Ning

=Ning=

What are Nings? "Ning is an online platform for people to create their own social networks." Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ning_(website)

Why are they relevant to educators and education?
 * Foster connections between people
 * Provide authentic audience
 * Support multimedia
 * Empower student voice
 * 7 things you should know about Ning

Ning in the classroom: "Teaching through Technology: Frivolous or Fundamental?""

[Discussion Questions]
 * How did the Ning change this instructor's pedagogy?
 * How did the Ning change how the students approached their work?
 * What tangible benefits were seen?
 * What were some unexpected benefits of using the Ning?

Capabilities of all Nings
 * Membership / Profiles
 * Discussions (Forum)
 * Comments
 * Blog Posts
 * Multimedia (photos, videos, podcasts)

Our learning community Nings



South Jersey Regional Center for Service Learning: @http://sjrcsl.ning.com/ Atlantic County Alternative High School Professional Development: @http://acahs2009.ning.com/

Tasks:
 * Join (if not already a member)
 * Update profile (including a photo)
 * Start a forum discussion
 * Reply to a forum discussion
 * Upload a photo / video
 * Embed media into a forum post

A Classroom Example

Andrew Tobiasen's United States History: @http://thistory.ning.com/



Impressions so far (Andrew)

Discussion:
 * Setting up a Ning for your students
 * Creating student accounts
 * Managing participation / moderating content