USING FACEBOOK
IN THE
CLASSROOM: AN
INSTRUCTOR’S
GUIDE
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
I.
AUP: Guidelines for using Facebook in accordance
with the district acceptable use policy............ 3
II. FAQs: Tips for creating groups and pages as well
as recommendations for professional resources on
Facebook…………4
III. Directions for creating a Facebook page…………9
IV. Directions for creating a Facebook
group…………14
V. Internet Safety: What your students need to know
about using Facebook and other social media sites
safely…………20
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Use of Facebook for educational purposes is
governed by the Milford Board of Education’s
Acceptable Use Policy
Staff using Facebook with students must abide by the
following:

Social networking sites must be used solely as part of classroom
instruction and/or as part of a learning activity.

Staff will not post confidential information about students, staff or
District business.

Staff will not post other District data, documents, photographs, or
other District owned or created information without permission.

Staff will treat fellow employees, students and the public with respect
while posting.

Improper fraternization with students using social networking websites
is prohibited.

Staff is responsible for modeling the appropriate use of computers, the
Internet and use of social networks and chat rooms.

Staff is responsible for supervising and monitoring use of social
networks by students.

Staff must regularly inform students about regulations related to
appropriate use.

Staff must educate students about appropriate and safe online
behavior, including interaction with other individuals on social
networking websites and in chat rooms, as well as cyberbullying
awareness and response.

Staff is prohibited from accessing personal social networking sites
during the school day.
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FAQs: FACEBOOK GROUPS and FACEBOOK PAGES
Create a Facebook Group or Facebook Page for:

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Your classes – student collaboration, posting of class instructional material,
discussion of course information, reminders of assignment due dates
Your students and parents – posting of permission slips and notifications,
posting of final student work, sharing of photos and videos
Your school community – reminders of upcoming events, publicizing school
activities, sharing of resources
Your colleagues - professional learning groups, sharing of information/ideas
Have students “like” your page or “like” a Facebook page created by a
governmental agency, famous author, news source, etc. All updates to that page
will be delivered to the subscriber’s News Feed.
Note: You must have a Facebook account to create a page or group, although you will not
need to open your personal account to anyone on your page or group. Log in before
creating a page or group.
Privacy
You don’t need to be “friends” with your students or colleagues to have them as
part of your “Group” or to have them subscribe to your “Page”.
You can alter your Facebook privacy settings so that members of your Group
cannot see more of your personal information than you feel comfortable with.
Types of Groups:
1. Secret: Only members see the group and what members post
2. Closed: Everyone on Facebook can see the group and its membership,
but only members see posts. RECOMMENDED FOR CLASSROOM GROUPS.
3. Open (public): Everyone can see the group and what members post
How to Change Privacy Settings for the Group:
Click “Edit Settings” box located in top right corner of the Group page
Managing Facebook Groups

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When you set up the Group, you become the administrator
You do not need to friend people in order for them to be part of the Group
You can confirm requests to join from people who are not your friends
Beware that any Group member can add their friends without administrator
approval – but as administrator, you can delete any members of the Group
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(thereby requiring that they issue a request to you to rejoin) and you can
also permanently ban people from the Group
Facebook Group Features
Group Docs: Group members can collectively write and edit notes. Any group
member can view, edit, add and remove sections of the document. Can use this
feature to post flyers or permission slips. Also allows you to upload documents
you’ve created using Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint. Upload Office files into
the Docs.com Facebook App (http://docs.com/). This assigns a unique URL to that
document, allowing for easy sharing.
Group Chat: Group members can “talk” to other members in real time or view the
chat comments at a later time. (To chat: Go to Group, select Chat option from
Actions menu on right side of page)
Facebook Questions: Group members can poll all members of the Group. All
members can also share opinions or post questions.
Facebook Photo Albums: Upload photos and share privately with only members
of the Group.
Facebook Events: Automatically reminds members of upcoming tests, due dates,
and events
Facebook Send Button: Allows easy and quick sharing of content you find on the
web with members of the Group (links to articles, websites, etc.)
Facebook Page Features
Status Updates: When you create a status update on your Facebook Page, the
update appears on the Newsfeed of all the people who subscribe to your Page. You
can provide links to articles, reminders of upcoming due dates, motivational
messages, supplemental instructional notes, etc.
Facebook Events: Reminder notifications sent via Events show up on Newsfeed of
subscribers.
Facebook Messaging: Send messages to subscribers.
Facebook Video: Share student videos, or videos of school events.
Facebook Discussions: Students or teachers can begin conversation threads
regarding course materials.
Facebook Docs: Allows you to upload documents you’ve created using Microsoft
Word, Excel or PowerPoint. Upload Office files into the Docs.com Facebook App
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(http://docs.com/). This designates a unique URL to that document, allowing for
easy sharing.
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ebook Pages for Educators
National Geographic Education
http://www.facebook.com/natgeoeducation
British Museum
http://www.facebook.com/britishmuseum
Girl Up (UN Foundation)
http://www.facebook.com/girlup
NASA
http://www.facebook.com/natgeoeducation
Smithsonian Institution
http://www.facebook.com/SmithsonianInstitution
Youth Olympic Games
http://www.facebook.com/youtholympicgames
Library of Congress
http://www.facebook.com/libraryofcongress
Musee du Louvre
http://www.facebook.com/museedulouvre
PBS Kids
http://www.facebook.com/PBSKIDS
Kabul Museum
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kabul-Museum/317714056516
Discovery Channel Global Education
http://www.facebook.com/DCGEP
Scholastic Teachers
http://www.facebook.com/ScholasticTeachers
Facebook in Education
http://www.facebook.com/education
Encyclopaedia Britannica
http://www.facebook.com/BRITANNICA
Facebook for Educators
http://www.facebook.com/fb4educators
As you can see, Pages can open new opportunities for teaching and learning. Like Groups, the content from Pages can reach your
students when they are outside the classroom. Most young people are already accessing Facebook using their mobile phones when not at
school. Now the learning opportunity can reach them where they live and play online. This is the focus of the next section.
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Professional Development Resources on Facebook
Teachers.TV
http://www.facebook.com/TeachersTV
National Science Teachers Association
(NSTA)
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4734309314
National Council of Teachers of English
(NCTE)
http://www.facebook.com/ncte.org
National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics (NCTM)
http://www.facebook.com/TeachersofMathematics
National Council for the Social Studies
(NCSS)
http://www.facebook.com/socialstudies.org
U.S. Department of Education (DOE)
http://www.facebook.com/SecretaryArneDuncan
International Reading Association (IRA)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Reading-Association/81491751082
National Parent Teachers Association
(PTA)
http://www.facebook.com/ParentTeacherAssociation
National School Board Association
(NSBA)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-National-School-Boards-Association/11810947910
National Art Educator Association
(NAEA)
http://www.facebook.com/arteducators
American Library Association (ALA)
http://www.ala.org/
United Nations Educational Scientific
and Cultural Organizations
http://www.facebook.com/pages/United-Nations-Educational-Scientific-and-CulturalOrganization-UNESCO/51626468389
International Society for Technology in
Education (ISTE)
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ISTE/8828374188
Department for Education (UK)
http://www.facebook.com/educationgovuk
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Directions for Creating a Facebook Page
Note: You must have a Facebook account to create a page, although you will not
need to open your personal account to anyone on your page. Log in before creating
a page.
1. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php
2. Choose from the following options:
 Local Business or Place
 Company, Organization or Institution (I use this for the Media Center’s
page)
 Brand or Product
 Artist, Band or Public Figure
 Entertainment
 Cause or Community
3. When you click on the option you want, you have to choose a category from
the drop down menu (whatever matches your page’s intent most closely),
name your page, and agree to the Facebook Pages Terms:
https://www.facebook.com/page_guidelines.php
4. Your first task is to give the page a “profile picture.” There are two options:
Upload from computer (browse through your computer files and double-click
on the picture you want) and Import from Website (enter a web address and
Facebook will pull pictures from that site for you to choose from). You have
the option to skip this step.
5. Next you’ll be asked to type a short description of your page. Below the first
text box is another text box if you want to link your page to a website (for
example, you could put the link to your Teacherweb page on your Facebook
page). You can add more than one link by clicking “Add another site.”
6. You’ll be asked to choose a web address for your page. Facebook will offer a
suggestion based on what you named your page. Once this has been
chosen, it cannot be changed.
7. Facebook will take you through the different features of your page and what
they do, such as liking the page, inviting friends, making posts, etc. For
every step of this tutorial, just click Next or Skip.
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8. The next steps are up to you! The links at the top of the page will help you
get started. Manage allows you to edit your page, see banned users, and
view your activity log. Build your Page allows you to invite email contacts,
invite friends, share your page, and create an ad. Help has options to visit
the help center, take a “tour,” send feedback, and get more information on
pages.
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9. Go to Manage and Edit your Page to view your settings. You can restrict
access to your site by country and by age group, and block people. You can
also allow or disallow people to post, tag items, upload photos, etc. One
important setting: Change your Profanity Blocklist to “Strong.” Another key
one: Check “Only show posts on your page until reviewed by an admin” so
that you have to approve activities. You can also delete your page using this
screen.
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More Options: Use the menu options on the left hand side to also change your
information (about your group, description, contact info, etc.), change your profile
picture, view likes, add page owners, check out ways to connect with others, and
explore more options for enhancing your page (such as setting up apps and mobile
access).
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Directions for creating a Group on Facebook
Note: You must have a Facebook account to create a group, although you will not
need to open your personal account to anyone in your group. Log in before creating
a group.
Quick facts:
-Using Facebook to communicate with students is easy by creating a Group (for
your class, club, or even a particular assignment). You can quickly and easily post
messages, as can your students, facilitating communication among members of the
group from anywhere where there is Internet access.
-To join the group, students must be members of Facebook but do NOT have to be
your “friends.”
-You can alter the group settings so that you must approve members first, or so
that only you can post. Also, you will get email notifications every time someone
posts if you choose to do so. However, there is currently no setting that allows you
to approve posts before they go up.
To get started:
1. Log in and go to Home.
2. Go to: http://www.facebook.com/groups and click “Create Group.”
3. Name your Group.
4. Invite members (optional).
5. Pick the privacy setting you want. Mine is set to Closed, which means that
anyone can see my group and its members, but only members can see posts
in the Group.
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6. Once you are in your new group, you can look at your settings and make
changes using the tools icon on the right hand side of your screen. From the
drop down menu, choose Edit Group.
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7. You can change the group’s name.
8. You can review whether the group is open, closed, or secret.
Open: Anyone can see your group, who is in it, and the posts.
Closed: Anyone can see your group and who is in it, but only members see
posts.
Secret: Only members see the group, other members and the posts.
9. Look at the membership approval box. Check it if you want all members to
be approved by you before joining the group.
10.Email address: If you want, you can set up ways to email the whole group.
11.Description: Tell us about your group!
12.Two options for posting permissions: Only members can post, or only
administrators can post. For my group, only members can post.
13.Click Save when you are done making changes.
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What else can you do with your group?
 Post a message.
 Add a photo or a video that is displayed for all members.
 Ask a question/create a poll.
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
Create a document.
You can create a document by clicking “Docs” at the top right hand corner of your
screen.
The icons at the top of your document allow you (from left to right) to bold your
writing, italicize, add numbered items, add bullets, and upload a photo. Note: You
cannot copy and paste into this document.
If you want to upload a document already created, upload Office files into the
Docs.com Facebook App (http://docs.com/). This assigns a unique URL to that
document, allowing for easy sharing.
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ONE FINAL NOTE:
You will probably want to be notified via email every time someone posts something
in the group. To make sure you are notified, click on Notifications at the top right
hand corner of your page and make sure they are turned on. If they are not, go to
Settings, and set up your email so that you are notified of all group activity.
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FACEBOOK SAFETY TIPS: Please distribute this handout to students.

To sign up for Facebook, you must be 13 years old or older – DO NOT
PRETEND TO BE 18 OR OLDER SINCE FACEBOOK HAS STRONGER PRIVACY
SETTINGS FOR USERS UNDER 18. (For example, adult Facebook users can
be found via a search engine such as Google or Bing…Under 18 accounts can
only be found via a Facebook search by someone who already has a
Facebook account.)

Use Report Abuse buttons to report offensive content. (Report Abuse
buttons are on most Facebook pages.)
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Use Privacy Settings:
Account (upper right hand corner)
Drop down to “privacy settings”
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Connecting on Facebook: controls who can see information on
your Profile
Sharing on Facebook: controls who has access to information
about you and what you share. “Friends Only” is the
recommended safe setting for students.
Apps and Websites: controls what information from your
account is shared with companies who create apps and with
search engines. You can view your apps, remove apps, or turn
off this platform completely in order to eliminate companies and
app creators from accessing your information.
Block Lists: controls who can interact with you and see your
information.
In accordance with the Milford schools Acceptable Use Policy, do NOT access
Facebook while in school unless your teacher has set up an academic
Facebook Group or Facebook Page and he/she directs you to use Facebook
for that class.
http://www.facebook.com/safety
http://www.facebook.com/communitystandards
http://www.facebook.com/legal/terms
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Cybersafety Links for Students
Know the Dangers Follow simple rules to minimize the risks in using the internet:
http://tcs.cybertipline.com/knowthedangers.htm
Connect Safely Tips for safe social networking and blogging:
http://www.connectsafely.org/
Cyberbully411
been a victim:
Learn what cyberbullying is, and get support if you’ve
http://www.cyberbully411.org/
OnGuardOnLine Governmental website that provides instruction on how to
secure your computer and protect children and teens online:
http://onguardonline.gov/
GirlsHealth.gov Safe surfing, safe messaging, and protecting yourself in
online communities:
http://www.girlshealth.gov/safety/internet/
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children How to protect your
privacy and your online information:
http://www.nsteens.org/
Yahoo! Safely Hints in making smart and safe choices online using Yahoo!
products:
http://safely.yahoo.com/
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