From kindergarten through college, the social networking juggernaut Facebook boasts a staggering array of features that many educators may find beneficial to their careers and classrooms alike. The following tips and tricks illustrate many of the factors they need to keep in mind before opening up an account as well as offer suggestions on ways they can use it to interact with permitted students.

1. Stay on top of photos.

School districts often scrutinize the outside behavior of their employees far more than other businesses, and teachers especially need to be diligent about policing what photos of them end up on Facebook. News stories crop up almost weekly involving a firing over everything from images of them drinking alcohol to some degree of nudity.

2. Students are allowed to say negative things about teachers on Facebook.

So long as students refrain from making threats, inspiring harm or posting statements that can be proven as libel, the First Amendment permits them to freely express less-than-stellar opinions of their teachers.

3. Don’t voice opinions that are a bit too strong.

Because Facebook provides a forum for educators to network with one another, it is perfectly acceptable to engage in civil, respectable debates. Try not to make the same mistake as one Charlotte-area teacher who referred to her school as “the most ghetto.” Such forceful statements do nothing to solve a problem and hand and only end up insulting coworkers and students.

4. Don’t add students as friends on personal accounts.

Unless teachers desire to keep a purely professional, private account exclusively for coordinating assignments and communicating with co-workers, it is best to maintain a reasonable distance and refrain from adding students as friends.

5. Take advantage of the privacy settings.

Use Facebook’s flexible privacy settings to pick and choose who sees what on a profile page - it certainly helps a teacher keep their personal and professional lives separate without opening up separate accounts.

6. Always check an employer’s social networking policy.

Every school requires different things of their teachers using social networking sites, and the most responsible thing to do is carefully review the policies before committing to opening an account.

7. Set up a class group.

For educators keeping a strictly professional profile, they may find the idea of a private class group conducive to communication outside the classroom.

8. Use SlideShare

This actually useful Facebook application allows educators to whip up quick slideshows to share with their students.

9. Ask students to follow academic, literary or political figures.

Their official profiles, of course. Request that students follow the goings-on of individuals pertinent to their studies, such as politicians, professors or writers.

10. Ask students to network with people in career paths that interest them.

One project that high school teachers may want to consider would involve students networking with and interviewing individuals who work in industries they are contemplating.

11. Turn the photo section into an art gallery.

Educators who specialize in the production or history of art and culture may love the idea of taking advantage of Facebook’s photo albums to create art galleries based around different themes, artists or movements.

12. Import a blog.

Facebook-enabled teachers who also keep a class blog have the ability to connect the 2 together, allowing kids to check for any new updates and even comment straight from their profiles.

13. Stay on topic.

Professional profiles need to remain professional. It’s certainly harmless to post comments about one’s children or pets, but they are not exactly relevant to the tasks at hand.

14. Use Webinaria

Teachers with a love for multimedia may like the idea of Webinaria as a means to distribute informative videos to their classes.

15. Use the list function to create rosters.

In order to keep professional profiles neat and tidy, the list function allows teachers to organize their students by class and keep a nice little online roster on hand.

16. Use Courses.

The Courses Facebook application is a third-party resource specifically for teachers to communicate and share content with their students.

17. Join Educators Using Facebook.

1,843 faculty members have joined up with the Educators Using Facebook to network and exchange ideas on effectively using the social networking site in the service of their students.

18. Send out any assignment updates and changes.

Use Facebook’s messaging feature or a wall to instantaneously keep students aware of any news and changes regarding their projects.

19. Post hyperlinks on the wall.

The wall is a great place for educators to post up links to supplementary multimedia that help kids receive a broader perspective on the subjects discussed in the classroom.

20. Invite experts to join private groups.

Private groups for students are generally the safest bets that Facebook-enabled teachers can make, though they may want to invite trusted experts to join in on the discussions and answer any questions that pop up during lectures.

21. Promote Get Homework Help

Encourage students to take advantage of the Get Homework Help application, which pairs them up with others who can guide them through assignments and subjects they find problematic.

22. Don’t forget the instant messaging!

Teachers with a little extra time on their hands may like the idea of making themselves available through the instant messaging feature in the evening should any of their pupils require assistance.

23. Don’t get involved in a student’s private life.

Keep a professional distance from students and refrain from looking through their personal profiles. Unless the suspicion of abuse or other atrocities crops up, there is no real reason to lurk about their private lives.

24. Ask for parental permission before getting students on Facebook.

Any educators hoping to use Facebook in the classroom will definitely want to get their students to ask their parents to sign a permission slip beforehand in order to provide transparency and address any safety concerns.

25. Use the Events section to remind students of upcoming field trips.

Rather than sending home fliers, post field trips as events for quick access to all the necessary information - maps, a website for the intended destination, photos and more!

26. Collaborate with other classrooms.

Research other classrooms around the world that may be open to collaborating on educational projects - such an exchange also opens up eyes to how other regions and nations conduct lectures, assignments and discussions.

27. Never force friending.

Part of why a group setting appeals to so many teachers is the fact that no students feel any pressure to add one another as a friend.

28. Use WorldCat

Conduct research both in and out of the classroom by taking advantage of the application that allows for exploration of the WorldCat database.

29. Allow students to post content of their own.

Encourage pupils to share videos, images, news stories and other media that relate back to their lessons as a means of promoting a healthy, communicative classroom environment.

30. Fan Facebook in Education.

Become a fan of the Facebook in Education page for all the latest tips and tricks on incorporating its myriad elements into a classroom setting.

31. Create applications.

Stanford University computer science students have taken to whipping up their own Facebook applications in order to practice their developing and marketing skills.

32. Understand its limitations.

Facebook can do a lot of things, but it can’t do everything. Be sure to spend some time getting to learn its controls before making any commitments regarding classroom use.

33. Add Polls.

The Polls application does exactly what its name implies - provides educators an opportunity to get students’ opinions on a number of different topics and problems that pop up along the way.

34. Tag students in notes.

Encourage healthy self-esteem in students by writing about classroom events and assignments, tagging the ones who particularly stood out as good citizens or performed well on their tests and projects.

35. Be sure to remind students of “netiquette” protocols.

As representatives of their classes and schools, class members must always practice courtesy while online as well as off. Some teachers may want to actually distribute grades based on how politely they behave on the internet.

36. Don’t go overboard on applications.

Too many applications can make a profile cluttered and confuse students as to what they need to use for what function. Try to pick a few necessary ones and stick with those.

37. Promote a cause.

Classes that are comfortable interacting with the public may want to openly discuss different social or political causes in the nearby area with their friends and neighbors, using Facebook as a conduit for spreading awareness.

38. Use the Calendar application.

What the Calendar application does should be pretty explanatory, as is how teachers can take advantage of what it has to offer.

39. Be sure to join groups.

Outside of any class-specific groups, try to connect with those associated with education and the subjects being taught in order to stay up-to-date with all the latest news and views.

40. Fan news networks.

Numerous local, national and international news outlets host their own feeds and fan pages so that Facebook users can learn more about the stories that affect them. This certainly helps any classes that hinge on analyzing current events.

41. Stay engaged.

After making a commitment to using Facebook, try and remain engaged until the class is over. Even if it ultimately proves a poor fit, students are relying on timely instructions, supplementary materials and other promises made at the beginning of a course.

42. Students are not “friends.”

Always maintain a professional distance from students, never taking the term “friend” literally and getting too close to their private lives.

43. Be wary of posts made on colleagues’ walls.

Teachers who have specific issues with students or other administrators should address them through private e-mails rather than on the walls of coworkers in order to avoid drama. Try not to participate in any non-professional discussions on professional Facebooks as well.

44. Use the To-Do List application.

The To-Do List is incredibly handy for educators and the educated alike who need to keep track of important tasks, dates and deadlines.

45. Remind students to police themselves online.

High schoolers should especially pay close attention to what they do and do not post online, and teachers may want to send them gentle reminders that future employers may be able to find what they post online.

46. Create a news feed.

Anyone enrolled in a journalism class can use Facebook to practice their craft, hammering off notes and articles on timely stories and sharing them with peers.

47. Explore challenges.

As a marketing device, many companies such as Microsoft issue challenges to students of all levels to promote both their services or goods in addition to education. Some classes may love using their knowledge and creativity to find a viable solution to the problems at hand.

48. Share lecture notes.

For the benefit of students who have to miss class, use the Notes function to post up the main points from the day’s lectures and discussions so they do not fall too far behind.

49. Use Goodreads Books

This application provides a conduit for students to openly share their opinions of the literature assigned in class.

50. Don’t force it.

Facebook isn’t for everyone, and schools catering to the needs of low-income families need to understand that some students may not be able to access the internet at home. It’s an option, but not a necessity.

Love it or hate it, few will deny that Facebook remains an excellent option for teachers hoping to incorporate technology into a classroom setting. Provided they and their permitted students stay safe and responsible, it can grow to become an indispensible facet of an education.