Difference between this ning and IWB revolution ning?

[Paul McMahon]

Just saw an Advertisement from Chris Betcher on Oz Teacher Net to tell folks to join the IWB revolution ning.
I thought that this ning was the one for sharing about IWB teaching ideas, resources etc.

Does anyone have a feeling for which is which and whether folks from here should be there as well?

Am I the only one who seems to be drowning in social networks?

Comments appreciated.

Paul

[IWBNet]

Hi Paul, the IWBNet Ning was created last year to provide a network for presenters and delegates that attend our IWB conferences as well as anyone else interested in IWBs. The advantage of our Ning is that the contributors have probably met and will continue to meet each other at our conferences - nothing like putting a face to a name and text. The whole idea around the ning was to provide a place for these people who have met to continue to talk about the ideas generated at the conference and other ideas that they wish to pursue. The focus for our contributors is practical ideas for using the IWB in the classroom. Chris has obviously created his own Ning to talk about the IWB Revolution as a separate Ning to this one.

Hope that helps clarify things, all the best Margo

[Chris Betcher]

G'day Paul,

Sorry for any confusion... I know what you mean by drowning in social networks. :-)

The Ning I set up over at the IWB Revolution is not meant to undermine or even compete with this one set up by the good folk at IWB Net. This community, as I understand it, was set up by Margo and Val as a community of sharing for those people who attend the annual IWB Conference each year. As Margo points out, many of the people in this IWB Net Ning community know each other, have met at the conference and use this forum as a way to continue the conversations started at those events each year.

The other IWB Revolution Ning has a slightly different, although obviously related, focus. The idea behind this one was also to create a community of IWB users, but with a much broader global focus. Many of us have never met, and are unlikely to meet, since we are scattered across the planet. I'm looking at the discussions that are arising on the other Ning and seeing they have a different focus to this one.

The other reason for the IWB Revolution is also obviously to create some community around the book that Mal and I have written. As we researched the book, it became very obvious that there was very little written about IWBs... I kept visiting libraries and bookstores and was consistently told that there was nothing available. Publishers, by and large, have no idea what resources are needed in this area. The vision for us was not just to publish a book, but to actually build a global community of IWB users that believes there are better things to do with an IWB than what most of us tend to do. I'm really hoping that the IWB Revolution Ning serves as a place where people who read the book can come and tell us that we are either on the right track or that we are completely wrong. Either way, the thought of publishing a book and having it just vanish out into the world with no opportunity for further discussion about it, seemed to me to be a waste of time. If we can't open the process up to conversation, discussion and criticism, then writing it seems kind of hollow.

I know that some will suggest it's all just marketing, and to some extent, sure it is. We were also trying to make a statement to book publishers, who by and large, simply do not understand the power of networks or the impact that Web 2 and social technologies are having on their business models, or if they do understand it, have absolutely no idea how to respond to it. So yes, there is a bit of that. But I do think we've written something that will serve as a useful starting point for people who are serious about being better IWB users, and if we can use social networks to help spread that word, then I'm not opposed to it. At the end of it all, I think the Ning we set up will be of value to people who want to use IWBs effectively, regardless of whether they buy the silly book or not.

So, hope that clears it up a bit. For Australians and New Zealanders who attend the IWB Net conferences, this is a great community to be part of. For all the reasons I mentioned above, the IWB Revolution is also a great community to be part of. People can, of course, choose to belong to both. I hear what you say about there being too many social networks and I agree... i wish there was some way to do automatic cross-posts on networks that have some overlap, but until then, that's life.

Cheers

Chris

[Sharan King]

I think the IWBNet Ning is a terrific idea for teachers to use purely for the sharing of ideas and lessons from the IWB Conferences and also classroom experiences with using IWBs. I also hope the word gets around and that as a result from this Sixth IWB Conference, many more teachers come on board.
See you at the conference
Sharan