This is not my first foray into the world of Facebook alternatives. The two sites (I have heard rumors that these sites are becoming more and more ubiquitous) I have actively used in my classroom are Fakebook.com and MyFakeWall.com. I'm not entirely enthused with either one, to be honest. Their educational value, however, forces me to reconsider them. Often.
Facebook isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Students without Facebook profiles are outnumbered by their counterparts nearly 35 to 1 (I made that statistic up, but it sounds about right). Facebook, combined with text-messaging seems to be the primary method of contact for students. So why not redirect its corrupting and socially undermining aspects into educating our young?
Both sites essentially provide the basic services of Facebook without all of the intricacies of social networking. This is especially useful when studying a historical figure (or, perhaps, several). Earlier this year, my students used MyFakeWall.com to create fictional Facebook pages for Alexander the Great (see my class website for the rubric and completed examples). To be honest, I was quite impressed. Despite my lack of familiarity with the technology at the onset, the students seemed naturally adept at navigating the site.
Later on in the year, however, the falibility of MyFakeWall.com proved itself insurmountable. The sheer number of students who lost their work entirely when the page automatically refreshed was staggering. The voices of a hundred whinny fifteen-year olds rose in chorus instantaneously. As such, I was glad Fakebook was available. Fakebook.com, while not differing much from MyFakeWall in terms of content, provided a much more stable platform for the students to work with. My recommendation? If you are going to invest the time and effort in getting your students to do online research and create a project on an internet site, go with Fakebook.com.
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