Elgg in K12 - A Dialog about
Educational Networking
by Jim Klein
Director IS & T
Saugus Union School District
1

Why Social Networking in K12?
• People are creative and social
• Approachable, easy to use technology
• New opportunities for teaching/learning
• Overcome social/geographic boundaries
• Gives voice/builds self-esteem
• Improves social skills
• Most importantly...

Why Social Networking in K12?
Students are
already
engaged!
96% of students
age 9-17 use
social networking
technologies
Source: Grunwald Associates LLC

K­12 Applications
• Staff
– Communities of Practice/PLNs
– Admin/mgmt blogs and podcasts
– Departmental announcements
– Collaborative projects
– Media/content sharing

K­12 Applications
• Students
– Individual & collaborative projects
– Peer review
– Media/content sharing
– Student portfolios
– Window into the classroom

K12 Social Networking
• What teachers don't want
– Content on a wide-open site
– A site with too many members
– To be associated with someone else's
objectionable content
– “Dirty laundry”

K12 Social Networking
• What teachers want
– Site that's easy to find
– Associated with their school/district
– Includes people they know or feel a semi-direct
association with
– Customizable, ie their space
– Provides sophisticated access controls
– Complete oversight of student work

Demo/Discussion

Impact
• Changes the way knowledge is developed,
shared, and adapted
• Overcomes social and geographic
boundaries
• Creates a culture of open collaboration
• Builds a portfolio of ideas and content
• Active student engagement
• Unintended consequences

Considerations
• Social
– Online safety
– Behavior/language
• Technical
– Management
– Oversight
– Maintenance of accounts