facebook+friends

= //Facebook// Friends =

Grades 9-12
Created by Barbara Mayer Boise State University EdTech 523 Spring Semester, 2011

Traditional face-to-face activity
Similar to the Snowball Effect but done throughout the semester and on //Facebook//. Students submit an introduction to the class. Everyone is then asked to respond to at least three other students, remarking about something they have in common.

Modified online version
With the age of Facebook and Twitter, I would create a //Facebook// page (as a person) for the class. Each student would be required to friend it. They would have to check it frequently to see status updates, uploaded pictures, etc. It gives everyone a chance to see each other every day, and not just in a short one assignment blurb. It is something they are comfortable with already and also makes them think twice before posting some of the garbage they do now. Also makes them aware that the teacher is watching, just as a future employer might be.

Do You Know Your Classmates?
We will be spending a lot of time together in and now out of class. Sometimes in a classroom setting we are too shy or embarrassed to answer questions or participate in class discussions. We may also be coming into class with more on our minds than what is the lesson of the day. Using //Facebook// as a technological tool, we will learn more about each other and our lives outside the classroom. I have created a //Facebook// account for us to be “friends” with. You will have one week to friend the site. During our time in class, you will be required to post at least three times a week and comment on at least one other students post each week. (Netiquette rules apply.)

Asynchronous/synchronous
This icebreaker is designed for synchronous or asynchronous interactions. Depending on who is signed in when, messages could go back and forth on the site.