Social Web & Social Boundaries

This is an interesting discussion between Aleks Krotoski from the BBC and Danah Boyd from Microsoft on the social impact of social tools. The focus special attention on teenager online activities. Enjoy:

New Additions to the Digital Backpack - Social Network Platform Special Edition @courosa #edtech #edchat

A disproportionately high percentage of the edtech community has for the past few years used Ning as the platform of choice for creating and growing education-related social networks. Many of us have come to rely on Ning for it's ease of use and how accessible it has been. One of the biggest reasons so many of us flocked to Ning was it's cost. Ning offered a nice free option for small networks not needing the advanced resources and support that many larger commercial networks need. Last week Ning announced a new company strategy whereby they will be phasing out free accounts within the next 30 days.

This obviously causes a dilemma for many of us who have built networks on this platform. While it would be good practice to support a tool we like by paying for it I fear that the pricing options will be too high for many many valuable networks created for non-profit organizations and many networks created for personal learning. Essentially, the problem posed by asking free users to pay for premium service is those who have networks of under 100 members will be charged roughly the same as those who have tens of thousands of members. Therefore, it will be necessary for many of us to bail on Ning and find other options.

While I agree with Alec Courosa that for long-term sustainability networks need to be self-hosted (and there are a lot of great open source options for this out there) for those educators who do not have access to a server or who do not need their networks to exist forever self-hosting is not a viable option either.

Luckily, there are a plethora of options available for network creators who don't have the option to self-host or funds for premium services. Many of these options are openly courting our education community and nearly all of them have been working to find ways to make the transition from Ning as easy as possible. So, the following are new additions to the Digital Backpack that support free hosted social networks for educators:

• - Create your own social educational network. (offers 10gb free storage, forums, group pages, integration with Google Gadgets, Wiki, file sharing, and RSS)
• - Create your own social educational network. (offers 1gb free storage for photos, group pages, forums, and RSS)
• - Create your own social educational network. (offers forums, group pages, Wiki, file sharing, and RSS)
• - Create your own social educational network. (only offers 100mb free storage, supports group pages, & forums with threaded discussions and very robust WYSIWYG editor for posts)

Consequently, I have a handful of Ning networks I have created and maintain. I do not have any funds to buy their premium services. Therefore, in the next few weeks I will be migrating these networks to other services. Most of them will become Grou.ps networks since that platform offers the most short-term promise. (They also offer this handy Ning migration tool: http://grou.ps/ning.php) If you are a member of any of my networks (iTeach Mobile, Minnesota Educator PD Commons, or Crosswinds Teacher Network) you will be notified shortly about this move. With any luck you will hardly notice the transition.

Social Network Platform Comparison

Click Here to see the original Google Docs File

	File Sharing	Storage Space	Forums	Groups	Calendar/ Events	RSS	Other notable features	CIPA	Downsides
Bigtent	yes	unknown	yes	yes	yes	unknown	Facebook Integration Has a built-in money collection tool for group events and fund raisers. Has a built-in polling feature.	13	URL is not customizable
Grouply	no	100mb	no Grouply has a message board feature but it does not offer threaded discussions. Each post is independent.	no	yes	yes	Looks a lot like Ning	Admin determines when they setup the group	free version gives very little storage Does not support threaded discussions Does not support Groups or file sharing.
Mixxt	yes, but as it's own category. Can't attach files to forum posts	unknown	yes	yes	yes	yes	Highly customizable. Simple interface. Has wiki feature	12	Templates are not as visually appealing as other networks.
Grou.ps	yes, but as it's own category. Can't attach files to forum posts	10GB	yes	yes	yes	yes	Highly customizable. Many template choices. Easy to use interface. Looks and feels a lot like Ning. Has many features that Ning doesn't even offer such as a site search engine, map modules, wiki pages, a file download module, and games. Integrates with Google Gadgets.	IDK	still in beta, who knows if it will remain free, could suffer the same fate as Ning
WackWall	no	unknown	yes	no	yes	no	Simple interface	IDK	very limiting no layout or feature customization for admin

Conclusion:

Grou.ps hands down wins this battle and is a serious contender that could rival Ning even if Ning kept it's free accounts.

Kay on Motivation, Papert on how schools discriminate against learners, and Dede on social learning #edchat

This is another fantastic clip from the 1995 Congressional Hearing on Technology in Education that is loaded with important points about motivation in learning.

In this clip Alan Kay eloquently describes the Montessori model of education and how the Macintosh OS is a kind of Montessori learning environment. He also highlights how kids want to learn how to do things they find value in and that our schools do not look like places they resemble from any other part of their lives. Part of this problem, he adds, is they don't see their teachers learning and if they did they might be more motivated as well.

Seymour Papert jumps in to add that our traditional school model is well suited for only a minority kind of learner and that this model discriminates against students who learn differently. He goes on to speculate that with time congress might see this as a human rights issue and declare that schools violate a basic human right by discriminating on the basis of learning style.

At the end of this clip Chris Dede jumps in to add that learning is also social and highlights the ability for computers to foster activities of collaboration and communication. His statements sound like he was describing today's social networks.



Well, that's all I have time for tonight. Stay tuned, when I have a little more time I will try to get through the remaining 170 minutes of this hearing.

Weekly Tech Tips - Social Networking, ISTE NETS, & Recommended Policies

Weekly Tech Tip:

Weekly Tech Tips - Social Networking, ISTE NETS, & Recommended Policies from Carl Anderson on Vimeo.

related links:

• Federal Trade Commission - Social Networking Sites: A parent's guide
  
• Aimée M. Bissonette, J.D.
• Change.org post on Social Networking and National School Board Association recommendations
• ISTE NETS for Students
• 25% of 8-12 year olds have social network profiles. This besides the fact of a minimum age of 13.
• Social Networking in Schools: Reason 1
• Social Networking in Schools: Reason 2
• Social Networking in Schools: Reason 3
• Social Networking in Schools: Reason 4
• Social Networking in Schools: Reason 5
• Social Networking in Schools: Reason 6
• Weekly Tech Tip: Using Social Networks in the Classroom
• Social networking sites have educational benefits
• Facebook on 60 Minutes 01-13-08 (Part 1)
• How Your Facebook Account Can Get You Fired
• Networked Student
• Educational Benefits Of Social Networking Sites Uncovered
• Executive Summary | Pew Internet & American Life Project
• Education Week: Teenagers’ Social Networking Found to Have Educational Benefits in Poll
• Social networking risks for educators. Eye-opening story from NEA attorney at www.nea.org/home/38324.htm
• IB Virtual Community – social networking site for MYP programs launching in September
  

Link Stew:

• Assignment Education: Single-Gender Classrooms - Part 1
• The Cartel Trailer - HD
• Race to Nowhere HD Trailer
• Confessions of a Converted Lecturer: Eric Mazur - Every teacher should be granted clock hours for watching this video, its fantastic and a message everyone needs to hear.
• How to Add More Music to Your iPod or iPhone
• 10 Amazing iPad App Video Demonstrations
• @SirKenRobinson Many thanks to all of you who joined the webinar tonight. The recording if you missed it will be on http://bit.ly/bOUftj.
• School webcam spying prompts call for new laws | eSchoolNews.com
• 10 Ways to track what people are saying about you on Twitter
• Eight habits of highly effective 21st century teachers
• Letter that a high school without grades could send to colleges to which its students apply
• Has education changed since the Industrial Revolution?
• Nintendo DS Enters Schools in Japan This Fall
• "The Schools our Children Deserve" Alfie Kohn Video from 1999. Well worth watching and boookmarking. 82 minutes.
• Seymour Papert, Chris Dede, David Shaw, & Alan Kay 1995 congressional hearing testimony on education & Technology
• what digital natives want from their libraries (video) - cute but obviously statged
• Why Social Media Curriculum is Critical in Schools - 140 Character Conference by Lisa Nielsen
• Simple fix for Internet censorship in schools
• TatMash Tattoo Idea Generator - Try On Your Tattoo Ideas Before They'Re Real.
• Free Stuff Terry Freedman's "The Amazing Web 2.0 Projects Book" free download

Blog Carnival:

• Think Social Networking Isn’t Important? by Aaron Eyler on Synthesizing Education
• Yoda on learning, “You must unlearn what you have learned.” by Gregory Thompson on Constructing Meaning
• Weekend Reading: Internet Safety Instruction and Amazing Web 2.0 Projects by Patrick Woessner on Technology in the Middle
  
• Reading is NOT the goal by Ira Socol on SpeEd Change
  
• Ideas For Teaching With Twitter by Steve Wheeler on Learning with 'e's
• Blog is not a bad word: How Web 2.0 and strong content can transform education by Ted Leach on mallecho

Social Networking in Schools: Reason 6

reason 6:

Social Networking in Schools: Reason 5

Reason 5:

Social Networking in Schools: Reason 4

Reason 4:

Social Networking in Schools: Reason 3

Reason 3:

Social Networking in Schools: Reason 2

Reason 2:

Social Networking in Schools: Reason 1

My next few posts are by no means a comprehensive list of reasons teachers and parents need to engage with kids in social networking, but it is a start.

Reason 1:

Will you be my digital identity's valentine? #iteach

According to someecards.com, this ecard was the most shared card on Valentines day from their site:



This is indicative of a social phenomenon created by the proliferation of mobile devices such as cell phones and iPods in our modern society. What this hints at is actually a problem more sinister and troubling than simply an adoration for our mobile devices. Has our engagement with the virtual spaces made possible by these devices hurting our real-life relationships?

Nokia promised in this add that the mobile devices (the 4th screen) would bring us all closer by getting us out in public again and share real experiences with each other.



While it has gotten many of us out more physically I am not sure we are all "there" when we go. What these devices do for us is open our daily life, wherever we go, to virtual or artificial worlds. Twitter, SMS, Facebook, Foursquare, etc. all are virtual worlds upon themselves. Sure, these virtual worlds are not the 3D immersive kind such as Second Life, Active Worlds, or World of Warcraft, but they are virtual worlds in the sense that we meet other people and interact with them there.



We have moved a large portion of our lives to these spaces and have carved out an identity there that resembles that of ourselves. In many ways this new digital identity is more pure and it is hard to tell which is the real self, the digital one or the one made of flesh. Online networked spaces allow for a kind of mediated psudo-telepathy where we can connect through our thoughts without all the physical baggage that weigh us down in our face-to-face relationships. Online, if I choose, no one has to know what I look like, what race I am, what my age is, etc. All that matters is the quality and tone of our thoughts put to words. This is not to say that all digital identities are genuine, it is just as easy to falsify one's digital self. But then, it could be argued that even the falsified self is as real online. Does it even matter to those who only know your digital identity if it isn't true to your physical one?

This weekend three things I saw brought this issue home to me. First, there was this tweet by @budtheteacher:Then, later that night I watched Disney's Enchanted with my family.



It struck me that the novel act of these characters moving back and forth between two worlds (the artificial, animated one and the real life one) was not so novel anymore. Only three years since its release and this kind of thing is happening everyday everywhere you look. Sure, we are not moving back and forth between visually immersive worlds (unless we are playing MMORPGs or using Virtual Worlds) but our online spaces are artificial and they are places where our digital identities live.

Finally, the next day (Valentines Day) my wife and I took our kids to an indoor play center in Edina, MN called Edinborough Park.

The park was packed, full of young children and their parents. It was probably close to capacity. Then my wife noticed that nearly half of the parents were not playing with their kids or even watching them. Instead, they were fully engaged with their smartphones. Now, I know I have been guilty of this at home at times (my wife consistently reminds me of it) but for parents to do this in public? This is an epidemic. When you step into your digital identity, can you simultaneously devote sufficient attention to your children? Are these parents who arguably, for the time they are using their smartphones, are teleported to a different world absent?

This brings up more questions than answers. If you don't know someone's digital identity, can you really know them? Can young children even know their parents if they are too young to know their digital identities? Can a parent really know their child if they are not friends on Facebook? If you marry someone based on a face-to-face relationship you have with them and do not know their digital self, how well can you know your spouse? Now I am starting to understand why a couple in 2008 filed for divorce because the husband's Second Life avatar virtually married another woman's avatar.

Don't get me wrong, I love my online social spaces and am not advocating anyone give them up. They are powerful and important. But, I think we need to consider when it is appropriate to move between worlds and we need to take more seriously who we are online. As for me, I think I am going to devote at least one full day each week to living off line with my family. I am going to encourage my wife to get to know my online identity better. And, when my children are old enough I will friend them on Facebook (or whatever platform everyone is using in 10-15 years).

Weekly Tech Tip: Using Social Networks in the Classroom

In last week's tech tip I showed you how many teachers are using social networks for professional development. This week I will show you how some teachers are utilizing social networks with students and how to set up a similar project yourself:

Weekly Tech Tip:

Social Networking in the Classroom from Carl Anderson on Vimeo.

Link Stew:

• New additions to the Digital Backpack
• 3 Types of Web-based Instructional Activites (w/examples) - from Learning Today
• Writing, Technology and Teens - Interesting research how texting and social networking is improving teen writing - Pew Research Center Publications
• Texting 'improves language skill' - Interesting study done at Coventry University and reported here on BBC News that shows positive effects of SMS texting on student spelling and writing skills.
• 12 Free Online Quiz Makers to Create Online Quizzes
• Google to build ultra-fast broadband networks
• Technology changing how we work, play, shop - great article on emerging technologies from The Wichita Eagle
• How to Teach with Tech Tools - Fantastic examples of successful tech integration in this article
• A Thought Experiment: Why grade? Why test? What if? by Cathy Davidson on DML central: digital media and learning.the power of participation
• Free Moodle Accounts for Teachers - provided by
• Ninja Hunter - Learn to type by killing ninjas
• LOTR prequel made by fan using her life savings scores 500K views on the internet. http://j.mp/aiJN5g
• QRstuff - kind of like YouTube for Augmented Reality QR codes
  

Blog Carnival:

• Google Docs Does Not Violate CIPA (or COPPA*) by Mark Wagner, Ph.D. on Educational Technology and Life
• The Importance of Managing Your Online Reputation by Vanessa Miemis on emergent by design
• I wouldn't do it if it weren't for credit from Scott McLeod on Mind Dump
• Schools that are serious have someone at the top who is willing to focus on the learning from Scott McLeod on Mind Dump
• Blogging Alliance-Essential Educational Blogs by Kelly Tenkely on iLearn Technology
• The Teacher Salary Project: Changing the Way We See Teachers By Sara Bernard on Change.org
• "Just tell me what to do" by Scott McLeod on Dangerously Irrelevant
• running to stand still by Scott Schwister on Higher Edison
• SMART Boards lacking intelligence? by Bill Feriter on Plethora of Technology
• Educon: Harnessing Chaos By Rodd Lucier on The Clever Sheep
  

Weekly Tech Tip: Beginners Guide - Social Networking for Educators

While Myspace & Facebook are still largely taboo in k-12 schools social networking has recently made a huge splash for Educators. There are many social networks that have been created in the past three years designed specifically for teacher professional development and educational research. This week's tech tip introduces you to a few popular networks for teachers.

Weekly Tech Tip:

Related links:

• NEA's list of social networks they recommend for teachers
• ElEdBlog - Space to discuss articles from NEA Today
• ASCD EDge
• Classroom 2.0
• Educator's PLN
• iTeach Mobile
• English Companion Ning - Where English teachers go to help each other
• Early Career Teachers - NCTE Ning
• Art Education 2.0 - Using New Technology in Art Classrooms
• MEMO - Minnesota Educational Media Organization - Serving school ...
• k12Online
• SEMTEC The SE MN preK-12 Technology Coordinators
• The Future of Education
• WebQuest Dialog
• Independent School Educators network

Want to build your own social network, try these platforms:

• Ning!
• Mojofiti - Social network & blogging platform that instantly communicates in 27 languages
• Taskbarn
• Planypus
• Wetpaint - free wiki platform that has social networking features

Link Stew:

• Educon 2.2 is this weekend
• Follow them on Twitter!
• Attend Virtually (links to Elluminate Sessions Steaming unConference Sessions)
• Avatara - Create 3d avatars online
• iTALC - free computer lab management software - gives you big brother control over your fleet of machines
• Try Android 2.1 on Windows

Blog Carnival

• How to Request Ad Removal from an Educational Network
• 50 Cool Search Engines for Serious Readers
• "Will Richardson and the new high school, Clay Shirky and the new college" by Alex Reid on Digital Digs

Weekly Tech Tip: Digital Media, Social Tools, and Ethics

Weekly Tech Tip:

• Digital Youth Research: Kids' Informal Learning with Digital Media
• Student Free Speech: When Teachers are the Targets by Aimée M. Bissonette, J.D.
• New Report Says Adults Need to Get Involved in Teens’ Online Activities - Harvard University
• Technology Educators Decry New Digital Divide By Andrew Trotter
• The Digital Production Gap: The Digital Divide and Web 2.0 Collide by Jennifer A Schradic, University of California Berkley
  

Blog Carnival:

• Technology Transformation: The Death Valley Bloomby Pete Reilly on Ed Tech Journeys
• You Are What you Search Part 1 by Rodd Lucier on The Clever Sheep blog
• Should I be Thinking About Moving to a One to One Model? by Pete Reilly on Ed Tech Journeys
• Two Road Blocks to Transformation We Have Yet to Address by Pete Reilly on Ed Tech Journeys
• Does your school organization reflect our new digital information landscape? by Scott McLeod on Dangerously Irrelevant
• 1:1 A Wise Choice? by Julie Lachance on The eJulez Perspective
• Researchers Say the Social Web Improves Kids' Literacy (Geeks Say 'Duh') from ReadWriteWeb
• I Don’t Need Your Network (or Your Computer, or Your Tech Plan, or Your…) by Will Richardson from Weblogg-ed
  

Link Stew

• Study: Children Who Blog Or Use Facebook Have Higher Literacy Levels
• Willingham: Six practical reasons arts education is more than a luxury on The Washington Post
  
• Official Google Mobile Blog: Mobile Search for a New Era: Voice, Location and Sight
• Trillions from MAYAnMAYA on Vimeo.
• Mentionmap - A Twitter Visualization - See how Twitter users are connected
• .: Sumo Paint 2.0 :. - Another browser-based image editor that looks and feels like Photoshop
• Memoov - Animation Studio online
• New Choice Health - compare prices on medical procedures at different hospitals
• REDFLY - by Celio Corp - Device you plug a Blackberry into to turn it into a laptop. Gives your phone a full-size screen and keyboard.
• Doing What Works - Research-Based online teaching strategies
• Edudcation Week - Four Flawed Assumptions of School Reform
• Good Video Games and Good Learning by James Paul Gee
• Scott Kim takes apart the art of puzzles - TED Talk
• Shuffle Brain | Smart games for a connected world
• ProProfs - Create your own Puzzle Games

Social Networking: An Evolution in Communication Media

Wow! It has been a whole month since my last post. I hope I still have subscribers. Well, I have been busy. I have the first draft done of Wasioja Valley School's charter school planning grant application done. Now, we sit and wait for the other interested parties to add their feedback. In the meantime I am excited about some other upcoming events I have been getting ready for including teaching summer school for National Connections Academy, the NEMEN Institute in June, and various presentations/workshops at TIES.

The following is a video I just put the finishing touches on that I plan to use in a presentation to a group at TIES on May 19th on Social Networking. Basically, what I hope this video does is help us to take the long view for a moment and examine social networking from a different perspective. I feel we are too close to these trees to see the forest and an examination of social media/networking from a larger historical perspective could help inform our decisions about how schools address these new developments. I contend that the development of social networking on the internet is the present stage in an evolutionary process of human communication and that soon it will be thought of as an integral part of the internet. This film is a call for schools to encourage teachers to use these tools with students. We would not teach a student how to read and not allow them to write, why would we teach them how to use the internet without teaching them how to participate.

Social Networking: An Evolution in Communication Media from Carl Anderson on Vimeo.

Click here for Youtube version.
Click here for Blip.tv version.

How Technology Has Shaped This Election

Consequences of Digital Illiteracy

Disclaimer: This post is not about politics, nor is my intent that it be political. It is about technology and digital literacy (or digital fluency).

How is Technology Affecting This Election?

Like many people, I have been following this US presidential election and noticing how much technology has changed things this time around. The essential question that emerges for me from this spectacle is, "What are the consequences of digital illiteracy?"

When looking at the role of technology in this election it is easy to see some of the triumphs. First there were the YouTube debates last winter that at least gave the impression that regular everyday citizens could have a greater voice. Then there was the promise by Obama to announce his running mate first via text message. Even though his pick was leaked and reported first on the cable news the stunt gathered for the Obama camp an impressive bank of emails and cell phone numbers. It will be interesting to see how these are used as we draw closer to the election.

The third thing I have noticed was how much social networks have played a role in this election. Obama is the first US Presidential candidate to use one as his campaign website. While members of this social networking site can't do much more than donate money and get their friends to donate money it is the start of what could be a new model of how to tap into the power of the social web to aide in the running of a campaign.

What the Obama campaign has done with technology seems to contrast strongly with what I see coming from the McCain camp and I can't help but think their lack of fluency with digital media is going to hurt or has already hurt his campaign.

Back in July the New York Times published an interview with McCain where he said he was learning how to get on the internet himself and relied on those around him to help him do things on the web. Here is an excerpt from that article:

McCain’s Conservative Model? Roosevelt (Theodore, That Is) - NYTimes.com via kwout

This brings us to what I find a striking contrast in how social networking has affected this campaign season. Since McCain has picked Sarah Palin as his running mate there has been a firestorm of controversial debate online about Palin's values and her ability to effectively mother her own children. Most of this debate stems from the circumstances surrounding her 17 year old daughter's pregnancy. However, things get worse when you look at the boyfriend's MySpace page or even the boyfriend's sister's Myspace page (which have both now become private but the damage I am afraid has already been done). Nevermind the whole teenage pregnancy issue or the vulgar self description that reportedly appeared on Levi Johnston's (the daughter's boyfriend) MySpace page. On Levi's sister's page there appeared this photo:


The girl sitting in the chair is Levi's sister and the baby she is holding is Trig. This image is most likely the image that set in motion the rumor online that Trig is not really Sarah Palin's son but is her Grandson. Whether that is true or not, the political damage has probably already been done. I can't help but think that if McCain were more technically literate he might have had the foresight to investigate his running mate's own web presence before tapping her as his #2. I guess in November we will see if his own inability to use the internet will hurt McCain or not. One thing I think is a pretty safe bet is if McCain-Palin win in November we probably won't see any love for MySpace or other social networking sites from that administration.

What skeletons do you have in your online closets? Couple suggestions:

1. Google yourself regularly (or sign up for Google Alerts and let them push new sites with your name, company name, or username as they are posted)

2. Watch what other people around you post

3. If your kids have an account on a site like MySpace or Facebook create one for yourself and insist that they make you one of their "friends." See what they are posting and follow what their friends are posting.

4. If you are hiring a new employee, do a search for their name.