Ning

From Eduwiki

Ning is a platform where users can create their own social networking websites based on their specific interests. It competes with MySpace and Facebook, but claims to be more secure for use in schools and user-friendly for those who have little technical skills in creating webpages. You can read forums on your specific topic, use blogs, watch videos and even chat with others in your network.

What can you use it for

• Join with other who are sharing your same issues and interests
• Share experiences, stories and best practices
• Create community with customers, generate excitement, answer questions and announce new items
• Create a network for your classroom and generate student interest in your subject
• Communicate with schools in other cities or countries
• Get exposure for your work and get ideas from experts in your field.

Ning in Education

Teachers may prefer Ning because they can create their own network for their classroom and have full control over the site. Many educators are using Ning for developing educational resources, creating student portfolios online, uploading videos of student projects, sharing best practices, and communicating about topics in their subject area. Similarly, a school-wide Ning could have both teachers and students join the network, but with different user privileges, again enabling simple communication between staff and students in a way that kids are familiar with. However, students must be 13 years of age or older to create a ning account, so this is best suitable for junior and senior high schools.

Examples of Networks on Ning for educators

 Ning in Education     [1]
 Fireside Learning    [2]
 Art Education  [3] 
 MACUL        [4]
 Additional Ning Sites in education [[5]

Features of Ning

• You can customize your page by adding your own logo at the top of your network. You can also create your own design with CSS.
• You can insert widgets from other websites or create an area for your weekly column, special promotions or community announcements.
• Each member of your network has a fully customizable profile with their photo, basic information and everything they’ve contributed to the network.
• You can schedule events, invite network members, and keep track of who’s attending
• You can create groups inside your social network around hobbies, interests, affinities, geographical locations and more.
• You can start a discussion forum and get people talking. They can also add photos and attachments to the discussions.
• You can upload original footage or share videos from popular video services like YouTube, Google Video and Vimeo.
• You can post photos and organize them into albums, then show off your photos in galleries or slideshows.
• You can integrate Facebook into your Ning site. Members can share photos, videos and music from their Facebook profiles.

Additional Information

By default, your social network comes with a quota of 10GB of storage and 100GB of bandwidth. This is a network with approximately 5,000 photos or 500 videos. You can purchase additional units of 10GB of storage and 100GB of bandwidth for $9.95 per month, per unit.

Visit the Frequently asked questions page to get help with creating your own Ning website.[6]