In the past, I have spent some time working on a Ning, and have used Facebook Groups, built Wiki platforms using various free tools, and used XWiki Collaborative tools to manage classrooms of students and projects. There is significant interest and research paving the way for the use of collaborative online communal environments (such as Wiki's, Ning's Facebook, Google Groups etc), and it may be beneficial to students that teachers immerse the learning experience in the areas of their life that they are so constantly engaged - social media.
The evolution of Facebook has incorporated Groups, Pages and Communities which is beginning to emulate packages like Nings - which in themselves are a social collaboration tool designed to focus on the community rather than the individual user. This has its benefits, and can create a better, more rounded social experience while enabling the student to learn.
Yet, the issue will be the adaptation to the new environment and the commitment for the students to check the page for updates etc. If we were to adapt our use of the Ning to a FaceBook Group, we could create all the same content, with the same privacy settings, yet the student is already plugged into the interface. It also supports our quest to integrate real life learning experiences where learning becomes a product of experience, and knowledge is build on the experience and knowledge of others. Status notifications from the group can be easily posted to each students wall, and the ease of communication exists, as many of our students rarely check their email.
As an example of this, I am part of the Apple Distinguished Educators program. We have a fantastic Social Collaboration tool which was built by Apple to replace a Ning we were using. Unfortunately, it is not often used by ADE's as it is not connected to their every day experience on the internet - regardless of where it is placed, it tends to be an additional thing we have to do. If, for example, it was plugged into Facebook, it might be more accessible and easier for me to update and participate in as I am already on Facebook about 4 times a day.
This is not to say that all students or situations could be managed correctly, but it is a way to tackle the problem of ensuring students are connected to their learning. Furthermore, it might even enable us to manage their inappropriate use of Social Media's in the classroom.
For social and community learning to be effective, we need to make sure that we are not trying to emulate the social experience, but be involved in it. Web apps like Ning's and Wikis are one avenue of doing this, it just needs to not be a separate product, but an extension of products that are already used so students are readily adapted to the product.
A Wiki is a fantastic way for individuals to collaborate on a single project, or even to help develop ideas further and build on knowledge. The content needs to be monitored, as in my experience students often use it to gain attention by posting inappropriate comments, however if managed properly it can be a very useful tool.
The additional benefits of any of these tools is the ability to integrate web 2.0 tools (called embedding) into them. Take a look at Twiddla - an online collaborative white board tool that enables students to work on ideas and concepts together, which to minimise the interface, using their API, can be embedded and is a great way to enhance a Ning!
Overall, I think any of these tools are great, they just have to be used and managed in a way that makes it useful and not additional to the experience.
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