Facebook and Ning

photo: lorrwill.blogspot.com

For last week's post I shared that presentation sites were my favourite. Ironically, this week we need to post about social networking and these sites are NOT my favourite! I had an account with Facebook and this past year I deleted it. I know that my account is deactivated. Yet, I am not sure if it is completely "deleted" from Facebook's servers. Here are some reasons why I deleted my account:

1. Time management - I realized Facebook was taking too much of my time away from my family. My son commented, "Why are you always on the computer?" That was the breaking point! 

2. Keeping up with the Jones - Many times I was getting the overwhelming sense of self-pity. Some of my friends were posting "happy" photos of their family trips, what they recently bought, their home renovations, etc. I know that I should be happy for them but commenting/reading on those wall discussions did not sit well. 

3. Connections - Being a little bit old school, I found my face-to-face and phone connections with my close friends more meaningful and personal than on Facebook. If I had time from my busy schedule, I would want to hook up with people that meant something to me than the "FOAF". 

4. Privacy - My family and I choose to lead pretty quiet lives. We like to have close friends over for dinner occasionally or the 4 of us will just cozy up on the couch and watch Little House on the Prairie together. Our school IT guy and his wife had their first baby. He did not want anyone posting a pic of his girl on any site, especially Facebook. He told his sister-in-law to take the photo off Facebook and remove any tags. 

So...there is my rant about Facebook. Even if I wanted to do a test on this blog regarding this site, I can not because it is block on our network server. Now, on to happier things...Nings!

photo: Joyce Valenza

Some time ago, I recalled signing up to the TeacherLibrarianNing. I am not sure why I did not completely embrace it at the time. Revisiting it, I am amazed by the amount of video, photos, discussions, etc. that is available on one site. Amazingly, there are 6925 members currently registered with this Ning. I am quickly realizing that Joyce Valenza is the poster child of the library world in the States! Unlike our other Web 2.0 sites, it seems like managing a Ning could potentially be a lot of work. Yet, it is very rewarding. Richardson writes, "While it hasn't been easy, Kevin has been amazed with the result" (Richardson, 143). At this stage, I am not ready to create my own Ning. However, I have signed up to ArtSnacks, Teacher Librarian, and the 21st Century Teacher Librarian Nings. By signing up, I will be able (first and foremost) read and explore what other teacher-librarians are doing. I will also be able to share, post video/photos, and ask countless questions in the groups or discussion forum. A negative point for the TeacherLibrarianNing is that the home page is very cluttered. I found it difficult to navigate with all that text.

Here are some things I picked up explore the different Nings:
As mentioned, library photos, videos, forum, etc in one place.

Santa, can I have this computer lab?  Photo by Marilyn Fry from TeacherLibrarianNing

Alright, I am starting to get that Facebook coveting feeling again. Nevertheless, I'll give myself permission to dream big. Here is a photo of a lovely computer lab from Brisbane, Austrailia of a IB PYP school. Marilyn's library looks amazing! She has many more photos in her profile. Like epals.com, she is looking for a class to be involved in her project. She writes, "I have an amazing project for next year and would like it to have an international and multilingual focus. Anyone interested?" (source). I am interested in learning more about what her project is all about by contacting her. However, my membership is still pending approval. 

Here is another great link from 21st century librarian ning that I could incorporate into a classroom setting. The VP at my school recently went to a teachers conference in Portland. Immediately, she came back enthusiastically and wanted to podcast. Good thing we covered it in this course already! 

Podcast Lessons

These Word documents that Janine Kowalsky shared about podcasting are excellent examples on how to start podcasting with your students. The rubric and information sheets provides teachers an idea of what to expect. 

Lastly, ArtSnackNing  is a safe, appropriate site for my school's art teacher to use. After emailing her, I am curious on her thoughts about this site. I particularly enjoy the Art Works tab. It is nice that there is a search function for pictures. In the photo below, I searched "drawings" and a lovely display of works were revealed. Quite inspiring! I just might start drawing and painting again.

 ArtSnackNing