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.

[TWB]

Teachers Without Borders (TWB) envisions a world where teachers are viewed as the natural and obvious key to human welfare. At over 59 million, teachers are the largest single group of trained professionals in the world. They know who is sick, who is missing, who is orphaned by AIDS. They often administer the polio drops, protect their students from danger, identify who is at risk for human trafficking or a military gang. Teachers Without Borders is an organization of teachers, worldwide. We are non-profit, with a small staff, and a large community of talented teachers, like you.

[Kristen Alliegro]

As the Spider would say: Salutations!

Midwesterner (USA) here from the Gateway - St. Louis, MO.

I am not an educator or in the field in the formal sense, yet. I do have a very strong belief in the empowerment of students and teachers with a passion for learning, which I feel is the most critically missing element in our education system as a whole.

I joined Ning by request and I am always seeking to network with those in education to learn about their experiences, outcomes, views and processes for how they make their environment work for them or what they feel needs to change. As my interest lies primarily in administration of K-5, it seems only appropriate to information gather from those who are already entrenched in the day to day of the learning environments.

As a parent of two school ages boys, I have that perspective to also draw on - how parental expectations can influence academic performance; which also is under great debate. Does parental involvement truly make or break a child's educational opportunity? The questions I have are many and theoretical in nature, one of which will eventually become part of my academic learning when I return for my Masters and perhaps eventually my doctorate in the form of a Thesis and/or dissertation.

Perhaps I'll start a blog.....

[Sue Hellman]

Hi -- I'm a teacher in an alternative school in Surrey, BC, Canada who is looking for a way to refresh my career after 35 years at a desk. I have been on an 'accelerated' learning program over the past 20 months as I have worked my way towards an understanding of web 2.0 and it's power to help students become more engaged in their learning. I've enjoyed Classroom 2.0 and 2.0 Live and would like to find out how this network differs from those.

[Jamie Willis]

Hello!
I am a graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in the United States. I am currently working on a research paper about the Visual Arts Curriculum in Thailand. I have already obtained a lot of the needed information but I still need a couple of things to complete my paper. Would you, if possible, answer a couple of questions or point me in the right path? I need to know at what grade levels Visuals Arts are taught and their frequency – how many days a week and for how long. I also need a copy of the Visual Art Education Curriculum or the Standard Course of Study for Visual Arts in Thailand – if you could give me a website where this is located that would be great! As a culmination of this class, I have to create an art or craft product that represents Thailand’s culture or identity. I had planned to create a large paper mache Budda – do you think this is appropriate or do you have other suggestions?
I really appreciate your help! Any information or websites that you could share about Visual Art Education in Thailand would be super! THANKS AGAIN and have a GREAT day!

[Jeff Luther]

Hello. I teach English, social studies, and technology in a private middle school in Oregon. We don't currently use Ning, and I'm just trying to check it out. I think it might be useful for staff members to communicate among themselves. I'm also thinking of creating a network for students and teachers together. I know many teachers, myself included, don't really feel comfortable having students as "friends" on facebook. I don't know whether either one will work, or if there will be any unforeseen consequences... Thanks for reading.

[Meriah Duncan]

Hi. I am a high school English teacher and new to this ning. I am relatively new to wikis and nings. I have decided to use my summer break to learn how I can best use web 2.0 technology in my classroom this fall. I have set up my first wiki and ning and will use threaded discussions with a summer class that I teach beginning next week. I hope to learn much from teachers who currently find success with nings and things in the high school classroom.

Meriah Duncan
Kirtland High School

[Mary H]

Hi from rural New Jersey. I teach high school English and am contemplating a move from class blogs to a ning. My students have used blogs, wikis, and nicenet; I'm hoping the ning will allow for all of those features in one place. The blog/comment feature is there, as is the forums for discussion. The collaboration of a wiki seems to be missing--or am I missing it? As a writing teacher, that element is important to me. Any suggestions or advice?

Thanks,
Mary in NJ

[Gregg Gelb]

Hello Out There!

I just want to say hello to whoever may be listening and let whoever you may be know a little bit about me...I've got many years of experience as a player/teacher, many of those experiences have been good, but I have reached a changing point (sort of a dead end)...I just finished a DMA and thought I'd be in the running for a university job, but there are lots of things working against that right now as most everyone knows. Maybe being in this network can help keep that goal alive.

[Dr. Laura Guertin]

Hello! I'm Laura Guertin, and I teach introductory-level geoscience and Earth science courses at Penn State Brandywine (located right outside of Philadelphia). I've taught online for several years (creating using podcasts, virtual lectures, etc.), but I'm looking for another delivery method besides the course management system my university uses. I'm teaching a course in Fall 2009 called "Natural Disasters: Hollywood vs. Reality," and I'll be using Ning to facilitate the course delivery. This is my first time using Ning, so wish me luck.

Rock on, everyone!

[Shirley Miller]

I'm Shirley Miller from Santa Cruz, CA and I teach seventh grade in the Cupertino school District. I just discovered the ning this summer, so I haven't had a chance to use it with my students yet. I've been using pbwiki (now pbworks) with my students for 4 or 5 years, but I like the structure of the ning for certain activities. I would love to set up a ning for my students, but am not sure about the "must be 13 years of age" rule. Most of my students turn 13 during their seventh grade year.

If you are an English or social studies teacher using a ning for your classroom, I would like to take a look at it to get ideas about set up and content.

Shirley

[Rachel Blanco]

Hi. I'm Rachel from Sunny South Florida. I teach Geometry and Algebra II Honors. I am looking into using a Ning site for my classes this coming school year. I used a class webpage last year and would like to use something more interactive and Ning definitely fits that category. I am looking for any suggestions on how to effectively, and securely use it in a high school setting, particularly math classes.

[Susan Hopkins]

Hello - I am Susan, a displaced teacher in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System presently seeking to either return to the classroom or to work in the education market in another capacity. Presently, I have enrolled in graduate school to study Organizational and Stragegic Communication, choosing to focus on the business of education rather than seek another education degree.
Last year I moved to England to teach and discovered British schoolchildren are somewhat advanced in using IT at an earlier age. I would like to help American schools and teachers recognise the array of educational tools embedded in IT and the value of IT in the academic world. British teachers seem much more comfortable integrating IT into their lessons on a daily basis.
My personal goal (if I return to the classroom) is to utilise podcasts and social media as learning tools; to seek a grant for my own interactive whiteboard; and to encourage my school system to allow access to apps such as Ning. Within the limited constraints of my former system's computer systems, I used a personal "class" website and online publication as a teaching tool and incorporated a considerable amount of interaction with the Internet and e-mail into my lessons. I hope to learn more from interacting with others on this site.