Many school districts have finally come around to using Facebook pages and Twitter accounts to disseminate information to the community.  However, districts and schools should go further in their use of social media to enhance and promote school initiatives through Facebook Groups.  Using Facebook Groups can connect teachers when they are outside of school where they can share information at their leisure.  Let’s face it, professional development is much more enjoyable while in pajamas and sipping a glass of wine.  The best part, Facebook Groups can cut down on face-to-face meetings, which none of us have time for.

One of the more amazing ways to use Facebook Groups in education is in tandem with a professional learning community or PLC.  Creating a Facebook Group for members of a PLC is easy.  Someone has to manage the group and settings, but after the initial set up, it runs itself.  Just a suggestion,  you may want to leave your administrators out of your PLC Facebook Group.  Group members aren’t going to be completely honest if their boss is in the room. No offense, administrators; encourage their use, but stay out of the Facebook Group!

Here’s how you can use Facebook Groups to make your PLC even more awesome.

  1. Set up the Facebook Group as a private, judgment free zone.  Groups can be made private in the settings so only those in the group can see what is said.  Make it clear to all members in an initial post the group is a place to air frustrations, failures and triumphs regarding your PLC.  For example, perhaps your PLC is working on some new common assessments and they aren’t going so well for you or maybe you’re confused about their implementation.  Put it out there to your group and see what happens.  People may be feeling the same way and one or two might offer you some help.  Either way, there is something cathartic about being able to reach out through a Facebook Group rather than trudging down the hall for a face-to-face meeting.  We are all so busy in education and sometimes a quick post on a Facebook group is all we need to get some help.
  2. Continuously nurture the group, especially if you’re the leader.  You have to keep posting and sharing.  If you see a lull in participation throw an interesting article up or ask the group a question.  Make one up if you have to get the group engaged.  You do it with students; now do it with the group.  Remember the group dies if there isn’t any interaction.
  3. Keep it professional.  Share funny anecdotes and sayings, but do not cross the line.  These are your colleagues not you fraternity brothers or sorority sisters.  Keep it clean or you may alienate people.
  4. Make the Facebook Group about your PLC and education only. Of course our work life is personal because we spend so much time there, but no one wants to see an endless stream of your kids at Disney World in a PLC Facebook Group.  That is for regular Facebook. And even then, don’t over do it.
  5. Share blogs and strategies within the group that may enhance your teams PLC experience.  We all read a ton of cool stuff on education that our regular Facebook friends aren’t interested in.  Your PLC Facebook Group is the place to share all of this nerdy information with people who actually enjoy it.

The amount of networking and ideas shared within a Facebook Group will blow your mind.  It’s a really fun way to connect with people about work outside of work.  In addition, some people feel more comfortable sharing ideas and frustrations when they do not have to look the entire team in the face.  It also gives group members a chance to process a situation, plan what they want to say, and then communicate it.  They can even add pictures and links to their information, which makes it even better.  Your PLC will flourish because of the increased level of engagement.  Facebook isn’t a multibillion-dollar company for nothing.  It is super cool and people LOVE to use it!

 

 

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