Reading Reflection #5

What if Abraham Lincoln Had a Facebook Page?

            This article dives into some of the possibilities that today’s technology programs, specifically Facebook, can provide for teachers. The author, Brant Glover, illustrates a fun Facebook additive to a biography report, a great way to get students excited and engaged with a biographical history lesson. The article gives detailed examples of how Facebook can be used for students to create profile pages for the historical figure they are writing a report about. The article uses the example Abraham Lincoln, as a possible historical figure for this assignment. The students would be able to use Facebook to display Abe’s basic info, including his birthday, home town, and school’s attended. Other features on Facebook would allow students to “like” pages that Honest Abe might have been interested in, or post updates on certain events that Abe was involved with. Polls, pictures, videos and interactions with other Facebook profiles are all ways that students could use Facebook to build a complete Facebook profile for Abraham Lincoln.

            The article has great insight and examples for ways that the Facebook platform can be used in our classroom. Facebook is a great tool to bring students to life in subjects that students are often uninterested in. Facebook documents a life, and relationships with connections, and is a great digital storytelling source. I loved this idea, and would definitely integrate it into my curriculum in the future. I think it is a great way for students to be creative, use the platforms that they know and love, and create interactions between classmates.

            This article relates to the ISTE NETS standards for students 1 & 2. It correlates with the Creativity and Innovation Standard (1) because the Facebook project challenges students to use the information that they have learned about a historical figure. They create an original Facebook profile for the individual, and have to use their creativity to interact, post, and design it. The article correlates with Communication and Collaboration (2 a&b) because the project gives the students the opportunity to interact, collaborate and publish information digitally on the Facebook platform. The students communicate the information on the profile to their classmates, friends and families.

Glover, B (2013). What if Abraham Lincoln Had a Facebook Page? Learning and Leading with Technology, 40(8). 38-39. Retrieved from: http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learningandleading/20130607#pg40.