My Experience with Wall.FM

In a class last semester I experimented some with Ning, and I became very interested in creating a social network for a classroom as a means to share work in a fun, interactive atmosphere outside of class. Because Wall.FM is free, I thought it would be an excellent alternative to Ning, so I was very enthused to learn the technology.

The network itself is incredibly easy to make, but it is a bit trickier to navigate. It feels kind of like an archaic version of Facebook. After a couple of days of playing around with it, I learned that it would take some getting used to, not only for me, but also for my students. My experience with Ning was a lot smoother; therefore, I learned that not all personalized social networking sites are created equal. To be completely honest, I couldn't see myself using Wall.FM in my classroom. It looks unprofessional (there are very few templates to choose from, none of which are especially attractive), and, to me, it isn't nearly as straightforward as it should be. Though I am the administrator of the network, I imagine it would be way too easy for students to make it sloppy.  Ning is neater and more straightforward, probably because it is designed for education.

So, even though I didn't create a Ning account for this class, I will answer the questions regarding instruction through social networking assuming that I will use Ning in my future career as a teacher, because I certainly won't use Wall.FM. Social networks are a great alternative to class websites because they offer more upfront interaction. I don't believe that any class should have both a website and a network; that just gets too messy. Ning provides a medium for all information typical of a class website, which allows for the class syllabus, grading policy, calendar, assignment list, and similar information to be available to all students and teachers at any time. It also provides a simple way for students to submit work that is meant to be interactive. The teacher can ask questions related to a particular reading, and students can chime in with their answers, building off of what others have to contribute. It's a really great way for students who are a bit shy in the classroom to make meaningful contributions to class discussion, but it is also important to remember to incorporate what is discussed in the cyber world into the physical classroom. Students are also more enthused about peer revision when it is done online. They tend to enjoy giving their input when it is done virtually, because this is what they do on their own time when they're on their computers after school. On a class social network, instead of commenting on friends' statuses, they're commenting on peers' papers; the transition is logical and, for high school students, not too painful.

I would use a class social network for many activities. Of particular interest to me are:
1) Interactive discussions of reading questions
2) Publication of writing and peer revision
3) Publication and discussion of multimedia projects (movies, photography, music, etc.)

Though Wall.FM was a bit of a disappointment to me, I could definitely see myself paying $10 or $20 a year for a Ning account. The concept of incorporating social networking into a subject area that is all about communication makes perfect sense, and I believe it could greatly benefit students.