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What is Ning?
I hope that many of the folks that have, to this point, steered away from Social Networks will quickly realize the value of this sharing environment. As the professional network evolves, I would encourage you to think about how a space like this can be used in schools.
Ning networks can be created as "closed" environments where only those that are invited are permitted to view and access the site. Once you create an account, all you need to do is send the Ning folks an email and tell them you are using the service for education. This will remove the ads from the site/network you create.
Think about how students engage themselves in Myspace and other forms of electronic networking and what a classroom electronic network like this could look like. I believe this can be a very powerful instructional tool.
Also, take note of the Clustrmap to the right of this page. It clearly demonstrates how the reach of these environments flattens in the information landscape and what possibilities that brings.
Can you see using Ning in your school(s)? What do you see as potential? What do you see as obstacles?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by William Brennan, Ed.D. on
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Absolutely Cliff! I have been meeting with my teachers over the last few months to discuss all of the possibilities. We have started to implement our own "Learning Networks" using Ning. Some teachers have gone as far as having their very own network, which students contribute much like we can on this network. They post and share their own videos, photos, graphs, reflections, etc...
In doing so, we have locked these down with passwords to protect our students. There is so much potential with these tools.
Bill Brennan
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Permalink Reply by RHagan on
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I agree that this is an outstanding forum to share information in a collaborative approach to education. Recently, I shared this concept with several teachers in my district. The response was positive; however, it seemed as though some people were unsure as to what to do next. We built a private page for a Biology Class for the students and the teacher. The forum allows for an ongoing conversation outside the classroom.
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Permalink Reply by Paula Pisano on
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I too agree that this could be an outstanding forum for leadership discussions. I recently had a Metro NYSCATE Committee meeting and talked about this as a way to share what you saw or head at a recent conference you attended. You are all going to the Metro NYSCATE conference, right?
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Permalink Reply by Clifford Steinberg on
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I just wanted to add an article of interest to the Ning discussion and that of Social Networking in Schools in general. There has been great debate on if Social Networking Technology/Sites should be allowed in K-12. In Fact, every time I give a presentation, this comes up. The questions always revolve around acceptable use and laws protecting children.
To say that I support sites like Myspace and Facebook in education as an instructional tool would be far from the truth. That being said, Ning and other Social Networking tools do have value in K-12 and can be implemented in a safe context. That being said, these tools can not be implemented with the wind and must be carefully planned and rolled-out with care, rules and ongoing evaluation.
Without going on to much, here is the article that is of value in this regard from Tech Learning: http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.php?articleID=1966049...
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Permalink Reply by Blanca Duarte Martini on
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I find that the increase in Web 2.0 tools used for instruction has led to developers increasing the capabilities of these tools for use in the classroom. It seems as though "free" Web 2.0 tools have gained in popularity and many of the blog/wiki/socialnetwork sites now give special consideration to "education" customers. What a world we live in where developers are helping us learn and teach in more creative and engaging ways - for free!)
Who says our voices can't make a difference? Perhaps we, as educators, are approaching the NCLB reauthorization differently than we approach other "additions" to our classroom environment. Perhaps we need to address the issue of NCLB from a different perspective in order to be able to help change it to what we need it to be, instead of allowing it to dictate to us. Just a thought...
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Permalink Reply by Heather Ciccone on
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Hey Cliff. If educators can't see the potential, just have them ask their students what they would do with a ning network in their classes. I work in a middle school and as soon as I mention to my students that we will be using blogs and wikis for assignments, they get excited! What we need to work on is the "Fear Factor".
We need to share with each other what we are doing in our classrooms with these types of technologies.
Heather Ciccone
Willets Road School, East Williston
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