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
Susan links to the same post I do as well... when something really good comes along you often run into it in different places within your online community.
Start really simple.
Now that Graham has brought this experience back into my focus, I'm realizing I can take quite a bit of learning away from the experience
Brilliant post! "I'm realizing I can take quite a bit of learning away from the experience..." Mandatory read before starting a new project! Keep it Simple Start Small Want do you want (UBD) Access issues Realistic - Time/Skills Schedules Maintain energy