Connecting and Reflecting with Ning

Abstract

This paper chronicles one instructor's experiences using a social networking site (Ning) to teach two graduate courses in education. It explores the decisions made in setting up the Ning and the affordances of teaching using a blended model of synchronous and asynchronous learning in UOIT's online graduate program. The focus is specifically on the benefits and challenges of using a Ning network and Ning's pedagogical potential for collaborative knowledge construction, the creation of a community of practice, which fosters social presence and multimodal communication.