I have not had the chance to use this, just heard about it recently.
I've thought of setting one up for our ABLE region in Ohio.  Basically,
it would be an ABLE social network for the Northeast Ohio region, or all
of Ohio (sometimes it is good to set boundries).  You would be the
social network, like a mini-"facebook" specific to your social
networking population.  Beyond that, it is up to the "social network" to
really drive the concept, which seems to be the subject of this
discussion before i jumped in.  I can't recommend anything on
implementation, I'm really a librarian, not an educator.
 
Start here:
http://www.ning.com/
 
Examples here:
http://www.ning.com/home/networks?tag=education
 
The FAQs mentioned you can request access to source code.  Ning runs on
their hardware, and the software is regularly updated, so tweak at your
own discretion.  More answers may be found here
http://developer.ning.com/.   Hope this helps.  
 
Matt Gambrill
Northeast ABLE Resource Center
www.neable.org 

-----Original Message-----
From: technology-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:technology-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Mariann Fedele
Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 1:19 PM
To: The Technology and Literacy Discussion List
Subject: [Technology 1521] Re: Social
NetworkingPartIII:GettingStudentsandStaff on Board



Hi Matt,

Can you tell the list a bit more about Ning? Is it open source? Have you
given it a try before, if so what are your thoughts and recommendations
to the group?

Best,

Mariann

 

 

Mariann Fedele

Director,

NYC Regional Adult Education Network

Literacy Assistance Center

Moderator,
NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List
32 Broadway 10th Floor
New York, New York 10004
212-803-3325
mariannf at lacnyc.org
www.lacnyc.org


  _____  


From: technology-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:technology-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Matt Gambrill
Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 12:40 PM
To: 'The Technology and Literacy Discussion List'
Subject: [Technology 1517] Re: Social Networking
PartIII:GettingStudentsandStaff on Board

 

 

Google makes money by identfying users' tracks so they can target
advertising to them.  Most of what you do on google is used for that
purpose, even my gmail sells me stuff with its banner scrolling
headlines.  It is creepy to think about, but that is probably paranoia
(don't watch the Matrix and Terminator back to back so often).  Unless
you really enjoy reading User Agreements, you will probably not notice
that much of your information is used for purposes you would not have
anticipated.  That is the realm of cyberspace and product development.
Sometimes, this may be how the tech company makes its money and helps
gather feedback on how their product is functioning.  You also have to
consider these things are services, often provided to the user for free
and the creators want to make money somehow (we don't work for free, at
least many of us).  

 

Maybe you can avoid some of this stuff by taking more control over your
systems.  Instead of using facebook, try using Ning thats lets you
create your own social network and have more control aover who and what,
etc.  I'm not sure about the details, but I think this might help clear
some things up.

 

matt

Northeast ABLE Resource Center

www.neable.org 

 

 -----Original Message-----
From: technology-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:technology-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Emily May
Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 10:50 AM
To: The Technology and Literacy Discussion List
Subject: [Technology 1514] Re: Social Networking Part
III:GettingStudentsandStaff on Board

Good find on the article.

 

I know a few people who have ended their MySpace accounts. Essentially
what happens is that you just "disappear," meaning that you disappear
from your friends "friends" lists, all your announcements and comments
disappear, etc.

 

The article says:

"Other social networking sites like
<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/myspace_com/index
.html?inline=nyt-org> MySpace and Friendster, as well as online dating
sites like eHarmony.com, may require departing users to confirm their
wishes several times - but in the end they offer a delete option."

 

On a personal note, I find my relationship with google (I use gmail,
blogger, google documents, google spreadsheets, picasa, and the list
goes on.) to be far more creepy than my relationship with MySpace.  

 

Has anyone heard anything else on this front?

 

 

 

______________________________

Emily May

Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow

783 4th Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11232

718-369-0303

emay at obtjobs.org

www.obtjobs.org

 

 <mailto:emay at obtjobs.org> 

  


  _____  


From: technology-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:technology-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Leslie Petty
Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 10:32 AM
To: The Technology and Literacy Discussion List
Subject: [Technology 1513] Re: Social Networking Part III:
GettingStudentsandStaff on Board

 

The discussion thus far has suggested some very innovative uses for
MySpace in adult education.  I have very little experience in social
networking sites, however, and wonder about privacy and safety in using
these sites.  I think the points already made about keeping personal and
professional personae separate and about how information is available to
anyone is important.  This article in this morning's New York Times
about the challenges faced by those who want to remove themselves from
Facebook
(http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/11/technology/11facebook.html?ex=1218344
400
<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/11/technology/11facebook.html?ex=1218344
400&en=3509c270367a4099&ei=5087&WT.mc_id=TE-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M032-ROS-020
8-HDR&WT.mc_ev=click&mkt=TE-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M032-ROS-0208-HDR>
&en=3509c270367a4099&ei=5087&WT.mc_id=TE-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M032-ROS-0208-H
DR&WT.mc_ev=click&mkt=TE-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M032-ROS-0208-HDR)
made me wonder if MySpace has similar problems and if so, if those might
be problematic for teachers and students?  Does anyone have any
knowledge or thoughts about this?

Leslie Petty

On Feb 12, 2008 10:02 AM, Emily May <emay at obtjobs.org> wrote:

On getting students and staff to stay within the protocols:

 

Out of the starting gate we had a few issues with staff wanting to
confront students about things listed on their MySpace pages.  This
issue is particularly poignant for our agency.  We help these young
folks get jobs, and our job developers don't want to ruin their contacts
by sending over someone who isn't ready for the workplace.  Oftentimes
MySpace pages can uncover drug or alcohol abuse and/or gang involvement.
As a staff we decided that it was hard to tell how real these claims are
on a MySpace page because MySpace serves as an "alternate reality" for
many youth.  We also decided that our experience with them in our
program was a much better judge of their character than what we read
on-line.

 

On the student side of things, one of the reasons we knew that MySpace
was so hot among our trainees was that they were always sneaking a peak
during class!  That issue continues, but now we have a way to fight
back.  Our secretary monitors our MySpace page from the front office.
When a student is on MySpace, a little icon shows up on our friends
list.  If that student is supposed to be in class, our secretary will
contact the teacher and let them know that the student is on MySpace.
Sneaky, I know, but practical!

 

Emily

 

______________________________

Emily May

Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow

783 4th Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11232

718-369-0303

emay at obtjobs.org

www.obtjobs.org

 

 <mailto:emay at obtjobs.org> 

  


  _____  


From: technology-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:technology-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Mariann Fedele
Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 4:08 PM


To: The Technology and Literacy Discussion List

Subject: [Technology 1501] Re: Social Networking Part III: Getting
StudentsandStaff on Board

 

Hi Emily,

This is a great set of protocols. Have you had any difficulties in
having staff and students meet and stay within the protocols?

Do list subscribers have any concerns related to Myspace or other such
sites that Emily can respond to?

Regards,

Mariann

 

Mariann Fedele

Director,

NYC Regional Adult Education Network

Literacy Assistance Center

Moderator,
NIFL Technology and Literacy Discussion List
32 Broadway 10th Floor
New York, New York 10004
212-803-3325
mariannf at lacnyc.org
www.lacnyc.org


  _____  


From: technology-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:technology-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Emily May
Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 1:54 PM
To: technology at nifl.gov
Subject: [Technology 1498] Social Networking Part III: Getting Students
andStaff on Board

 

Getting Students and Staff on Board.  We launched the plan mid-cycle and
did a short survey examining how many of our youth had MySpace pages.
88% admitted that they did, but a number of them were hesitant to turn
over their MySpace page information to us because of the content on the
page.  If you go to our MySpace page you will notice by looking at the
comments that not all the profile pictures are "appropriate." Among
staff we had to agree to overlook this in order to meet the goals of the
project. To balance this, we talk extensively in our classes about how
employers are increasingly looking at MySpace pages prior to hiring.  

Staff gathered together and developed a list of protocols for how we
were going to implement MySpace internally.  These protocols addressed a
number of challenges that we saw from the starting gate, including:
student privacy, professionalism, and defining appropriate
communication.  Here is what we decided:

1.	Staff will not use what is on trainee's MySpace pages against
them.  For example, if a student references drug or alcohol abuse on
their page, staff will not bring it up with the students. Remember,
MySpace is an "alternate reality" for many kids, and much of what is
said online may not be true. We need to make MySpace a safe space for
our trainees so that we can use this resource effectively to our
advantage. 

 

2.	For trainees who are uncomfortable with the idea of giving staff
access to their MySpace page, encourage them to set up a separate
"professional" MySpace page. 

 

3.	Despite OBT's involvement with MySpace, trainees will still not
be allowed to access their MySpace page during class time unless a staff
member specifically directs them to the page as part of an activity.
Trainees who wish to look at their MySpace page will be able to use
OBT's computers at the end of the day. 

 

4.	Staff will be encouraged but not required to create a MySpace to
use with trainees. Staff wishing to be "friends" with OBT's MySpace page
must set up an OBT-specific MySpace page. You should not use your
personal MySpace page under any circumstances; even if your page is
professional, your friends' pages might not be. When creating your OBT
MySpace page, you must use your work email address and your headline
should be "Job Title" at Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow. The only
allowable friends are: trainees, alumni, or staff. All other friend
requests should be denied. 

 

4.	Staff may use their OBT-specific MySpace page or the "OBT"
MySpace page to contact students.  All communications must be
professional. 

 

5.	All trainees will be encouraged to switch their MySpace page to
a "friends-only" view (versus public).  This will help protect them in
the event that an employer looks them up on MySpace. 

 

6.	All friend requests to the OBT MySpace page are vetted to ensure
that there is a genuine relationship with OBT.  This is done by sending
a message to friend prospects to confirm why they are interested in OBT.


 

To get staff not involved in the development process on board, we
developed and presented a PowerPoint presentation at our all-staff
meeting.  We explained that traditionally, OBT had two methods to get in
touch with our students: the phone and letters.  Now, we were expanding
to include email, MySpace and Instant Messenger.  We didn't mandate that
all staff use all the techniques.  Rather, our goal was to educate
staff, get some key staff on board, and then publicize among staff the
success stories.  We also designated three "MySpace Experts" to help get
staff uncomfortable or unfamiliar with the technologies set up and
adjusted.  Slowly, more and more staff have gotten on board -
particularly among our job developers and retention staff - as they
realize that these technologies make their lives much easier.  Staff
report using these technologies to inform our students about upcoming
interviews or contact them to see how they are doing on the job in
addition to our more "macro" goals listed above.

 

Outside of issues of privacy (addressed in the staff protocols) our
students were already essentially "bought-in" to the idea of MySpace.
We had students create and design OBT's MySpace page so that we could
more effectively "meet students where they are at." This helped to
improve student engagement and interest in the project.

 

Tomorrow, I will discuss how we used LinkedIn to meet a different set of
goals. I will also examine other social networking sites out there that
may be "hot" among the students you serve.

 

 

______________________________

Emily May

Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow

783 4th Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11232

718-369-0303

emay at obtjobs.org

www.obtjobs.org

 

 <mailto:emay at obtjobs.org> 

  

 


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-- 
Leslie Petty
Associate Director
Project IDEAL Support Center
University of Michigan
734-425-0748 

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