Facebook is the place that kids hang out after school. Heck, it’s the place many of them hang out during school. It is definitely a platform they are comfortable with communicating on. Why not use student enthusiasm for Facebook to generate learning opportunities in the classroom?
I have seen several classes in the past few weeks work on Facebook projects. Students love them. These projects appeal to students because it is communication at their level. What I like about the project is that creating a fake Facebook profile requires a great deal of higher level thinking. Student have to take information and transform it. This forces students to be very creative. A fake Facebook page is an excellent way to see if student understand the concept behind a book, character, historical figure or even a science concept.
Science might be a little harder, but imagine students pretend that they are a part of a chemical reaction. They could create a profile for a certain compound and tell it’s part in the reaction through the wall posts. This might sound a bit crazy, but I think students would really get into it.
There are several different platforms for doing Facebook projects in the classroom. Here are some I have looked at in the past week:
Fakebook: This online app is the best I have seen. It is web based and easy to use. Students fill in the blanks, upload pictures and write status updates for the different people on the wall. I have not yet used this app with students, but I plan on using it this week. Sometimes, when a bunch of students use an app like this, we see how good it really works. I’ll be sure to let you know.
My Fake Wall (no longer functional) This is a cool template, much like Fakebook. I really like how it is set up. The app is web based and allows students to build as big a page as they like. The one draw back is that it doesn’t seem to work consistently. I have used this with several classes now, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t which creates quite the headache if this is the plan for class on a particular day. That having been said, it is still worth a try because it is so much fun.
PowerPoint template: This page template opens in PowerPoint, but functions surprisingly as a Facebook page. Adding pictures and status text is quite easy without creating a mess of the page. This is a three page template giving students quite a bit of creative license in a non-web based platform.
MS Word template: This template is a little harder to use and doesn’t look quite as good as the others, but it is another option. It does work in Word which is a plus if that is what students are used to using.
Classroom in the Cloud Facebook Project: This blog post has instructions, templates and rubrics for a Facebook project using a template created with Photoshop. This looks like another great option depending on your goals for the project.
If anyone knows of other fake Facebook applications or ideas for using these templates, leave a link in the comments.
March 2, 2012 update: See the blog post 2 more ways to make fake Facebook pages for additional links and resources.
also fakeconvos.com create fake newsfeeds, etc. haven’t tired it yet
I love using a fake facebook page to get my middle school students to introduce themselves to the class! We sometimes print them out for display purposes. Having their pictures on them really helps me learn their names too. Great activity for the beginning of the year.
Thanks for the great idea. I can see how this would be a great way for students to show off their likes and interests with the class. Thanks again!
How do they print them? I have tried several times and can’t get it to work. Do you have to buy it in order to print?
If you are using Fakebook, the pages print out nicely. Look at the menu on the right hand side of the page. Click print, and you are in business. Unless things have changed in the last few months, I had several classes do this project and print out the final product. It worked great. Have fun with your students.
I’m a science teacher and I am developing a project for my pre ap 8th graders to do a fakebook page of a particular element. They only friend those elements that they can make compounds with and their relationship status will depend on their reactivity. Also, they can only post on the walls of the their “compound” friends. Their posts should relate to the formation of the compound (like oxygen posting on Hydrogen’s wall “hey why don’t you and your brother come over and hang for a while” – thus indicating the formation of water).
Awesome idea. I like the way you are using this app in the classroom. I would be very interested to know how the students do with the assignment. Any chance you can post a few links to their pages so I see how they turn out?
Google docs online templates has one for Literary & Historical figures https://docs.google.com/previewtemplate?id=1kfk1q22frnIG6qgwP0_yB8DfOuqiGNbNBGBNbgNCG-g&mode=public
Check out my Fakebook (blank) Template at TeachersPayTeachers.com. Facilitate higher order thinking with this simple, yet engaging student related activity. Most of what I’ve seen so far are filled out pages that students just read through. Much more can be gained instructionally by having students fill out their own on a character or historical figure of their choosing.
Here’s the direct link. Enjoy!!!
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fakebook-Facebook-template
Teachers, listen. I am a thirteen year old student in 8th grade. Fakebook is boring. It was OK the first time. Now, being assigned a Fakebook for the 4th or 5th time since last year, I can say it is almost painful to complete. Only use it if most students in your class have never done it before. It is ok if it is used for the kids themselves, but students (except over-achievers or the crazy ones who like schoolwork) don’t like reasearching, and we REALLY don’t like applying something we DO NOT like (schoolwork) to something we DO like (Facebook, or honestly, any technology at all). Please do not make us think of Julius Ceasar when we play 20 questions because we did a project on him. It has been over used. Please move on. Use your OWN imagination. Also, do not make us sing, dance, wear costumes, make plays, post us on youtube, or anything like that. If we aren’t the super-popular type, we do not want our face splattered anywhere. Do not make kids hate you. Also, if any of my teachers realize who I am, this isn’t completely directed at you. Don’t fail me. It was just time someone said this. Thanks.
Sidney,
I appreciate your comment. I am sorry that you feel bored by the Fakebook activity. Sometimes teachers may go a little overboard with an activity. Feel lucky that you have a teacher who is willing to try an activity like Fakebook. Many, if not most, teachers have never heard of such a thing. Students in these classes are still writing essays. I am glad that you are required to do some research for these Fakebook pages and that they require you to work hard. That is the point of such an activity.
From the sounds of it, I think you have a pretty good teacher. Please tell your teacher to keep up the good work!
I’m a Junior in High School and we have to make a fake Facebook for a past event in history, or person. It has to have 50 comments and statuses total. I think its a great idea because it helps the teacher relate to the students. Its not some boring essay. Its something most of us students enjoy. It makes the research fun. We get to think of quirky comments and statuses. Even though songs and games are trite. They actually help most of us remember so please don’t stop!
Great to hear that you like the Fakebook projects! I don’t plan on stopping with the projects anytime soon.
Has anyone used fakebook successfully yet? My english teachers used my fake wall last year and had issues. I had a smartboard template that I was all set to use and then they took smartboard off the laptops when they upgraded!!
Fakebook looks great but I am afraid that we are going to have problems connecting and saving. Thanks for any help you can give!!
Jill,
I have had better luck using Fakebook than I have using My Fake Wall. It seems that Fakebook is a little more stable. However, this is not to say that it has some issues. If you are really worried, I would suggest using the Word template in the links above. It doesn’t look quite as good as Fakebook, but at least it is saved on your computer.
I have had zero luck with either Fakebook or My Fake Wall. It seems everyone is excited about this assignment but I wonder how they get it to work?
I’ll admit that some of my students got frustrated with Fakebook from classtools.net. However, the majority of my students got it to work, and it worked great. I am not positive, but certain permissions within a school may cause some problems with the app. The browser might also affect how the app operates on a computer. Generally, I have had the best luck using Firefox when using web apps. They just seem to work better with that browser.
Again, if the computer apps aren’t working, download the Word template. It works great, and you aren’t relying on something hosted on the web. Find a way for it to work because it is a great way for students to show what they have learned creative manner.
I like this idea and have been looking at the Fakebook for a couple of weeks now. Does anyone know if the students can print them out or not? I hav etried several ways and can’t get it to print.
Reblogged this on dunaganbits and commented:
Great post Mr Kaiser 208. Thank you.
So…anyone know what’s up w/Fakebook, well the classtools.net site? I had been using it w/my GT students. It was working fine yesterday, but today it says the site has been suspended. Too much to hope that it’s just some sort of Friday the 13th joke?
That is not good at all. I just presented this tool at a conference a week ago, and it was working great. I guess that is the problem with online apps. Sometimes they just don’t work. I have tried to contact the guy who made the Fakebook page, but I have never been able to get a hold of him. From the looks of it, he quit paying the company that was hosting the site, and the site was taken down.
You can still do similar projects. They just won’t be hosted online. Check out the other links in this post for some other resources.
Just checked the site…it’s back up and running!! Thank God! Even better, my students’ work is still there. I guess it was just a lapse of payment or something???
Hmmm…ok maybe not! I checked the site this morning on my desktop and had access to them, but not when I checked on my laptop, which I usually use.
A friend said something about my desktop’s cache???
I just checked the site this morning, and it looks to be running again. With online apps, you just have to go with the flow sometimes, especially on smaller sites that are run by smaller companies. Hope it works out so your classes can find their work.
Anyone know how to contact Myfakewall? I can’t upload pictures and can’t contact them because the code (so i’m not a scammer) can’t be seen on any computer I’ve used. Thanks
I used Myfakewall with few classes, but I never did get it to work properly. A better bet, even with a few problems in the recent past, would be to use Fakebook.
I created an easy to use Facbook profile template for Photoshop (PSD) You can get it here: http://www.airgid.com/blog/social-media/creative-facebook-profile-template-download-psd/
This is great if the students use Facebook. If they do not use Facebook then they have to learn the interface as well as the topic concerned. My instructor is basing 1/3 of the course grade on this exercise and that is not fair to those that are not familliar with the interface. It is troubling enough to do the assignment but to through a technology hurdle into the mis is unfair at this percentage of the grade. Just a VALID opinion from a student.
I work for a Juvenile Assessment Center in TX. We deal with a lot of troubled youth who engage in behaviors that often lead to truancy and other delinquent behaviors (not to be confused with juvie jail). We try to nip things in the bud before things escalate. I applaud your energies and willingness to use technology to bring knowledge to and engage your students. Learning should be fun…at least sometimes. However, as with all tools, students need to be taught responsibility and accountability. The purpose of a tool, its proper use, safety, etc. If you aren’t already aware, fake Facebook pages are being used sometimes by our youth to engage in cyberbullying (see article below from Ft. Worth Star-Telegram newspaper). It can be against the law, and in some states, a felony. Just like teaching kids how to use a bunsen burner or to drive a car, while very beneficial tools, they can be dangerous too if used improperly. Use the opportunity at the beginning of each project to teach responsibility. Responsibly fill the minds of our youth, not our jails.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/07/20/4112680/2-hood-county-girls-arrested-over.html
this is the worst website ever. so many problems
why is fakebook. so. hard. to navigate!? ARGH. I just want a template so I can just start…help, please?
The “my fake wall” goes to Adult Las Vegas Escorts. Thank God I tried it at home and not at school.
The MyFakeWall site is now an adult site. FYI
where do i find the template?! and can someone show me an example of the science assignment. I’m really interested!