Thing #23--Ning & Other Social Networking Sites

Ning seems like it may be the new My Space or Facebook for adults who want to limit their network to their specific interest(s) and group, but still have a greater chance of expanding their group. I would think there would be a greater opportunity for the latter within a larger, well-known network such as Ning than a website, blog or wiki that is just "out there" by itself. I'm wondering whether this would be the place to consider setting up a classroom social network because of it's easy set-up & customization features, the moderate feature which allows you to review BEFORE anything is added and the apparent ease with which other web 2.0 tools and features can be added (linked, embedded, etc.). I like that individual members can still personalize & revise their own personal profile pages withing the social network--another benefit for classroom use. The fact that it can be translated in to other languages would be an excellent feature for foreign language classes.

I am definitely going to join the Classroom 2.0 and probably the Teacher 2.0 so that I can continue to refine and add to my new knowledge and skills. I've learned a lot, but I still feel there is so much more. I've already seen several groups that I would like to join and thought of one I could start--MISD Middle School B. Reading teachers. I found several new tools just from browsing through various categories on the right side bar (tools, subjects, area) in Classroom 2.0--Classmarker Online Quiz Maker for Online Testing, Contentgenerator, Popfly, Classtools, Vizu polls

One of the interesting groups I found on Classroom 2.0 was one formed to promote Literacy in a Digital Classroom while integrating technology. I also found a group for parents of special needs students that provides information on specific needs, legislative and other legal updates, and support and learning resources called eSpecialMatch. This might be something that SPED teachers, counselors or administrators could pass on to their parents.

Although I did send a message to Mary about a difficulty adding the badge to my blog, I did join and uploaded a video to the 23 Thingsters. It is waiting for approval to be viewable.