For me, the power of social networking, especially in the elementary school classroom, is the ease with which students can begin to take a leadership role.
the ability to create a private Ning allows our students to have open conversations, while still emphasizing online safety and appropriate use.
It is amazing what you can do on Ning. Here is a great Ning community to join: http://www.classroom20.com/ Feel free to ask me how I have used Ning in the classroom.
Although things have been proceeding well, there are a few things I wish I had known/done at the begining: Parent Permission Clarify Behavior Expectations Teacher (And user) Management Systems Model