Facebook- Uses in Education

I, like almost everyone else, use Facebook regularly for connecting with friends and family and for a regular stream of pics and links of things that interest me: news, art, vegan recipes, etc. I suspect those of us teaching in elementary schools are somewhat more limited in our ability to use Facebook as an in class resource (limited or no art classroom computers, etc.,), but this assignment has me thinking of ways that it could be a useful tool. I do use it as a way to connect with colleagues and my district. One page I follow is "The Art of Education University". Here, I find video covering all range of content in the different art media, such as intros to photography, painting  techniques, 3-D, 2-D tools... Excellent related pages abound on Facebook to expand on lesson planning, PD, and art history to modern art connections.

I got into using it actually because of our elementary. However, we are slightly different from the regular classroom. I teach special ed and some of our students actually live in a home away from their parents.  Facebook is a great way for parents to stay connected while not being there. Students can share their project with pictures. We do have to be careful because of student safety.  Some students are pictured from behind, blacked out, or just not photographed. At the homes, it also helps to staff to know what questions to ask for conversation starters.