Not a fan of facebook myself (I think we overshare a bit much these days) but if I were an upper grade teacher I would find this interesting to say the least.
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This seems like a great tool that all schools should use. The best part about it is that it's only for educators, so you could link an entire school just by using this program. I spend so much time with my grade-level partners, but I rarely see other teachers...this would be great for collaborating with teachers who are not in my section of the building!
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing what people will share via Facebook, but won't go and ask their neighbors for bread crumbs if you run out! Seriously, I am floored everyday about how much people are will to put out there. Regardless, this tool seems very interesting, motivating, and an easy way to launch long term projects!
ReplyDeleteI love Ning. I have used it in several courses, and wish we had time to use it in EDUC 584. It allows for discussions, blogs centralized in one place, uploading videos for discussion, and so much more. In addition to using Ning in St. Joe's courses, I am a member of several professional Nings. Some of them are listed in the sidebar of my Integrating Technology and Literacy blog. I am also a member of the Classroom 2.0 Ning, the one pictured in the screen capture above. The free version of Ning that I get as an educator to use in courses does not have all the bells and whistles, but it gets the job done. The two courses where I have successfully used Ning are in first-year college composition and the graduate course Computers in the Classroom. Each semester, I create a new Ning for the specific class. It is more user-friendly than Blackboard, though it does not have the management tools like a Gradebook.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have enjoyed using professional Nings, I find I am increasingly turning to Twitter for professional development, but for course use in a graduate or undergraduate course, or even a high school or middle school class, I think Ning is a great tool.
Unfortunately, there is now a charge for Ning, which is why more educators are not using it. However, there is a method to get a free one through Pearson Publishing, and I have used that technique recently.
Sorry this is so long, but I got excited when I saw a post about Ning. :-)