Classloom

Classloom is a new social network for parents and educators that I just found out about from Class Tech Tips.  The way this works is a educator creates a group and then shares events (i.e. documents, homework, pictures, etc.) in one place.  Parents can then view the information, comment, and collaborate w/ educators on what is going on in the classroom.  This makes communication seamless and users no longer need to worry about papers get lost.  Plus, it is a 100% free and works on any mobile device.

I recommend checking out Classloom by clicking here!!!

Below is a demo video...



For my Pinterest board on Social Networks in Education click here.

Talkzilla

Talkzilla is an interesting free iOS app for making international calls.  This app/service allows for very low rate international calls while interacting w/ an animated avatar.  As a person uses the app they can earn rewards/cookies that levels up their avatar to unlock special "bonuses".  The aspect of an avatar makes this a fun app for the younger audience as well for students abroad who are looking for something other then Skype or Google Hangouts.

I recommend checking out Talkzilla by clicking here!!

United Classrooms

United Classrooms is a wonderful site that I juts found out about from Richard Byrne's excellent blog.  This is a very ambitious site that allows teachers to create a class profile page.  These profiles can contain, lessons, assignments, notes, messages, and more.  These profile pages can then be shared w/ others such as parents or even classrooms around the world.  A teacher has the ability to monitor anything on their board which is ideal for education.  Another great feature is the ability for students from other classes to post on boards to collaborate w/ others.

I highly recommend checking out United Classrooms by clicking here!!!

DADapp

For those people looking for an alternative to Facebook or Google+, DADapp might be the solution.  This is a free app for a MAC/PC that allows users to share items w/ others in a very secure and private way.  This application is very easy to use w/ a drag-n-drop interface and great for sharing, photos, videos, files, etc.  Also, there are some other nice features such as cataloging and the ability to create collections.

I recommend checking out DADapp by clicking here!!!

Chirpstory

Chirpstory is an interesting site that allows people to create a story from tweets on Twitter. This is done w/ a very easy to use drag-n-drop interface by adding tweets and links to pics, videos, sites, etc. This is a fun/innovative way to share information w/ others.

I highly recommend checking out Chirpstory by clicking here!!

Top 10 Social Networks for Education

"A social network is a social structure made up of individuals (or organizations) called "nodes," which are tied (connected) by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige. (Wikipedia)" Being a huge advocate of social networking and Web 2.0 in general I decided to list my favorite networks for education that targets technology literacy.

Top 10 Social Networks for Education

1. Twitter - Far and away one of the most popular social networks around. This micro-tweeting platform is used worldwide and especially in education (search hash tags; edchat or edtech).
   
2. Classroom 2.0 - Created by Steve Hargadon and used by thousands of educators on a daily basis. This site alone changed the way I viewed education and ignited my passion for Web 2.0.
   
3. Facebook -nuff said!!
   
4. Plurk - A social network similar to Twitter w/ a timeline view and fun karma based platform.
   
5. Educator's PLN - Built by Thomas Whitby, this social network is one of the fasting growing around and some of the top technology based innovators can be found here.
   
6. Learn Central - Sponsored by elluminate, Learn Central is an ideal place for educators to host/learn through Learn Central's virtual conferences.
   
7. ISTE Community - International Society for Technology & Education is a great place for educators to come together and collaborate on technology issues.
   
8. Edutopia - A very popular organization created by the George Lucas foundation.
   
9. Collaborative Translation - Created by well renowned educator James O'Reilly, CT is a great place to learn/share innovative ideas.
   
10. IT4ALL - Integrating Technology 4 Active Life-Long Learners is a nice place for educators to share ideas on best practices for technology integration.
    

Twiducate

Twiducate is a new site that I just found out about from Larry Ferlazzo. This is an excellent to provide social networking skills in a safe school environment. It is very similar to Moodle in that respect.

What makes Twiducate so great is that everything is being monitored in a controlled environment that is password protected. Teachers can use it to post assignment, share ideas, and even collaborate w/ parents.



I highly recommend checking out Twiducate by clicking here.

HootCourse

HootCourse is a very ambitious project and that is to bring the most popular social networks into the classroom. This is done by creating a virtual space that is built around real-time tweets and status updates of those popular sites.

After giving it a look, I must say that I am very intrigued. I would love to see this used in a "real" teaching environment. This could be great for the higher grade levels. There are some nice teacher features too, such as the ability to embed.

I'd love to see a paid service that filters content for this site, that would be ideal for education.

I highly recommend checking out HootCourse by clicking here.

A big thank you to Free Technology 4 Teachers for his excellent review!!

Social Follow

Social Follow is a site I learned about from a fellow Diigo user. This is a great little app that embeds into your site/blog that lets users follow you on all your networks in just one place. The best way to describe it is as a "digital footprint or ID card similar to Retaggr.

For me personally, I like Retaggr a bit better because it has a nicer look to it when you hover the mouse over the icon. However, SF has a nice look too and actually displays the social network icons a bit better. Either way, it doesn't matter what you use as they are both great at what they do.

Give Social Follow a try by clicking here.

Geek Chart

Geek Chart is a new site which visually tracks your usages on social networking sites. This is done in a pie chart format and covers: Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Blogger, Digg, StumbleUpon, etc.

Here is a bit more from their site, "Geek Chart shows the last 30 days of your activity on these social websites. If you haven't been active on these sites within the last 30 days, your actvity won't show on the chart."

Also, GC (for registered users) gives you an embed code so you can embed the chart into your blog/site. Plus, it updates automatically as you continue to use these social networking sites!!

Below is a pic of a simple Geek Chart...



Give it a try by clicking here.