General Questions

[Demetri Orlando]

If you have a general question, please enter it in the box below.

(After receiving your answer, you may want to click the "Stop Following" link on the bottom of the page so that you don't receive future questions.)

[Bill Campbell]

Hi Demetri,

I'm looking for a tool to use for teachers to share more with each other asynchronously since face to face time for teachers is scarce. Creating a place for our new faculty to ask questions seems a good start, and if it is successful, other faculty may join. My starting plan is for the new teachers to be able to ask questions about using technology at our school. As the instructional technologist or our MS and HS, I'm going to monitor the space to make sure questions get addressed but my hope is that teachers will be able to learn from each other. If not from answering each others questions, than at least by seeing the answers to question they may have also.

Anyway, I was thinking about a private group here on the ISENET ning since it could be a semi-private space where questions can be asked without being open to many people but it is also part of a larger PLN where teachers might be drawn to connect with others outside of the school.

So I have three questions about this.

1. Is this ISEnet Ning going to survive Ning's policy change? Is someone paying for it?

(I expect this has been discussed on the listserv or elsewhere here, but I've not been following either closely enough to know.)

2. I see there are other school-based private groups here so I assume this would be ok?

If so, one issue I want to be sure to address is that teachers will know when a question is asked or answered.
I know from my own Ning use that following a thread will generate an email alert that a reply has been posted to that thread.

3. Is there a way to monitor an entire group (without monitoring the entire Ning) so that any thread started in the group will generate an email alert?

I don't want teachers to have to go and visit the Ning or an RSS reader to be aware there is a conversation happening as I've also found from my own personal experience with similar "non-proactive" discussion forums that it makes the group more likely to be a forgotten resource and stagnate.

I also really wish Ning would start including the text of thread starts and replies in email alerts instead of requiring you to go to the website each time, but I think I can live with that Of course, that has nothing to do with your or ISENet. :)

Thanks in advance for your help,
Bill

[Demetri Orlando]

Hi Bill,

Yes, under Fred's leadership, we have transitioned to a paid ning plan, and intend to continue paying for it so that we can maintain this site. We are thinking about various models to share the cost, but are committed to continuing this site.

You are welcome to create a private group on this site, and I think that is the way to go, because it gives you both a "walled garden" and also allows your new members to have access to a wider audience when they are ready to participate in the public groups/threads on this site.

I do think that you can "subscribe" to a group to get email alerts when new threads are posted. And it may be that as a group creator you get these by default. I haven't tested it, but I do know I am getting alerts (when new threads are posted) for several groups I belong to, and for some that I did not create.

Cheers,
Demetri

[arvind s grover]

Demetri, I am trying to change my e-mail address from my personal one to my school address. When I try I get the following: "The email address has already been registered. Please choose another." But then when I try to sign in with my school address it says that account is not registered. I seem to be stuck in a loop.

 

Can you look to see if my school e-mail does indeed have an account somewhere? agrover at hewittschool.org

 

Thanks!

arvind