It's an attempt to make time spent on Facebook productive. It combines learning and social networking - so classmates can connect and work together. More details here:

http://www.coursefeed.com/
Source(s):
www.google.com

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In short, Course Feed is made up of two components: A Facebook widget and an LMS (Learning Management System) connector.

First, a school must apply for a LMS connector. There are a handful of commonly used LMS systems that are widley used by schools and only small modifications are required to seamlessly transfer updates, notes, schedules, etc from the LMS into Facebook.

Next, the Facebook widget must be added by students in their account. Adding the widget allows the LMS connector to transfer data into the Facebook account of the student.

Course Feed also adds value to both the LMS that the school uses and to the Facebook accounts of students. Communication between students is very important in many courses. Course Feed has come up with a few different ways to connect students and further facilitate communication.

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A practical example would include:

The I.T. department of Mahalo University uses the Blackboard ( www.blackboard.com, previously WebCT ) LMS to facilitate online learning. Not only are full courses delivered online, but Mahalo University Professors regularly setup virtual classrooms where students can participate in and out of class. Things like notes, assignments, lecture videos, etc are all available from this progressive school using the Blackboard system.

Many students log in regularly but Prof. San has found that only about 30% of his students use the system. He installs and promotes the new facebook functionality of his virtual blackboard classroom.

Now, Prof. San has another way to communicate with students. He knows that the content he posts online will be available not only in the blackboard system but also on Facebook for students to consume!

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The problem with this business is common. Course Feed solves a problem that users didn't know they had. Interactivity and retention rates in an LMS are directly tied to the contributions of the teacher and the class. In other words, if the teacher posts good stuff in the LMS, students use it. The communication tools and processes that Course Feed has designed refine communication but do not significantly improve it. From a high level, Course Feed only adds a handful features to Facebook that are useful for students.

There is a **REAL** opportunity for social networking integration in Learning Management Systems. However, the advances must be made within the LMS' themselves. The lessons that we've learned from MySpace, Facebook, Digg, Twitter, etc can be applied to this software. There are some truly amazing advances that would occur if an LMS was to learn these lessons and apply them.
Source(s):
I've been professionally involved with Learning Management Systems and have deeply considered the technical and social aspects of their use in a classroom.

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