ANingis a social network that "...empowers people to create and discover new social experiences for the most important people and interests in their lives. Ning was started with a simple premise: when people have the freedom to create a new social experience online, uniquely customized for the most important people and interests in their lives with no effort, no cost, and infinite choice, the world is a better, more colorful and certainly more interesting place in which to live." Check out www.ning.com to start your own network.
What can you do with a Ning?
Create a discussion board where students can respond to your questions and to each other
Post assignments or link handouts
Enable each student to create a blog
Encourage students to respond to one another's posts or blogs
Link files, images, audio, and video files
Check out what teachers are doing with Nings:
Lauren just started using a Ning with her American Studies students - msreilly.ning.com
Jen has created a Ning for her 10th grade students - msward.ning.com
Brad and Jen created this Ning to connect upper and underclass students - alookahead.ning.com
Mrs. Follis has been using a Ning to help students reflect on their reading of Frankenstein at mrsfollis.ning.com
Ms. Nash has her Benton High School students use a Ning to explore topics in zoology at nashzoology.ning.com
Advantages of Using a Ning with Students:
As many education technology writers like David Warlick, Will Richardson, and others have pointed out, when students write for an authentic audience they not only grow as writers but as thinkers as well. In his book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, Will Richardson explains how the collaborative nature of Web 2.0 encourages students to "read more critically, think about that reading more analytically, and write more clearly. And, they are building relationships with peers, teachers, mentors, and professionals..." (21). In publishing their writing to the web through platforms like Ning, students "become active participants in the design of their own learning, we teach them how to be active participants in their lives and future careers" (129).
Our keynote presenter Joyce Valenza's wiki page, Top Ten Reasons for Using 2.0 in Learning, features a wonderful list of reasons why teachers and students should use Nings. Some of the advantages of using a Ning include
-opening up opportunites for students to write for larger, authentic audiences
-creating class environments for interaction and media sharing
-promoting, supporting, and modeling creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness(NETS*T)
-engaging students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources(NETS*T)
-promoting student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes(NETS*T)
-customizing and personalizing learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources(NETS*T)
-collaborating with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation(NETS*T)
-advocating, modeling, and teaching safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources(NETS*T)
-promoting and modeling digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information(NETS*T)
Complications of Using a Ning with Students:
Let's brainstorm this together as we talk today.
Grading. You cannot grade every single post that students put up. Students get very excited about responding and will often do more than you ask. Instead, if you want to grade responses, try telling students that you will randomly pick one or two of their responses to grade.
How is the blog function different from the discussion? It is up to the teacher to decide how to use each function (or if they will use both since you decide which options you will enable on your Ning). One idea is the use the discussion forum section for shorter responses, a sort of pre-writing/pre-thinking activity prior to a more formal classroom discussion or activity. Then, use the blog as a more formal, longer written response. In essence, the blog becomes a place for students to post a paper; however, it becomes more authentic because it is for a larger audience than just the teacher.
Privacy. Make sure you set your privacy settings. Will you allow the public to see your Ning (if so, students should not use their full names) or will it be open to other users.
Enabling applications. What will you let your students contribute and change. Will they be able to change the themes and colors of their "My Page"? Add music? Add videos? If you open it up too much, students may be more distracted by personalizing their site rather than responding the questions.
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