Social platform based around repository of documents?
July 14, 2015 11:47 AM Subscribe
Would Ning be suitable for creating an online community based around sharing curriculum for educators of teachers? If not, what tools would be best?
I'm looking to help create a kind of hybrid social network/curriculum repository for a group of teacher educators. The goals are to provide a space where educators of teachers can find and discuss curriculum, network with other teachers (ideally in a manner similar to other SNSs, without it being too flashy/overwhelming/yet another account they don't' want to use), and build a sense of community. The tool is designed for educators of teachers, including educators teaching professional recertertification classes that may have tightly scripted curriculum requirements. In many ways, Ning seems like a fantastic fit, and here's an example of a community somewhat similar to what I'm being asked to build: http://edupln.ning.com/
My main concerns are 1) that Ning doesn't natively handle an emphasis on files and/or links that well (it seems like it's focused more around the discussions and posts than uploaded content?), 2) the last year activity has slowed a lot with Ning, and 3) people who use it tend to be ambivalent about it as a platform. It's likely that we will also use Blackboard CourseSites or a similar tool to actually host the files, meaning that the curricula will actually be links, especially at first. But it would be nice to have flexibility on that front (good support of uploaded documents) when more materials get added over time.
I've heard JamRoot mentioned as a Ning alternative, but it's another tool that I have a hard time evaluating in the long term (how likely is it to stick around?)
A wiki-style tool could be a powerful solution for the content side, but the kind of friendly, accessible, social feel is really important as well (and is something Ning kind of does well, it seems?)
Any thoughts would be fantastic -- both specific suggestions of tools I could use, and resources I could use to educate myself to better discover and evaluate online tools going forward. Thanks!
I'm looking to help create a kind of hybrid social network/curriculum repository for a group of teacher educators. The goals are to provide a space where educators of teachers can find and discuss curriculum, network with other teachers (ideally in a manner similar to other SNSs, without it being too flashy/overwhelming/yet another account they don't' want to use), and build a sense of community. The tool is designed for educators of teachers, including educators teaching professional recertertification classes that may have tightly scripted curriculum requirements. In many ways, Ning seems like a fantastic fit, and here's an example of a community somewhat similar to what I'm being asked to build: http://edupln.ning.com/
My main concerns are 1) that Ning doesn't natively handle an emphasis on files and/or links that well (it seems like it's focused more around the discussions and posts than uploaded content?), 2) the last year activity has slowed a lot with Ning, and 3) people who use it tend to be ambivalent about it as a platform. It's likely that we will also use Blackboard CourseSites or a similar tool to actually host the files, meaning that the curricula will actually be links, especially at first. But it would be nice to have flexibility on that front (good support of uploaded documents) when more materials get added over time.
I've heard JamRoot mentioned as a Ning alternative, but it's another tool that I have a hard time evaluating in the long term (how likely is it to stick around?)
A wiki-style tool could be a powerful solution for the content side, but the kind of friendly, accessible, social feel is really important as well (and is something Ning kind of does well, it seems?)
Any thoughts would be fantastic -- both specific suggestions of tools I could use, and resources I could use to educate myself to better discover and evaluate online tools going forward. Thanks!
Best answer: You may already have these and just didn't list them here, but before getting into specific tools, do you have a solid foundation of who the target user group is, who their target audience is, and what the specific requirements are for whatever tool you use?
When I was working in K-12 instructional technology, it was very important to avoid "yet another account" if I wanted K-12 teachers to actually use what I put in front of them. Using the same tools the teachers used also helped me gain credibility with them-- they were required to use Blackboard with their students, so it was important that I also use Blackboard in order to understand their working environment and provide some good models of best practices. One of the main complaints that teachers had about teacher educators (especially university-based educators, if this is your population) is that the teacher educators didn't understand the "real world in the trenches." Then again, the teacher educators may have existing tools you can leverage, and if at all possible I'd start my evaluation with those. That way, if you pick something else, you can at least show that you conducted an evaluation of existing tools.
So is this site/community just for the teacher educators, or are the teachers going to be members too? Even if the teachers are not going to be members, it could be helpful to stick with the same tools that the teacher audience uses on a daily basis.
As far as evaluation, what are the specific requirements, and how are those requirements prioritized? Once you have those nailed down, it becomes easier to evaluate and compare different tools. Sometimes these are hard to get out of the people who are asking you to do this, but maybe start with that example Ning and have them tell you specifically what they like about it and what else they would want to see.
posted by scarnato at 12:25 PM on July 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
When I was working in K-12 instructional technology, it was very important to avoid "yet another account" if I wanted K-12 teachers to actually use what I put in front of them. Using the same tools the teachers used also helped me gain credibility with them-- they were required to use Blackboard with their students, so it was important that I also use Blackboard in order to understand their working environment and provide some good models of best practices. One of the main complaints that teachers had about teacher educators (especially university-based educators, if this is your population) is that the teacher educators didn't understand the "real world in the trenches." Then again, the teacher educators may have existing tools you can leverage, and if at all possible I'd start my evaluation with those. That way, if you pick something else, you can at least show that you conducted an evaluation of existing tools.
So is this site/community just for the teacher educators, or are the teachers going to be members too? Even if the teachers are not going to be members, it could be helpful to stick with the same tools that the teacher audience uses on a daily basis.
As far as evaluation, what are the specific requirements, and how are those requirements prioritized? Once you have those nailed down, it becomes easier to evaluate and compare different tools. Sometimes these are hard to get out of the people who are asking you to do this, but maybe start with that example Ning and have them tell you specifically what they like about it and what else they would want to see.
posted by scarnato at 12:25 PM on July 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
PBWorks recently locked all (non-commercial?) sites out of even being browsed unless you are logged in. This might be a good thing if you don't want uninvited people looking at your stuff.
posted by scruss at 12:48 PM on July 14, 2015
posted by scruss at 12:48 PM on July 14, 2015
Moodle is an LMS but has social community forum functionality too. Definitely check it out.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:30 PM on July 14, 2015
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:30 PM on July 14, 2015
As far as I'm aware, Moodle is only an option for schools and universities who have web servers with PHP and a database.
Edmodo is free and would do what you want, but it is another account. I've used it with groups of teachers to collaborate and share information.
posted by guster4lovers at 2:30 PM on July 15, 2015
Edmodo is free and would do what you want, but it is another account. I've used it with groups of teachers to collaborate and share information.
posted by guster4lovers at 2:30 PM on July 15, 2015
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posted by estelahe at 12:24 PM on July 14, 2015 [1 favorite]