Ning Post

http://suekriz.ning.com/
Ning is a social networking site that can easily be used for the classroom. It can be set as a public site or a private site to provide more safety for your students. There are multiple options to make the site the best it can be for your specific class. Groups can be created, which may be helpful for group project work, and the groups' progress can be observed more closely by you. Events and due dates can be listed in another box. You can also list notes for the class in another area. The blog is another interesting option. Not only can you have class discussions through the blog, but you can also have some of your posts done in advance and just list the date you want the site to post it, so it is not forgotten.
The chat option can also have different uses. You might have an hour every night in which the students can ask you questions. The site can also be used to easily send class wide email.
Bing also has music, video, and picture options. You can use these options to post podcasts or videos you want your class to see. You can also take pictures of your class activities and post them on your bing site.

Responce #2

http://lizsdregas.wordpress.com/2009/05/13/education-blog-uses/ was the blog that I responded to. It is about using blogs in education.

Thoughts on ED 205 Online

I'm not a big fan of online classes, although I still think this one is pretty well, especially compared to some online classes I've heard about. I'm learning new things and trying out new things, so that can always be considered a success. I haven't taken any online classes before, and if I can avoid it I don't think I'll take many in the future. I much prefer the live discussions that take place in regular classes compared to trying to write a couple paragraphs twice a week for a discussion board conversation. I think I would get my thoughts across better. If there had been the option of taking the class on the Allendale campus, unless it was a Friday class, I'm pretty sure I would have chosen that over the online class.
I like that lectures are done in a combination of written items and podcasts. I would like a little more information on how the exams are going to be done (multiple choice, T/F, short answer) and possibly some sort of study guide. I also appreciate the fact that our opinions for improvement are asked about this class, and then THEY ARE ACTUALLY LISTENED TO AND USED.
I would prefer to have direct face to face contact for a class, but even though I don't, I think I still doing pretty good.