Introduction
I was approached recently by Karen Schweitzer as she wanted to be a guest blogger on this blog. She picked a topic that she thought teachers would find useful – information on social networking sites that we can use as educators. Thanks to Karen for approaching me about posting and sharing her knowledge below.
20 Social Networking Sites for Teachers – by Karen Schweitzer
It has never been easier for teachers to network online. The web hosts thousands of online communities and forums for teachers, administrators, librarians, and other educators. Here are 20 social networking sites that are particularly popular among teachers.
TeachAde – TeachAde is the first social networking site created specifically for teachers. The site combines social networking with teacher resources to create a useful online tool for educators.
The Apple – This site is a free social networking community for current and future teachers. Special features include message boards, lesson plans, videos, and up-to-date news.
Classroom 2.0 - This online community for educators has become a place for teachers to come together and share information about web 2.0 tools and other education technology. Classroom 2.0 also offers live webinars and online events.
NextGen Teachers – Teachers can network with one another and discuss new ways of educating and learning on this social networking site.
The English Companion – The English Companion is an online community for English teachers who want to meet new people, network, and share ideas.
We the Teachers – This education search engine and online community can be used to find other teachers and network. We the Teachers is also a good place to share lesson plans and resources.
TeacherLingo – TeacherLingo is an online blogging platform for educators. Teachers can start their own blogs or network with other teachers through forums and comment sections.
Google Teacher Community – This Google Discussion Group keeps teachers in the loop on Google’s K-12 education initiatives. It also serves as a forum for teachers to ask questions, share ideas, and discuss hot topics in education.
Applebatch – Abblebatch is a K-12 teacher community. Teachers can find jobs, build their network, and share education resources.
TeachersRecess – TeachersRecess is a free social network with many useful resources. Teachers can communicate online, share lesson plans, get news, publish a personal blog, and buy or sell teaching tools.
PBS Teachers Connect – PBS Teachers Connect is a place for site members to meet up and share ideas. The site also provides a wide range of teaching resources for the classroom.
ProTeacher Community - This online community was created for K-8 teachers who want to communicate and network with each other. ProTeacher offers blogs, forums, and chat capability.
ClassScene – Designed specifically for schools, ClassScene is an online repository/community for photos, videos, and more. The site can also be used to generate revenue and collaborate with the school community.
Education World – Education World is an enormous site with thousands of resources for educators. Teachers can use it to ask questions and network.
Tapped In – Since 1997, Tapped In has served as an online meeting place for K-12 teachers, administrators, and librarians. Thousands of educators gather on this site to share stories, ideas, lesson plans, and resources.
Teacher Focus – Teacher Focus is an online community/forum for teachers. The site also offers lesson plans, news, and other education-related resources.
Edublogs – Edublogs is more of a blogging platform than a social networking site. Nevertheless, it is a great way to connect and interact with other teachers.
Diigo – This section of Diigo hosts nearly 5,000 bookmarks for educators. Teachers can go here to discover and share education-related articles.
Twitter – Twitter wasn’t designed specifically for educators, but it is a good place to network with teachers, students, and parents.
Delicious - The largest and most popular social bookmarking site on the web, Delicious is an excellent place to find and share online bookmarks with other teachers.
Guest post from Karen Schweitzer, the About.com Guide to Business School. Karen also writes about accredited online colleges for OnlineColleges.net.
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Margaret
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Thanks for this post. I’ve added it to the resource list at http://www..
I might also mention the new http://www. project that I’m working on at Elluminate. Hopefully, it’s good enough to make next year’s version of the list on its own!
Members automatically get a free Elluminate vRoom and have access to
using LearnCentral’s large public Elluminate to host their own webinars.
Thanks!
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I would like to also add Plurk (www.plurk.com) to your list. There are hundreds of educators interacting and collaborating on this PLN.