Introductions

[Steve Hargadon]

Welcome! Please introduce yourself, let us know who you are and where you are from, and, if you are already using Ning in an educational setting, how you are using it.

[Steve Hargadon]

Hi, Baby Jane! I think I replied to a blog post of yours... ? Glad to have you here!

[Dale Singer]

Hi everyone, I am totally new to this, but... I have a vision!! I am the curriculum director and mentor teacher for Peoria Academy in ILL. I would like to create a community where our students, parents, teachers, and administrators could share ideas, knowledge, and information. An extension of the school that could become a place for lots of people to keep in touch. I recently met Steve at a conference in St. Paul and I have been talking about this since, so I have some support and lots of people interested.

[Steve Hargadon]

Hi, Dale! :) Can't wait to hear more about what you do. You might start a conversation in the general forum about your idea, and see who else has tried it and what lessons they might have for you!

[Jaime Caro]

Hello!

My name is Jaime Caro. I am Colombian and work in a bilingual school in Colombia as technology director and quality program leader. We are using a Microsoft platform (SharePoint), but I know I have to study open tools like Ning since we want an open web 2.0 environment for our teachers and students.

[Steve Hargadon]

Hi, Jaime. Glad to have you here!

[Jonathan Wallis]

Greetings from Cali ,Colombia,

My name's Jonathan Wallis and I'm the ICT coordinator in the Primary section of a Bilingual school.
We are working towards becoming a PYP school which is keeping everybody busy.......at their wits ends, in fact......and Im working hard at integrating digital technology into the different units of study.At present Im exploring how teachers can best collaborate with their different planning groups in between planning sessions.To do so I've set up different groups using wikis, Googlegroups and now Im turning to Ning. We are still far too reliant on notice boards( physical ones) to communicate and I´ll know that I have succeeded when every last one of them is empty or better still covered in art work. With my students we are exploring web 2.0 resources as much as we can - Voicethread and Google Earth being the favourites at the moment. Collaboration with other classrooms around the world is next on our list so do let us know if you are interested.

Im also completely in to road cycling.

Thanks Steve for setting this site up Im sure its going to be useful already.

Jonathan

[Steve Hargadon]

You're most welcome! Glad to have you here. When you are ready for the collaboration piece, be sure to check out Lucy Gray's globaleducation.ning.com/.

[Cecile Webster]

Hello All!

I am an Instructional Technology Intregator at Amherst Central Schools in Amherst, NY. We do not use a Ning in an educational setting. I, myself need to learn more on using a Ning.

We are just trying to break the barrier using Wikis and it is very difficult. The majority of our teachers seem to not want to change or complain they don't have enough time to do all this. Any thoughts?

[Steve Hargadon]

Hi, Cecilia!

Yes--my thought is that you have to give the teachers some tangible benefit from using the tool that saves them time or gives them voice or something valuable to them. :) Otherwise, they have enough on their plates that the "promise" of the technology doesn't get you very far...

Hope you'll let us know how it goes!

[dave garland]

Hi
Been on classroom 2.0 for a while now.

I've used ning for some time and have just set up 7 closed networks for colleagues to work on at a conference I'm organising.

I'm trying to get them to see what is possible with social networking and education !

Deputy Head ( ICT Specialism ) at saltash.net communtiy school in sunny Cornwall

Working with a colleague together with the Microsoft Innovative Teachers Network


it's all good fun !!

[Steve Hargadon]

Hi, Dave. Welcome! :)

[Robin Cottiss]

Hello,

I am investing the use of technology in education to assist my wife, who teaches High School Spanish, and my local K-8 School District where I sit on their Technology Advisory Committee. The School District is in the early stages of a Learner Active, Technology Infused Classroom Initiative. I am especially interested find out how other teachers get started in using technology in the classroom. One of the challenges I see is how to get teachers comfortable with technology enough to use it every day in Classroom activities. I could see the value of creating Social networks for teachers as well as Networks as part of the instructional environment and would be very interested in talking to other teachers who are going through this process.

Thanks, Robin