Ning

= Ning = //** --Social Networking for Educators **//

Ning is a technology that allows users to create a unique online social network with the ability to make the network available to the general public or to a select group of members.It includes features such as discussion forums, an area to create blog posts, photos and videos uploaded by members, member profile pages, chat, and groups within the network. It is web-based and requires no software download or special programming skills. Ning is transitioning to a three-tier pricing model, as of July 20, 2010, which allows for greater flexibility and more powerful features as the subscription price goes up.Free Ning use will still be available to K-12 educators, at the first tier. (see: []) Ning networks are virtual communities, and its social networking features and collaborative platform mark it as a Web 2.0 technology.Ning networks incorporate several Web 2.0 technologies, in fact: blogs, social networking, video/photo sharing, and real-time chat.

Special features Strengths Weaknesses
 * The availability of Ning-created and third-party apps (like box.net for upload of files) can be used for students to submit reports, homework, etc
 * Web-based so no download or installation necessary
 * Can be scaled up for larger communities
 * Can be set to private (membership extended by invitation only) or public (either accessible by anyone or accessed only with approval). A ‘walled garden’ can be created if desired.
 * Multiple layers of administrative privilege can be assigned
 * Communication can be synchronous (using chat feature) and asynchronous (using forums, blog posts, video/photo upload, etc)
 * Using in school enables educational uses for a web 2.0 tool they’re either curious about or already using. Students can practice social networking and online collaboration in a relatively safe environment.
 * Does not require programming skills to create or manage
 * Customization is only according to templates
 * Requires monitoring by teacher and approval of posts, etc
 * New pricing model means free K-12 educator version can only have up to 150 members, making it useful only for one classroom
 * Social networking features such as “gifts” and “friending” may not be appropriate for school use.

Comparison to similar Web 2.0 tools
 * Facebook
 * Ning allows for users to create their own social network. However Ning is not a universal or global social network platform like Facebook. Facebook is more general and not specific to a category. Facebook allows users to connect in a different manner than Ning. Ning is set up to be much more defined in the users interest.
 * Myspace
 * Myspace is a social network site similar to Ning that allows the user to interact with others within their personal or professional network. Myspace allows limited acces to certain users to a certain section within the network. Myspace is also more general and setup to be a global netowrk, not a specific network set up by the user.
 * [|Elgg]
 * Elgg is an open source social networking framework. Creators with a certain amount of technical knowledge and a web server can create a custom social network. Elgg was voted best open source social networking platform in 2008. Some sites built with Elgg are:
 * []
 * []
 * []
 * []
 * While Elgg is a good choice for large-scale projects such as campus-wide social networks, it requires a level of technical skill that most likely requires most educators to rely on the school’s system administrator for setup and changes. Additionally, it requires a download of the software, which is always a hurdle in a school district.
 * [|Gaggle]
 * Gaggle is a subscription-based social network platform developed expressly for the K-12 environment. It has human monitoring in addition to filters to prevent the appearance of pornographic or otherwise undesirable material. Since it is designed for schools, educators can have a great deal of control over their students’ access and settings. Access to advanced features like message boards and blogs can be restricted within the class, school, or district, or turned off completely. Other examples of settings that can be controlled on a group or individual level include restrictions on the number of messages a student can send each day, how many recipients they are allowed to send a single message to, and who they will see in their Directory. Settings can be quickly and easily changed to address issues or as a student disciplinary action. ( [])
 * The cost may be prohibitive for some schools, although the company says they work with the school to get e-rate subsidies. While Gaggle is a very protected environment, there is very little customization and control.

Learning Connections //** For full connection to learning standards, see: [|Ning Learning Connections.doc] **// //Activity One// One of the most time-consuming - and yet important - elements of high school foreign language classes is practice writing and conversation. Teachers can use a private Ning network to encourage practice chatting, blogging other less-formal writing, and also as a way to provide additional resources to help with pronunciation and cultural awareness. For example, students can use the ‘forum’ section to engage in asynchronous chats in the language. The teacher can create a new thread each week (or other interval) and post a vocabulary list to help with topic-related new vocab words. Students can post podcasts of themselves reading stories in the language to practice pronunciation, or music videos from YouTube in the language to introduce music from the cultures associated with the language.

// Activity Two // With the popularity of The Food Network TV channel and ever-proliferating food blogs and recipe websites, students in middle school Home & Careers/Family & Consumer Science classes have access to a wealth of information about food preparation, ethnic cuisine, and diet ideas. Teachers can take advantage of this information and integrate it into the curriculum by creating a private Ning food network. The social aspects of Ning can be used to help students create a recipe-sharing network, contribute recipe blogs and websites and YouTube videos of cooking techniques. For example, the teacher could assign students to keep a food diary in their Ning blog for two weeks and then create discussion topics such as: How did keeping the diary help you realize //what// or //how much// you were eating? The teacher could develop a favorite recipe section and encourage students to add to a list of links to food blogs, food sites, etc. Since students love to search for YouTube videos, encourage them to post videos of food prep., growing or manufacture for classmates to see. Encourage discussions in the forum section about where the food on their tables come from and how they can make choices about the origins of their food. For one week, students could change their Ning profiles to reflect a food stuff, complete with picture and description of nutritional elements.

Tutorial Ning tutorial created in Jing: [|ning_tutorial.pdf]

References, Articles, etc.
 * 1) ﻿ American Association of School Librarians (2007) “Standards for the 21st Century Learner.” Accessed at: []
 * 2) Davis, Michelle R. (May 12, 2010) “Educators Eye Ning Transition to a Pay Model.” // Education Week // . Bethesda: Vol. 29, Iss. 31.
 * 3) Dickens, Seth (January 6, 2009) “Ning Social Networks – Unsuitable for Education?” [|DigitaLang] : Teaching Languages with Web 2.0 Technology (blog). Accessed at []
 * 4) Habeeb, Scott (2009) “Guidelines for Using Ning in a Classroom” [] Accessed 7/15/2010
 * 5) Holcomb, Lori B., Brady, Kevin P., Smith, Bethany V. (2010) “The Emergence of ‘Educational Networking’: Can Non-commercial, Education-based Social Networking Sites Really Address the Privacy and Safety Concerns of Educators?” Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, Vol. 6, No. 2, June 2010. Accessed at: []
 * 6) International Society for Technology in Education (2007) Educational Technology Standards for Students. Accessed at: http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/NETS_for_Students_2007.htm
 * 7) McAllister, Drew (January 4, 2010) “Ning in Education” [] Accessed 7/15/2010
 * 8)  Stangherlin, RJ (February 22, 2010) “Using Ning as a School Social Network: Dianne Krause” [] Accessed 7/15/2010. //Includes several video and audio tutorials.//
 * 9) University of the State of New York - New York State Education Department (October 1, 2009) New York State Learning Standards and Core Curriculum. Accessed at: []