Final Reflection for Documentary Methods Ning

Along with Peter I., John B, Josh A. and Chris B., I created a Ning (username: johnnystudent5472@gmail.com, password: rbeach) for our imaginary class on radio documentaries and podcasting. We wanted to create a space where students could refer to during their work for our class, and as we were working on podcasting, a Ning lent itself perfectly to the cause. Originally, a WordPress or Blogger account was considered, but despite their potential benefits, a Ning presented the same options as a blog with the inclusiveness of an actual forum/community.

The Ning we've created serves as a companion to the class. The idea behind was to fill out any possible learning gaps from the class. As such, each assignment has its own discussion page for students to share and brainstorm as well as a sample for them to work from. The assignments scaffold them toward creating their own radio documentary and/or podcast, of which we have five full examples ready for them to listen to and use as inspiration to create their own.There is also an option for each group to create a group profile on the Ning for their peers to look at for updates and information. Essentially, our efforts were for the Ning to become a collaborate learning community where groups are updated on everyone's work and they have plenty of models to carry out their assignment.

As teachers, we would exist as moderators and sources of encouragement. Rather than take a direct role in the Ning, we set it up to exist as a place for students to interact, not for us to regulate and direct. With the goal of working towards our Podcast Faire, every student is reminded of the end-result of the project while being provided touchstones along the way.

Although I will probably not use this Ning in my classes, I see a lot of application for it in the future. I love the idea of a self-contained community where students can join in and simultaneously show off their tech savvy ways and further their learning. There's more and more to keep kids online from Facebook to Youtube, so to take advantage of that screen time with a Ning seems an obvious choice. I'm not sure which classes I would use the Ning for, but I do know that it will inform my teaching decisions, knowing that such a resource exists.