Weekly Reflection: Ning's the Next Best Thing

Ning may sound funny, but I found out it means business. It's a teacher-student networking site which, to be honest, I didn't even know existed until today. When we were discussing its uses and applications in class, I was struck with all the simple tools that could help so much with the problems in classrooms today. That sounds like the sweeping statement of an idealistic (or pessimistic) undergraduate, so I'll be more specific as to what I mean.

1.) The Teacher-Student-Parent Circle of Communication. I know. Jazzy sounding. But from my own experience as well as the experiences of many others, it's clear that innumerable times there are miss-communications between these three parties. Parents don't know what their kids need to be doing and if their child seems to be slacking they may blame the teacher, who may, in turn, blame the parents for not doing a good job of teaching their children to follow directions, and the child may occasionally get a lash from either side or otherwise stay out of the whole mess. If parents can go online to know what their kids need to keep up with, then accountability is entirely on the student and there are no blame games. Nothing lost in translation. A love triangle, but connected with understanding instead of creepiness. 

2.) Classroom Unity. It's been shown that students in most classrooms never end up knowing more than a handful of other students in their class even after being together for a year. With a networking site where students get to discuss classwork with each other (outside of the classroom, no less) they get to know each other and form bonds that can strengthen their sense of classroom security as provide resources for help they may need. Study groups no longer have to involve shuffling around awkwardly trying to make eye-contact with peers--it's as simple as "friending" someone and leaving them with comments and questions.

3.) Homework Help. Sad but true--not every child has a parent who is able and/or willing to help them with their homework. With the online chat feature of Ning, this problem is also remedied. If the teacher or volunteer parents let the students know they are on the chat for certain hours during the week, students can get the help they need even if the help isn't in the house.

Of course, there are a few downsides to be considered. What kind of technology do the students have access to in their homes, schools and communities? How tech savvy are the students? Regardless of the few problems that may come up with using Ning and other related sites, I couldn't believe how helpful it sounded. I felt like all teachers should receive training for it right away so they could create better learning environments for their students, but I can at least feel grateful I have knowledge about these helpful tools for my future classes.