Technology Articles

Ning's tagline is "Create Your Own Social Network Site for Anything" which means you can create a social networking site for your classroom. You have the ability to create forums, discussions, and blogs in your social network, upload videos, music and photos. Ning was created by Gina Bianchini and Marc Andreessen. It is different from social networking sites like Myspace because instead of joining a large network of people, Ning members can create their own social network. Ning is free, unless you want to pay for upgrades, but this is not necessary. Ning offers a customer support and has a FAQ page and if you have any other questions you email them.

According to starreviews.com the upside to Ning is that it is free and customizable. The downside to Ning is that there are poor search options, slow response time to your questions and there are ads on the pages.

In an article by Wade Roush titled Build Your Own Social Network, he discusses the features of Ning and says that it is better than networks like Myspace and Livejournal. He said that he created a social network especially for devotees of digital macrophotography. People who join his network have the ability to create their own personal profiles, upload phoots, connect with friends, send instant messages, write their own blogs, contribute to forums and many other things. One thing that I noticed throughout a lot of these reviews was how easy it was to create one of these pages and how it took only minutes and Ning makes setting up a custom social network as easy as starting a personal blog. Roush said that the interface reminded him of sites like Blogger, Livejournal, Typepad and Wordpress.

To start a social network on Ning, you must sign up for a free account. Then it will walk you through the desgin process step by step allowing you to choose a name and descripture for your network, pick the features (such as blogs, photos, chat windows, and forums_ that will appear on the network's main page, and you are allowed to arrange these features however you want to. Networkers can choose from a few dozen theme and color schemes provodied, or they can create their own HTML code and style sheets. If you want to pay $19.95, yoper month you won't have to deal with the ads in the right margin of ever Ning page. You can also add your own ads for that price.

I am not sure if I would ever really use Ning, but I think it has the pote

ntial to be really great for a high school class room. I think it would give those who are a little more hesitant to participate in class a chance to say what they would like to. You could also house sample projects and assignments that your students are going to do in the future. The parents could also be a part of the social network, or you could have another social network for parents. Another reason why I like Ning is that it is not facebook or myspace. The teacher can control what is being posted and can regulate what students can see. There is also an option that only invited people can see the page that way no one can join who isn't actually invited to join.

I actually set up a page and it was really easy. First you name your social network and specify what kind of network it is. Then you type in your zip code. Second, you decide if you want certain features on your Ning page and you drag them into a template. These features include: activities, members, forum, blog, music, photos, videos, events, groups, chat, and badges. I chose to include all of them. Third, you pick a theme. I chose the theme Hipster Purple. I don't know why, I guess because I like purple. That's it! Then you customize your page and add content. I could not believe how easy it was. I found it a lot easier than trying to create a group or an event on facebook.

This is what my Ning page looks like:

I think that this feature is better than a blog because it gives students more freedom to express their opinions and allows them to interact with each other outside of the classroom. In Ning they can upload a picture, and basically have their own page, but be connected to your social network.

Glogster EDU is a web application that allows students to create multimedia online posters, or glogs, which can be shared on the internet. These glogs are made using images, sounds and videos. Glogster encourages creativity and is a resource for innovative and interactive learning. On http://edu.glogster.com/ it lists reasons why educators should use Glogster EDU. They are:

1. A creative, dynamic, and innovative digital outlet that captures learner's excitement for online creatives, keeps learning engaged in course content, and makes teaching and learning more fun.
2. A private and safe platform, monitored directly by teachers. Teachers control all the activities of their learners.
3. A valuable teaching tool that integrates diverse core subjects including math, science, history, art, photography, music and more for individual learner portfolios, unique alternative assessments, and differentiated instructional activities.

The reasons why learners should use Glogster EDU are:

1. A fun imaginative, and powerful learning experience which fosters independent creative self expression, positive learner-teacher relationships, and teamwork on collaborative class projects.
2. A vibrant, multi-sensory learning experience which integrates learner's knowledge and skills into traditionally text-oriented subjects and motivates learner's desire to explore topics in which they may previously been less interested.

I looked at some of the projects that other people created on Glogster and they are seriously awesome. What is great about it is that it is another way to present information so you don't bore your students to death. Another great thing is that the students can use it and do projects on the internet. I remember doing projects on posters and having to bring them into school. It was always so hard to find one time that everyone could meet and usually one person ended up doing the whole presentation. With Glogster, it allows everyone to work on a project, but they don't necessarily have to be in the same place. This feature kind of reminds me of Google Docs a little, but it is a little more advanced.

In Glogster Brings Glitter Graphic Blogging To The Masses

by Josh Lowensohn he explains his experience with Glogster and what is good about it and what is bad about it. He says that Glogster is a service on letting people create posters of various bits of pre-made and user generated content using a Flash editor. The site is geared toward a teen crowd, or anyone else who enjoyed partaking in glitter graphics. Users can create classy looking stuff with distinct visual style. Glogster's editing tool is simple to use. Its categorization, which divides up all the contect you can place intoa Glog, places a limited number of items together that the user must then sort through one piece at a time. You may have to exercise some patience in finding exactly what you are looking for though. Site that are similar and may be easier to use for others are Flecktor and Scrapblog. Glogster also doubles as a social network, and users can add each other as friends and each Glog has a place for comments and ratings. You are also able to embed a Glog somewhere else. Here is an example of a Glog:

I think that these Glogs are pretty cool. And it allows for parents to see the projects that their students and other students are doing. It also makes it easier for the teacher to save projects from past students. I even created a Glog and it didn't take that long. There are many templates to choose from and it has A LOT of graphics.