Private Social Networks...having modular construction sets

by Jerry Bates

Table of Contents

Introduction
Web 2.0 is all about social networking. But just how social do you want your network to be? Some social networking tools facilitate setting boundaries to the network, so that you can wall out everyone except those you invite.

A special class of social network site building tools makes it possible to drag and drop modular units onto your page, and set privacy levels to suit your community’s special needs. These interactive interfaces significantly simplify the construction (and revision) phase, while making it possible for you to totally customize the site without knowledge of coding languages. Your social network site can include virtually any combination of tools you wish (e.g., blogs, videos, photo galleries, event calendars, separate pages for individual members).

Examples of Private Social Networks built on the modular framework


Ning

• Classroom 2.0: Steve Hargadon’s ning-created open network (http://www.classroom20.com/) ; uses a commercial version so there are no commercials and “ning” does not display in the URL. (Durff, ClifMims, and other IDT7078 students have joined this network.)
  • Punya Mishra’s profile in the Classroom 2.0 Ning: http://www.classroom20.com/profile/punyamishra. If you're interested in TPACK, you must follow this!
• Ning in Education
• List of Nings in education
• Art Education
• National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
• National Council of Social Studies
  
• Teachers in state of Washington
• Content Literacy (from Collaborative for Teaching and Learning [CTL])
• K-6 online projects (will need to join)

Webjam

• The Emmbrook School STEMNET Club presents photos and blogs from a summer program in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEP).
  
  • See June 2009 archive for field trip preparations and reflections
• John Glenn Elementary School (Arkansas) PTO webjam
  
• Mr. Jonathan’s webpage [You may be uncomfortable with the frequent misspellings on this webjam; it may be a student who maintains this.]
• Online community for music educators
• Your chance to join a new webjam on Teaching and Learning: http://www.webjam.com/teaching_and_learning
• “Virtual Learning Environments have opened up the possibilities of classrooms without walls but few schools are using them to the fullest effect,” says Neil Atkin at his Movement for Learning webjam

Popular Private Social Networks
(Both of these can be public or private.)

• Ning

Designing your Ning is a matter of dragging/dropping features onto the page. You may use an existing color scheme, or modify one to fit your own preference. Free Nings feature ads (Ning-chosen), but you can pay to have them removed. After setting up your Ning, you invite people to join. Once your Ning is "out there," others may ask to join, and you may accept (or reject) their request. The social networks made possible through Ning can be professional groups (fellow social studies teachers, teachers of English as a second language), school based (faculty groups, PTO/A's), as well as classroom based (team projects). (If you've used Mosaic/Netscape, you've already benefited from another creation of Ning's co-founder, Marc Andreessen.)

• Webjam

Webjam comes to us from Great Britain, with a distinctly British flavor to its community. But the tool’s potential definitely transcends nationalities. With Webjam, a site can be as open (or restricted) as you like. You can model your site after another Webjam site you’ve seen, which is something those of us who may be graphically impaired may find particularly inviting. (A simple interface lets you capture the page and then customize it.) You simply lay out your webjam page by dragging/dropping modular components to different locations on the page. You can apply different privacy rules for each module. Templates are available, and you may tweak them to your heart’s content. They are also easy to modify at any time you change your mind about your visual statement.

Getting started
Ning tutorials

• Ning CEO Nina Bianchini’s video on creating your Ning
• Slideshare tutorial with several ideas for use in education
• More lengthy slideshare, includes how to ban users
• Scribd document on uploading video to Ning
• Try this, if you prefer a paper-based tutorial (a pdf file)
  

Webjam tutorials

• Take Webjammer’s own tours and tutorials, including how to build one to mimic an existing webjam
• Download a pdf Webjam Guide (takes a while; be patient)

Private Social Networks in Educational settings
Teacher uses…..

• Grade-level teacher teams could distribute curriculum mapping tasks among the group, with each member posting his product on his member blog page, for others to review and comment.
• Use a school-faculty blog to develop components of the School Improvement Plan, with separate blogs for each section. The archived discussions will be invaluable the next year, when it is time to review and revise the plan.
• Set up a classroom blog to post classroom updates and news of upcoming events for parents. Let parents see and comment on selected classroom projects.
• Use your classroom blog for an ongoing conversation with the author of the chapter book your children are reading. Children can ask questions. Create a “thought starter” for children to respond to, and then have the invited guest reply.
• When you are involved in a particular school improvement endeavor, keep a personal log of things that worked as well as those that did not. Reflect upon the differences between the two.
• Create a Webjam with modules that only you, as teacher, can edit, and then modules where the students can add their materials.

Student uses….

• Instead of the spiral assignment book, have children write their assignments in their own blog. Encourages children to take ownership and responsibility, and allows parents to follow along and support the learning process.
• As children are conducting research, have them keep a log of the questions they ask of themselves, how they planned to answer them, and an account of what happened when they followed the plan. This is a “process” journal rather than a product journal, which can help students reflect on their progress in “learning how to learn.”

Additional Resources

• What do Ning professionals recommend about ways to capture and hold your community? Check Ning's "tricks" blog, especially the "four second rule."
• Follow the ISTE Ning.
• Steve Hargadon's reflections on building a social network are a clear indication that it is NOT about the tools, but about the purpose and activity of the networking process. (I think he might say you can't just build it and expect they will come. So, gather your real-time group first and then send it into the clouds aboard the social network airship of your choice.)
  

Extended learning

• Hur, J. W., & Brush, T. A. (2009). Teacher Participation in Online Communities: Why Do Teachers Want to Participate in Self-Generated Online Communities of K-12 Teachers? Journal of Research on Technology in Education. 41(3), 279-303.
  • (Found the following reasons: emotional support, overcome isolation, explore ideas)

References/Acknowledgements

• McLoughlin, C., & Lee, M. J. W. (2008). Future Learning Landscapes: Transforming Pedagogy through Social Software. Innovate: Journal of Online Education. 4(5). (Note that you need to subscribe to a free account in order to view Innovate articles: http://innovateonline.info/index.php?view=subscribe )