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Similar to parts of Edutopia and the WordPress Buddypress plugin, TeachAde hosts a number of useful discussion groups and offers plenty of free education resources. Billing itslef as "the first social networking website designed specifically for educators that is completely free and easy to use," TeachAde promises a host of activities, nearly 60,000 resources, core materials, a daily digital planner, and even a 'find a colleague' feature that I personally find the most compelling reason to try out the site. After all, isn't connected learning all about actually, you know, connecting with your fellow learners? TeachAde holds great promise and all the parts are there. Now it just needs your help and input. I've been tinkering with TeachAde for a few weeks now and it's proven to be very useful for finding peer-reviewed resources.

A take-off on Pinterest, eduClipper is one of the newest entries to the 'educational social network' foray and seems like a worthwhile place to pull in some hard-to-find information. Created by Adam Bellow of eduTecher.net (great site, worth following!), it's a never-ending stream of clearly laid out educational information. It's extremely similar to Pinterest but I actually have found numerous infographics that aren't seen on Pinterest. The infographics themselves are a bit less mainstream (Pinterest) and a lot more niche (eduClipper).

I think that this slideshare presentation provided an interesting perspective on where social networks have come from historically as well as their uses. On slide number 27, the author points out that because of how social networks have developed, students really expect them to be used as a social outlet, not necessarily an educational one. As we work to harness the potential that exists within social networks to be effective learning environments, we have to recognize and utilize the medium in those ways that students understand and expect. The author points out 3 particular ways to best harness these networks for educational purposes. First, by defining goals from the introduction. We have to be upfront with our students about the purposes of the network, how we expect the tools to be utilized, and the professional manner in which we will be utilizing the network. Second, by staying on topic. The instructor plays the critical role in maintaining the focus of the class on the specified topic. And third, clear participation rules. Students have to understand how they are expected to participate. How often, with whom, and what will constitute adequate participation will all have to be addressed. I liked these points of discussion because they are relevant to every kind of social network, not whatever is the current flavor of the day. Honesty with our students about the purpose and expectations for conduct apply just like in a regular classroom. The exciting part is all of the additional tools that are available for students to commmunicate and collaborate which simply do not exist in a traditional classroom. The asynchronous nature of it all is a unique aspect that changes the way we look at class interactions. Social networks are like any other tool. We have to understand how to use it before it can bring about the results we desire.

I like this site, especially the link to social networking, which is why we are here. Seems like a great tool for the classroom too!

Todd, I found the challenges section interesting- that students expect social networks to be just that- social- rather than educational. We will need to keep this in mind and address it as we utilize SNL. There suggestions for keeping things running smoothly are also helpful- define goals, stay on topic, and have clear participation rules.

This was an interesting blog post that essentially asks, is it better to remain uninformed? This is a very real question for the passionate educator. Once one connects in to best practices, it can become increasingly difficult to abide in the current practice of one's own school. As an example, my wife is a nationally board certified teacher, she works in a private school with great resources (her third grade classroom is one to one laptops) , but through fairly poor leadership, the technology largely remains outside the circle of meaningful practice in her school. Her peers largely rejected any thought of instructional transformation, and as a result, her school has essentially provided every student a laptop computer to utilize as a sixth textbook, or a word processor. Being a progressive educator, engaging in professional reading, and attending conferences, can be incredibly frustrating when one understands the possibilities and sees dynamic change occurring elsewhere. It's almost like you are standing outside the gate, seeing the party, but have no means of entering. This might seem like whining, and the comments in the post somewhat bear that out, but it is part of the burden one must assume in working to create change. So, is ignorance bliss? In all honesty, sometimes it can feel so.... ts

If I may... There just may be areas of life about which we are better off not knowing, but I'm not sure. Then again, I'm happy that many hostile biologists do not possess the sequence and the genetic code for the small pox virus. Your addition to this page does raise some interesting questions.

Whenever I read or hear "Ignorance is bliss" I can't help but see thee image of Cypher chomping down on a huge steak in the Matrix. While there are definitely areas in life where mankind should remain ignorant (nobody wants that seventh grader bringing a laser gun to class), teachers being more aware of better practices or what's happening in more technologically advanced schools is one of them. Seeing these new ideas can lead the teacher to ask, "How can I make that work in my classroom even if I don't have everything they have?" At least a passionate educator might. The dispassionate educator probably isn't even utilizing a PLN.

This is a great resource for finding great tools found in Google for educators. A lot of great things are out there and the teachers in this group are great at filling you in! I liked Google templates in particular. It's a great resource for history teachers. The time line template would be a great activity for my art history students. http://diigo.com/0d2vd

This is one of the fastest-rising educational social networks you should know about. Twiducate got me excited from the start with the unique approach to setting up your classroom online: the teacher does all the work and then students just get a simple code to punch in. Then, voila! They're all set up and have an account! Twiducate was started in 2009 and focuses on giving teachers more control than they'd typically expect to find in a free social network. Twiducate is all about creating a "safer online learning environment" and it shows. The site, even from the start as I mentioned, takes great care in putting the power of the tool in the hands of the teacher. Whether you agree with the tact or not, it's worth checking out Twiducate.

Billed as an "education 2.0 social network for your class," Diipo reminds me more of Edmodo and some Blackboard applications rather than Pinterest or your standard social network. That's a good thing. Diversity and competition are wonderful for this kind of environment. Like Edmodo and other tools of that ilk, Diipo offers plenty of 'community' tools such as a group discussion area, direct messaging, student project management, class rosters, microblogging, a knowledgebase, and the ability to upload and share files. That last one is my favorite and seems to be one of the most useful ways to start with Diipo. Don't want to use Dropbox or unsure about other cloud-hosted services? Diipo (to me at least) has shown itself to be a simple and secure way to effectively upload and share digital resources for your class only.

As an online 9-12 teacher and parent of three teenagers, I know that the majority of students have Facebook accounts and spend time each day socializing through this technology median. I have often accused Facebook as being a distraction from homework and "real socializing". This article helps me rethink the use of Facebook. The old adage comes to mind, "If you can't beat them, join them". I loved the practical suggestions this paper brings forth, such as making my own "Teacher Profile" that they can keep as a friend. Through this means, students will be able to chat with me about homework whenever we are online, as well as visit my page for useful resources. Sure we can introduce other software programs to provide these teacher interaction services to students such as e-mail, Moodle and Pronto, but why not work with a program they already know and love...In addition, the topic of Facebook profiles and postings can also provide "meaningful" classroom discussions about ethics and self dignity. Thank you, Amy Brown for putting this resource together.

When I first started using Facebook, I was determined to keep it exclusively made up of my real friends. I was living abroad at the time so it was a great way to stay in touch with friends. As it gained in popularity I started getting requests from students which, even though I primarily teach adults, I ignored out of a sense of professionalism. Eventually I did friend a few students who I considered actual friends and that opened the floodgates to friend requests from every student. I felt obligated to accept them and before long I couldn't use Facebook without second-guessing everything I posted and worrying about what my friends might post. I only used Facebook as an email alternative for a few years before I became confident in the privacy settings and once again felt comfortable that I really was only socializing with my friends and not also every student, distant relative and elementary school classmate I had ever had. I think the moral of the story is that instead of using Facebook as the One True Social Network, it's better to have smaller, more specialized social networks for different purposes, such as an EduBlog set up for one individual class.

John you bring up really good points. I share the same concerns and try not to accept every friend request I receive or offer friendship just because I recognize a name.

This presentation does nothing more employ multi-media to list 18 names of individuals who are associated with the field of education in various manners.It is short and to the point. What is special, however, is that these 18 names are active members of blogs, wikis and a host of connections. Out of the 18 , I Googled 3 and was quickly transported to several presentations, links and information regarding Google Wave and the importance of using "Backchannels" in the classroom. When I was an undergraduate, I had a professor whose name was Robert Peck. He often commented that "like minds ought to form networks so as to be able communicate easily and often…but how do we make this happen?" Were he alive to see the connectedness of the Ed Tech community he would smile.

Hey Dennis- I appreciate your posts. I'm an old basketball coach and, as such, not so cerebral, but I do try. I read the link with the research evaluating exemplary teachers vs their peers. Interesting work. When reading education research, it is the publishing dates I generally find discouraging. In this case, It is ten years later, have we really moved the ball on any of this? (That's a football coach reference, but, whatever). How many generations of students will pass before we begin to ensure they receive the education that might provide them advantage? Or will America be the lagging country-still presuming standardized tests are evidence of.....heck, anything. ts

I chose to use Art Education to examine an open and a closed PLC. The open was a social network learning community I have mentioned before- Art Snacks

I think you will find this video a helpful summary describing visually why educators should consider crating and participating in a personal learning network.

Thanks for sharing Glori! I enjoyed listening and watching the Youtube video. I then watched quite a few more to get a better handle on what a PLN is and how to set my own PLN up. It also allowed me to see that I already do some of the aspects of a PLN but did not know it. This will help in creating my own PLN.

I somewhat facetiously posted in my class introduction that I would not be "tweetered". I felt it only fair that I should begin my study on a topic for which I have distrust. This article did present an interesting and creative use of Twitter. The applicationn provided the means to accurately record data by having subjects record actions in real time (by tweeting). This gives the observer more accurate information, as there is no need for the subject to recall and reconstruct occurrences from memory. This research was directed toward a broader end of understanding the role of informal learning, the authors called these "learnscapes" as opposed to classroom learning. The lingering impression for me is the creativity in which technology is being applied in support of the redefinition and understanding of learning. It's why I believe this is actually one of the most interesting times to be an educator.

Timothy, glad to see you start your study with Twitter :) I agree with you- this is an interesting application of Twitter for educational purposes. I can also see some possible spin offs that could be used in my institutional setting. We have students who are off campus all over the world during their last term of chiropractic school. Perhaps they could Twitter about what patient conditions they treat each day and post links to where they found information supporting evidence-based practice for those conditions.

I have led professional development, and shaped a series of professional development classes, to assist teachers in the adoption of one to one laptop programs. Saying that, I couldn't agree with this blog post more. The dynamic change in resource for teachers, and the ever shifting landscape of technology, makes many teachers feel a sense of frustration in attempting to get a handle on what's "out there". This post articulates, and I believe my experience validates, that the answer to engaging these issues does not lie in more and more professional development, but rather, assisting teachers in the creation of their own learning networks for both support and guidance. PLN's are not only more effectual, professional development is expensive. I brought someone in to help our teachers establish personal PLN's, but I don't believe I properly considered how important this was to the process. As I'm quickly learning, PLN creation and engagement may well be at the foundation of any school transformation. ts

If I were to be honest (and I guess, why not), I would like to develop professional development that would assist learners toward meaningful understanding and engagement of PLN's. For me, the missing link is the PLE. I'm still grappling with that myself. What should my computer screen look like? I get your dingo's, the elephant head thing, tweetering, et al. I still struggle with a mental picture of how my new computer screen looks. What exactly is going on there? I think that is step one in this. Somehow. I'm going to figure this out. Somehow. And yes, I get the irony of posting a PD is dead reflection-and than wanting to create PD. Kind of not functionally getting it.....still missing something visually.....hmmmmm.....(love the process though:)..... ts

Timothy, I am confident that by the end of the term you will have a handle on this brave new world- including your computer screen.

This site can be used to help students who are looking to attend a 4 year College find the right school. You will find that it has many search features and cool resources to help prospective college students refine their choice(s) of schools. These days researching schools is an educational experience.

Stephen, this looks like a wonderful resource for a student!

This article on PLC's is a good one. It goes over the definition of a PLC and explains why they are now so commonplace in education. I highlighted the key point, "suggesting that when teachers had opportunities for collaborative inquiry and the learning related to it, they were able to develop and share a body of wisdom gleaned from their experience." Because I think it sums up all the reasons why PLC's are now being utilized so often in education. Research has proven that when PLC's are utilized effectively in schools, student learning improves greatly.

Article from National Middle School Association's Middle School Journal about misunderstandings and misrepresentations of PLCs

I guess I wasn't expecting to see all of the highlights and sticky notes listed out here. I hope I did this correctly!

Interesting display that I didn't expect! Thanks for exploring this tool with us, Libby :)