So for my first discussion, I want to comment on communication. We started using the Ning at Hamilton Elementary School last year, which I can best explain as a mix of blogging and facebook. Thanks to Mrs. Cheryl Fisher, that smarty pants principal at Keith Elementary, who shared the site and some basic instructions, my staff and I hit the ground running with it. Staff can upload pictures, videos, comments (all of which can be set as "approved by principal" first); events and appointments are added throughout the day; message broadcasts can be sent out (flashy graphics can be added!), and you can add all sorts of buttons, links, etc. We have uploaded all of our handbooks, forms, information, etc. so the teachers can download and print if needed.
Before we Ning'd, I would save up information for my weekly newsletter, but there would still be daily reminders I would need to email. Now I just post it on the Ning. Did teachers forget to check it? Not after I started randomly posting things like, "Jeans tomorrow for everyone who reads this." or "Comment back to the Ning blog within 2 hours for free soda!" They caught on fast!
So, we are in "real time" with our information at HES, and we love it! Check out the Ning at http://www.ning.com/!
h3
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