Social Web: NCTE Ning

For the past several months, I've been regularly reading and periodically posting to Ning for the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Ning is very similar to Facebook and MySpace only because the main focus is social networking. Ning's appearance and professional conversations are characteristics that set itself apart from mainstream social networking sites.

When I first visited NCTE's Ning page, my first impression was its slick professional look. It's not loaded with advertisements, nor does it fill my inbox with unwanted spam. Instead, the page brims with useful articles, videos, links to lesson plan ideas, and conversations for English teachers.

The value of NCTE's Ning is collaborating ideas with teachers from around the world, many of whom can be very supportive. It's nice to visit a social networking site where I can bounce ideas off other professionals in my field who have more experience and know where to direct my ideas in a positive manner. In a discussion of an article called "Does reading literature prepare students for the real world?," I commented on it and received a response from the author within 24 hours.

The problems I see with NCTE's Ning is its organization, or lack thereof. If I'm searching specifically for a particular activity to use for a lesson, and I'm pressed for time, Ning is not my go-to site. Ning is more useful for English educators who are searching for long term ideas.