Thing 6- Are you nINg?

It seems to me that Nings are like professional development conferences: teachers from different areas all meet in one “centralized” location and get together into small groups to discuss topics of interest. The big difference is that anyone can start a group discussion on Ning and it is possible to join all groups. I sometimes have a difficult time at conferences choosing which sessions to attend because there are too many I am interested in. Ning makes it possible to attend them all!

I think more people might blog in a Ning than on an actual web log because in Ning, you already know that the people in the group are interested in the topic. You don’t have to wait for people to find your blog; you take the discussion right to the target audience. This is a great tool for teachers to get near instantaneous feedback and suggestions. I discovered many new ideas and interesting conversations in the English Companion Ning that I joined. I found myself posting comments on several discussions the first day. I also found some discussions on topics that I think need to be approached or have already been addressed at my school. It is nice to know that some issues are occurring nation wide and are not “just us”.

The idea of using of Ning in the classroom is intriguing. Giving the students a venue to start their own topics of discussion could be very empowering for them and possibly take their thinking skills to a new level. My concern is how to keep it controlled/appropriate/educationally based. This is a tool that would probably work best in upper school, maybe eighth grade. As much as I like the idea, I don’t think my sixth graders could handle the responsibility and focus such a tool requires. I will continue to use it for myself however. Count me in!