Facebook Templates: Online, Offline, Interactive, on Paper...

Image from FutureShop.ca

Many teachers have already cottoned on to the phenomena of Facebook and how to harness it for learning, and one of the most popular uses is creating templates for people, real or imagined. I've even seen FB profiles for countries and inanimate objects so imagination is your only limitation when it comes to using these. It's great that so many have come up with customisable materials so here are few options from hi-tech to lo-tech.

WARNING
Some learners have actually made the effort to go online and warn teachers not to over-use this type of activity. Once it's been done in one subject, the novelty (and therefore the engagement) can wear off pretty quickly. On the other hand, plenty of learners have also gone to the bother of posting on teaching blogs to say how much they enjoy this as an alternative to essay-writing or other traditional responses to literature, history etc.


OPTION 1
Fakebook (from ClassTools.net) offers an online editable template for creating a profile and posts on a Facebook-like page. A video is included for instruction although it's pretty intuitive to use. On the downside, it is covered in ads - but then again, so is Facebook so perhaps a bit of authenticity? You could also try myfakewall.com for a similar tool.

OPTION 2
I came across this Facebook video for Romeo and Juliet while attending ASB Unplugged in Mumbai earlier this year, and I was blown away by the creativity of the learner concerned. Have a look at the video and consider tools like Screencast-O-Matic or Screenr to guide your learners in creating their own.

OPTION 3
Tech Tools for Schools provide this presentation-based template for creating a series of  Facebook pages. It can be edited as a Google Doc or downloaded, opened with Powerpoint or Keynote and edited offline. Alternatively, it can be downloaded as a PDF, perhaps for display. Once finished on screen, it can be presented and viewers can click on the links to navigate around this mini-Facebook site.

OPTION 4
TeachOneToOne has a selection of editable templates for use in word-processing programs. This is a good option if access to computers is not readily available.