What I want this group to be....

[ellen pham]

I foray out into the big "EDUCATOR" forums, make a post, and then find myself wishing for a warm nest to return to, or in wolf-talk, I want to be reunited with my pack. After the strain of trying to sound intelligent to "make my point", I want a place to ask, "Does anybody else like Captain Underpants? Do you still miss Calvin & Hobbes?

Make no mistake about it, I believe, I know, that elementary teachers lead the way in educational innovations. We are leaders.

It's just a bit of a strain to be with the "grown-ups" all the time.

What do you want from this group?

Warm Wishes for us all,
Ellen

[Jo Rhys-Jones]

Hi Ellen

Have had to take my school's Kingswear ning offline as Head/Director's unhappy about ning not supporting it and not prepared to go it alone any longer. We are all desperately disappointed - including the Head and Governor's - but with our resposibilities to esafety and the kids we just can't fight our way upstream.
Even more depressing is that we are now under a LOT of pressure to sign up for Learning Platforms through the Government Local Authorities. These are expensive, inflexible and controlled by THEM not US. We soooo desperately want to be able to get our ning back online...
So that is why I'd like to join the group and will be following what happens - I don't want to give up hope that ning will support Elementary groups before it's too late and we don't even get the opportunity anymore.
Jo

[ellen pham]

Oh Jo, I am so sorry. I think you should talk to Steve Haradon as to what's coming up with Ning- he might have some insights we don't know about.

It is silly for administrators to be so concerned about safety on ning- I don't know how to explain it, except that it is not entirely rational. Have you talked with Connie Weber over at Fireside Learning? She has been using a ning network with her fourth and fifth grade class with great success, maybe she has some insights on how to deal with administrator concerns.

As far as being forced into a centralized, cookie-cutter system (that is probably going to bore the tears out of everyone!), I can relate. Here in my district, the reading curriculum has been taken over by the textbook corporations. Besides being outrageously expensive, It is such a boring way to develop fluency, it breaks my heart. I am substitute teaching this year, so I don't have to deal with it in the same way (subbing is always awful, but for different reasons!), but the classroom teachers are so disheartened. And it is happening all over the US, this standardizing of elementary curriculum, fueled not by best practices, but rather by corporate profits.

Fortitude, my dear! And I am here to chat with, anytime : )

[Jo Rhys-Jones]

Thanks Ellen - that's exactly my point - it's all fuelled by corporate profits as you say - aaarrggh!
Actually the school parents and gov's are very happy with our esafety systems. We complied completely with UK (BECTA) guidelines, parents had signed permission slips, fake dummy email sign-ups for the kids, no names or photos used, no data collected and regular eSafety school workshops involving parents. Even went thru COPPA with Steve H - but what clinched it was when Josie pointed out the no under 13's in the ning terms and conditions - there's no way the school are prepared to take responsibility for something that is breaking the terms and conditions of the platform, even though what we were doing was perfectly safe and educational, and creative too.
But I am hanging in desperately - loathe to delete the site - in the hope ning can come up with something 'in the nick of time' as it were! And meanwhile very keen to keep in touch with others in Elementary. I like the idea of another ning group even as I think this group is a little buried.. also there are very specific concerns to teachers of younger children - classroom management, curriculum, terminology and of course, safety online as ever!
Thanks for being there Ellen!
Jo x

[ellen pham]

Dear Jo,

I understand your situation better now- you have jumped through all the hoops, there are no more left to jump! If your school signs up for Learning Platforms, will you be required to use it? If ning gives the OK to users under 13 in an educational system, will you be able to put your ning back up even if the Learning Platforms system has been adopted? I don't understand the "lines of authority" in the English educational system, so some of what I say might not make sense : ), but you know me, I'll try anyway!

There are several free, secure blogging systems that, while not a social networking system, might provide for your classroom needs better than Learning Platforms, and gives you, the classroom teacher, control. I've mentioned 21classes and edublogs before, and there is also classblogmiester (I haven't checked them out yet.) I just ran across another this morning, called epals. From what I gather after a quick look around the web site, it is a blogging system and secure email system combined, designed to encourage communication and collaboration between students across distances. Maybe we can check epals out together, and share what we think the pluses and minuses might be?

I guess my point is, can you suggest other programs to your headmaster/governor, pointing out that they are free and secure, and the developers are encouraging their use in elementary classrooms, and advert being "taken over" by Learning Platforms that way? The money saved could provide more laptops for the classroom : )

About the elementary group being buried- I should say so, we are near the bottom of the fourth (and last) page in the group listings! I think you and I are the only ones who can still find it, Jo ; ) I love the idea of having a gentle place to collaborate with other elementary teachers- there are a few elementary teachers who are in it for the control (very sad and toxic to the young ones), but most of us are so tender-hearted and ready to give. As a sub, I miss that camaraderie. I understand that teachers who have their own classroom might not have the same need as I do, and are too busy to support another network (!), but I think those of us who congregate online have something special to offer each other.

I am hesitant to keep bugging Steve, but maybe I should talk with him about ways we could promote our group, maybe merge with a few others, grow a greater base and increase our visibility. I will think about this a bit more and let you know. In the meantime, it is so nice to come here and chat with you!

[Mike Romard]

Great lead question by the way. Sorry that Ning is not working as you'd hoped.

Personally, as I stated in another forum area, our school/host government (china) blocks its share of great web 2.0 sites.

But, my hope is that I can create a Ning site for the 3rd grade communities - I already have a half dozen teachers lined up who are interested in being involved. I just have to become a semi-guru in Ning first. :)

I also hope to learn how to use Ning more effectively to create secured chat and global interacting communities. I'm surprised to hear that folks think Ning isn't such. I must still be out of the loop.

I have so much to learn. I'll have to console myself with my belief that it's better to be innocent than ignorant.

Warm regards,
Mike

[Jady]

Hello Ellen, My name is Jady. I also teach elementary education. I have to agree with you on some of the educational sites with people with advanced degrees I get lost. I enjoy Captain Underpants too.

[ellen pham]

Hi guys! It is so nice to read new replies... Mike, sorry it took me so long to respond, I missed my email alert. Jady, it is so nice to meet someone who can say they also enjoy Captain Underpants : )))

Mike, have you checked out David Deubel's EFL classroom? The resources are amazing... every time I look around I find something else to delight me. The karaoke videos are especially fun, and The Bot is very funny... look right at the top of the main page for links to these, and so much more.

For myself, I have been spending time on Hors les Murs - it is a french site (and I don't speak any french!) that gathers students and educators from around the world (mostly Europe, at this point) and it has been really fun for me... I feel like my global perspective has been broadened, always a good thing, yes?

I am teaching a class there, called English for Friendship & Fun. It has been heart warming- it seems everyone on this ning is gentle and kind. Realistically I know that is highly unlikely, but so far it has been so sweet. I have a good friend in China, a good friend in Romania, several friends in France, Italy, Lithuania... very dear, mostly women, kind of like elementary school (not meaning to leave you out, Mike, men in elementary education are very special : ))

I am using a program called voicethreads to create much of the curriculum- I'd love it if you'd take a look at one of mine, here.
I do get a little lonely for American companionship over there, and I'd love to hear some American perspectives on the project.

I'm also trying out online, live meetings. We've used the FM Open Learning format, which is ok but not the best, I think, for language learning, and soon I will try out a conference call on Skype. Are you familiar with that program? It is wonderful! I can talk to anyone in the world, who also has the program, for FREE! It's so easy to use, and the sound quality is as good or better than the telephone. You need a headset or microphone to use it most effectively. If you are interested in trying it out, send me a note and I will give you my skype ID (it is no fun if you do not have a friend or two on it!)

Let me know what you all are up to, and let's make a wolf (ok, maybe a puppy) pack!

Warmly,
Ellen

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