Kristin, Perhaps the LMS your institution utilizes has a discussion board feature that can be used in place of Facebook or Google+. With proper coaching, students quickly learn to adhere to the online communication guidelines developed for a course. In my experience, there is a risk of ad hom attacks, students attempting to win an argument by attacking the speaker's character, so carefully monitoring threads is important in the event a student requires additional coaching in this area. Wishing you continued success in the classroom. Theresa Schmitt