As my colleague Michelle Davis reported back in May, the social-networking platform Ning, home to many professional development as well as class project social networks, transitioned from a free service to a paid one, leaving many educators concerned about whether to continue using the service and if so, how to foot the bill. Ning has pledged to help support use of the hosting service for educators, although details remain unclear as to which education groups would receive free service and exactly what kinds of capabilities they would have.
But it looks like there might be a new option for educators hoping to continue using Ning for free--education publishing company Pearson has stepped in and offered to sponsor certain education networks.
“With so many issues swirling around for teachers today, we recognize that [teachers] are hungry for peer-to-peer contact and feedback,” said Pearson Senior Vice President for Business Development Gary June in a press release. “Underwriting the costs of these Ning Networks is one way that Pearson can provide support for their commitment and dedication to improve teaching and learning.”
If you are an educator running a Ning site and want to know whether your social-networking site could be underwritten by Pearson, submit an application here.