Learning Community

12. Analysis of FB Community • What are/were the advantages of using Facebook on the Geography courses? Makes it possible to chat about problems with coursework that has been given out. Can keep up to date with events such as conferences and field trips, view pictures from field trips. (Graduate, 2009) Can contact class mates and lecturers for advice and gain rapid responses, especially in student holiday times when university meetings are not ideal. (undergraduate: 2nd Yr Phys Geog)

13. Analysis of FB Community • What are/were the advantages of using Facebook on the Geography courses? Able to contact each other in a state of last minute changes of exams, etc. Also everybody is synchronised with what’s going on. (Undergraduate – Year 1) Easy to use and readily available. Up to date and a refreshing format (2008 Graduate) Another form of contact if emails aren’t checked. (MSc Student – 28 yr old professional)

14. Analysis of FB Community • Is there a tension in having lecturers as Friends on Facebook, or are there advantages? If so, what are they? I have a preference for keeping social life separate from that of work and uni, although there are crossovers. Main problem would come from the use of Facebook as a monitoring tool, e.g. ‘you were online at so-and-so’, or ‘you were doing so-and-so but you didn’t turn up for X’ Don’t really see what Facebook can achieve that regularly checked emails can’t. (MSc Student) Small tension as you don’t want Facebook profiles to affect day to day relationships or create prejudices and judgements on strictly non-university things e.g. heavy drinking or certain views on things or complaining about workload, etc. Advantages of lecturer (on Facebook) is a simple and easy way to have informal chats and gain knowledge and info. (Undergraduate – 3rd year Physical Geography)

15. Analysis of FB Community • Is there a tension in having lecturers as ‘Friends’ on Facebook, or are there advantages? If so, what are they? ‘’The advantage is the bridge of lecturer/ student gap; encourages closer relationships which result in stronger trust, confidence and interaction. Tensions maybe some people do not want lecturers to see what is being said.”(2nd year Phys Geog) “It’s the easiest way to communicate with lecturers in, give or take, most of the out of lecture hours. Embarrassing photos are a tension but that’s not the lecturer’s fault! All in all it’s a good tool to use. (Undergraduate – 1st year)

16. Conclusions • It is not possible to create an overarching pedagogical conclusion about the effect of social networking in learning communities • Rather individual academics will need to make informed judgements in consultation with their students about the effectiveness of the use of social networking sites in particular learning contexts.

17. Contact Details • Dr Simon Jones: Principal Lecturer in Physical Geography in the Department of Science and Sport (Sdjones2@glam.ac.uk) • Stephen Woodward: Curriculum Advice Officer for Technology Enhanced Learning (swoodwar@glam.ac.uk) • Haydn Blackey: Head of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) (hblackey@glam.ac.uk)