How did you get Ning going in your classroom?

[Greg Oz]

Hey all

I'm in the process of setting up a ning for my adult ESL class. They're newly arrived refugees and immigrants to Australia. They're a group that is extremely keen to learn IT and take to it like nothing else.

I'm keen to know how you went about setting your ning in your classroom, how you organised it, lead into it, the purposes of it...Basically any ideas at all (or links to other sites or nings) would be great.

[Connie Weber]

I'm happy to talk with you about this, Greg. I would show them a model such as Ning in Education, CR2.0, EFL Classroom, or ArtSnacks, and ask them to think about what sort of uses for a network they would find beneficial and worthwhile. Then I would empower them with a mission of helping each other, and simply start. Glad to talk as much as you'd like, phone, skype, email.
Oh, by the way, Dave's advice (from EFL) about starting and staying small for a while proved to be very beneficial.

[Greg Oz]

Thanks for that Connie...your writing has very much been the guide/inspiration for me. And your ideas here re: the purposes for the network are very important. Oh and yesterday I showed them your comments about their videos and they were rapt - very excited to know that someone else in another part of their world could see their work and also made personal comments about it. Big smiles all round.

[Connie Weber]

Tell your students that their work is being used as a model for an assignment my students will be given shortly: that of making a "how-to" video. Tell your students that the spirit in which they approached the work, the vitality, the feeling of purpose and helpfulness--are inspirational. And send them thanks! OK?

[Greg Oz]

Hi Connie, they were pretty excited when I told them that you were showing their videos to your class in the States. That concept is pretty full on for many of my students. So thanks heaps. I've been adding some more videos where they spoke about their experiences of the Showcase too. Check them out when you have time.

[Louisa]

Hi Connie and Greg
I too am brand brand new to this web 2.0 stuff. I have signed up to wikispace, ning and have looked at some wkiks etc. Looks very complicated to me . I am teaching grade 4 and 5 students for the 2008 Aussie school year and would love to get going with some interactive learning. What I'd like to do and I don't know if it is possible is to have a class wikispace that we can all access and then I'd like the kids to all have their own too where they can upload their projects etc that I can mark online and they can access at home. BUT I don't want public access to the kids stuff yet. I wouls be happy for our class wiki to be available to other classes across the web but I do not know where to start. I am a mac user and know nothing about html scripting - which is what the wiki spaces look like to me....is this correct or is there a nice easy version like iweb for creating the wiki pages? help help!

Regards
Louisa

[Greg Oz]

Hi Louisa, great to see another Aussie here. I've used wikispaces with my adult ESL class. We made it private so that just the students and people we invite can see it. Students can also set up their own pages and you can upload materials, documents, photos etc. You can also protect pages - so that only you can alter them. wikispaces is giving away free wikis to K-12 classes. That way you get a wiki without ads. Best way to learn it all - is just to set one up and try the different features.

Anyway if you need help let me know. Oh and check out the videos my students made on my page. They're refugees and most of them have never used cameras or computers before. The videos are private but I can make them accessible to people on the network. I'll add you as a friend.

[Louisa]

Thanks Greg. How do I find your page?

[Greg Oz]

My eflclassroom ning page

[Simon Brown]

Hi Greg, it's getting a bit like Bourke St in here... (or Queen St from my end!)

Great to read about you and your students using Ning and YouTube - I started my students in Ning in the middle of this year.

I teach stonemasonry apprentices at TAFE, so the situation is a little different to your students, but the context is the same. I'm trying to encourage 15-25 yr males to participate in their own Ning space to develop their online literacy.

Although some of my students are OK with computers, most are not keen, and some do not use or own a computer (or even a mobile phone). My classes are arranged in four stages, so that (notionally at least) students can attend TAFE training sessions once every year of their apprenticeship. I decided to kick off with my stage one class in July this year.

I got each student to sign up in Ning using the data projector to display the steps on a big screen. Then each day, I started the class with the site open, displaying comments and photos uploaded during the previous night. Workshop photos uploaded to my Flickr account feed straight to the Ning RSS reader.

It's been a rewarding experience that I will continue next year - Ning is so easy to use, and being visually founded, appeals to my students (and to me!).

Unfortunately, the site is currently blocked in my classroom, but I'm lobbying for that to be changed - soon.

[Greg Oz]

G'day Simon

I suspect we work for the same organisation.

Interesting to hear about your Ning esp your students not being keen on computers. My ESL students have had very little experience, if any themselves with computers and multimedia but are so so keen. They want to be part of the ICT world and all it offers especially in terms of connection to their home countries. Like your students though most don't have computers in their homes.

What do you think are the reasons behind your students lack of interest - and what is it about the Ning that attracts them? I wonder whether finding things that they're into via ICT is a way to motivate - to have a reason to be into it.

Showing the students the site via data projector - especially all the activity involved is very important. I find that my students appreciate talking about the layout - learning the language associated with such, talking about what's interesting for them - and also getting them out the front to lead exploration of the sites.

Keep in touch...and check out my students movies on my page on eflclassroom

Greg

[Simon Brown]

Greg, those of my students not keen on computers tell me that they are not "nerds", that is, they work (creatively) with their hands fabricating and building things in stone. They do not want to identify with geeks they remember from school. Mostly, the school experience did not engage them. Those that use computers tend to keep quiet about it.

Apart from this, many do not own or have access to a computer (low wages, long working hours, living in short term rental accommodation), and other financial priorities (such as rent, food, girlfriends, cars, booze etc. take precedence.

Hence, I set Ning activities as assessment tasks. Outcomes such as workplace communications, workplace safety, and workplace operations give me scope to guide them through setting up an email account, registering in the network, and sharing work focused comments, photos and videos. Participation is not voluntary, but interaction follows.

In the meantime, they're building a beaut little online community.

[Greg Oz]

Hey Simon, yes I could understand how computer people could be positioned as the 'nerds' unlike those creative, hands on students - keeps it as a clear cut division. Probably issues around masculinity there too. The whole lack of engagement with school is a common story isn't it. And yes 'access' is a key issue that's for sure.

Had a quick look around your Ning. Twas funny how some of the guys wrote that they were only doing it cos they had to or other humorous lines. It's a really good way of documenting what's happening especially with the photos.

Greg