Facebook Integration in Teaching and Learning at Politeknik Port Dickson

Abstract

Facebook, a social media web application, is a part of million student lives. Students use Facebook for
communicating with friends and playing games. Since they use Facebook frequently and comfortably, we may exploit this
entertainment-oriented site as an edutainment tool. Although there are many tools available for eLearning, Facebook seems
to be one of the most effective tools because students generally respond to discussions quickly and are comfortable enough
in their "space" to share their information and opinions. By using Facebook in learning, the role of students can therefore
shift from only receiving knowledge to both searching and sharing their knowledge. Moreover, interactions with teachers
can become more instant since teachers and students can respond quickly via Facebook. It is worthy to realize, however,
that teachers cannot use Facebook as a single teaching and learning tool. Facebook still lacks features such as file
submission and file sharing to support the complete learning process. This paper presents the approach and the experience
in using Facebook for architectural students in Port Dickson Polytechnic for both informal and formal learning. In the
formal courses, Facebook is used for discussion, sharing video and document links. We found that students actively and
quickly participated in both asking and answering a lecturer’s questions. In addition, students also shared their new
knowledge even after the classes have ended and grades were assigned. As a result, Facebook has an excellent potential
to serve as a lifelong learning channel for lecturers and students in polytechnic