My Shelfari Bookshelf

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Monday, November 15, 2010

Thing 22

Ning has so many opportunities for networking and collaborating among educators and librarians! I think I ended up bookmarking five or six more sites about either Library 2.0, teaching ideas, and Library 2.0. Assessment FOR Learning is all about using practical assessment everyday to maximize student learning.  There are some great assessment ideas and strategies, along with explanations of why we assess and when we should.  Teacher Lingo is a way for teachers to connect and share through blogs, lesson plans, resources, and other related items.  I really liked the diverse amount of information available here for all levels.  Ning in Education is and educational social network, connecting educators through special interest groups (such as content area or grade level).  It has a lot of resources and a wide variety of blog posts to browse through!  Classroom 2.0 really peaked my interest.  It's a network for educators interested in using Web 2.0 and social media in the classroom.  One group is "Google Apps for Education" and its forum has some very interesting posts (check out Using Google Application in the Classroom).  I actually sent in a request to join the network.  Another network I requested to join was Library 2.0.  It's nice to know that there's a network available for when I begin my Librarian 2.0 adventure!  Another Ning I really enjoyed was the Content Literacy Ning.  I love that there's a network for teachers who advocate the literate approach to teaching content.  One of the things we discussed as part of my undergrad was Writing Across the Curriculum, which basically means including writing in all content areas to promote better comprehension and retention.  While not too many people have heard of that concept in Texas (I think it must be a term used in North Carolina mainly), Content Literacy is a concept that is widely known and includes Writing Across the Curriculum.  I love that there is a place to go to discuss and share resources and ideas concerning this topic!

While these Nings are all for educators, I wonder if it would be possible to create Nings for, say, high school math students, where they could go to get help with concepts.  I tried to find a Ning for Struggling Readers, but to no avail.  I think it would be a really good network to create - one that focused on reading strategies, advice, and suggestions for both educators and parents.  I've had quite a few friends ask me how to get their children more interested in reading or help them raise their comprehension.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to give them a network to pull ideas from and to discuss what has and has not worked with parents going through similar situations?  There are so many options for Ning - you could even create a classroom Ning, since you can choose to have members only join by being invited.  I think students could really benefit from a site where they could collaborate and discuss ideas and questions with their peers.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for including extra Nings you found. I did not see those in my search, but they look interesting. I enjoyed learning with and from you!

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  2. Thank you! Ditto - and I hope you find the Nings useful - I think I got a little carried away in my search! lol

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