developing online communities for education

One of the main goals for HOME In.c at the moment is to create a community between the students in our different programs (our three partner schools and the TeenTV summer workshop). I feel that the best way to do this is to tap into existing social network rather than trying to create our own. We've tried having a Myspace page for TeenTV but it hasn't caught on. Currently I'm looking into developing a presence on Facebook...creating group pages for TeenTV and each media lab. I'd like to have each media lab have it's own group that is affiliated and shares membership with the main TeenTV group. Hopefully in this way students from different schools can network with one another.

I'm also developing some curriculum materials around blogging and citizen journalism. Working with a journalism class, the stories published in the school newspaper will also be published on the web via a blog, with some stories being developed into video pieces for the school TV show. Ideally the school's paper (The Brighton Banner) will have an online audience that will enage with one another and the authors discussing the articles and issues within the school and the community.

Comment from Dan MacNeil2 on February 20, 2009 - 5:59pm

The UTEC-Lowell.org people are often CTC VISTAs and they've had some success with myspace.

If there isn't a UTEC CTC VISTA at the moment, You might drop spouv@utec-lowell.org an email (and say I sent you)