I moved to Wiggio after Ning went to a fee-based site. As a teacher and a coach I could have gotten a free Ning site, but it was only the basics. I love the flexibility Wiggio gives me to upload video and audio. I will use it again next year and am promoting Wiggio to everyone I meet.
it provides everything you need to work productively in your groups, without bogging you down with complexities and unnecessary features. Wiggio is currently used by over 100,000 groups
Nancy: You need a phased attack. Phase one involves marshaling the technologies you do have handy to create communication with parents. Use Twitter for homework updates, essential questions about reading assignments, a "writer's tip of the day" etc. This is what I call a "tier 1" communication. This technology gives few details, but provides parents talking points during dinner conversation with their kids. Then use your website to add the major details, evaluation rubrics, blogging, etc. What I like to provide are "desktop" videos that capture you using or modeling Web 2.0 technologies, and their potential in the classroom. Post these on your website and say something like, "Blocked here at [your school] but you can perhaps use these tools at home..." When parents start to see the same text appear over and over as a caption or comment in your video, they just might get angry enough to go to the superintendent, or the IT "integration specialist" and say, "Enough! Give this teacher the tools she needs!" We're fighting this battle everywhere. Educators are being treated like children who don't have a clue. Keep fighting the good fight and good luck!
Exercise
Briefly look at 2-3 examples of courses run on "loosely coupled technologies," that is, outside of a CMS using contemporary Web 2.0/social software tools and methods.
That's why we need to learn the common culture of web2.0 tools and be comfortable with this new technology. What he is speaking of is an important part of the new agenda in education.
Members of this group therefore may be more likely to think of themselves as "citizens of the world."