How to create an maintain a ning blog for a classroom

1. Why Ning? A Ning Blogging Tutorial Ms. Maria Mayo Lafayette Street School

2. What is Ning? A social networking site based on individual interests or topics. Unlike MySpace or facebook, Ning encourages blog writing within a specific online community, or in this case a classroom. Has strict privacy policies, therefore, you classroom ning will be a safe space for your students

3. Creating a ning account it easy, simply access ning.com and click on the “get started now” button

4. What does Ning do? Ning has several features that can be incorporated within the webpage: Blog Discussion Boards and Forums Photo albums Calendar application Event planner Messaging System Individual profile pages for the teacher and each student Communication between other communities Individualized privacy settings A selection of apps (cafepress, twitter, YouTube…)

5. How Can I use Ning in the Classroom? Ning can be used as a writing tool for the classroom. Blogs create a platform for students to share ideas learned within the class in a cooperative manner Ning forums can begin or continue classroom discussions online. Students are able to post questions or answers, encouraging them to take ownership of their work Videos, pictures, and other forms of media can be embeded in the ning, making learning truly diverse Teacher instructions, questions, and even assignments can be posted on their main page. Messaging systems make teacher, student, and parent communication accessable

6. This would be your main page. All features can be changed The top bar contains all the main controls such as member managers and forum

7. In the members page, members can be managed, erased, invited, and given special titles such as administrator

8. Discussion forms allow students to create an on-going conversation about a specific topic

9. Forums are easy to create! Simply click on “add a discussion” and write the topic within the text box

10. This is an example of a blog post. A blog is a great way to practice writing skills as well as convey information. Students and teachers can post their responses to the blog post. Media such as videos and pictures can be added as well

11. These are examples of responses. Responses to blog posts can be done by teachers of students. These are a great way to share quick ideas as well as provide feedback

12. In order to classrooms to post, students must be invited. Within the setting application on the top of the page, teachers can set their privacy to invite only, only allowing people that are invited to view the ning page Students and teachers can be added easily just by imputing emails manually or importing contacts from an address book online

13. Ning pages can be changed depending on the subject matter. This ning page was made for a media center

14. What Skills does Ning Develop? Cooperative Learning Writing Reading Essential question answering and critical thinking Media literacy Cyber etiquette and mutual respect Responsibility and ownership of work (constructivism)

15. Is Ning Easy to Use? Absolutely! Ning is highly personalized, each page and post can be changed to make it individual The set up and format is very similar to other social networking sites as facebook, so students are already familiar with it. All updates and posts can be sent to the teacher, making it easy to monitor. Privacy settings can be set to make the page “invite only”, only making it accessible to students, parents, or administrators

16. How do I sign Up? All you need to sign up is an email and a password (which you create). Due to its extreme popularity, Ning recently has become a paid web tool. Although it is not free, teachers do get a discount for their classroom account, this Ning package is called ”ning mini”. Ning also has a fundraising tool called “Donate”, which allows students and teachers to fundraise money for their ning account. Pearson education has teamed up with ning to provide free pages for teachers and their classrooms. All you have to do is simply apply and submit a request Lets check it out…

17. Sign Up Any email account can be used to access ning, including your teacher email. A password is needed as well

18. Ning packages and pricing Mini is the ideal package for educators

19. Ning could be paid with a PayPal account from the funds your class raised… Ning packages and pricing Or the Ning could be paid with a credit card and added to a provisional fund

20. Ning Applications Over 80 apps are available through ning! Apps are additional programs that can be added to your ning page. From zoho instant messaging to polls and quiz programs can be added

21. Classroom Donations Through a secure online payment system, paypal, students, teachers, and other benefactors can donate money to fund your ning webpage

22. http://about.ning.com/pearsonsponsorship/ Pearson Donations Some quick and basic information about your class, and your ning account will be free! Just follow the link above

23. Ning Blogs: An Educational Perspective Ning In Education

24. Any Questions? Contact the Library @ Lafayette mariadmayo@gmail.com