Features
Top 20 Social Networks for Education
9/29/2011 By:
What follows are T&L Advisor David Kapuler’s picks for the best social networks to help educators learn
from their peers. Don’t see your favorite on the list?
1 Twitter: This micro-tweeting platform
is used worldwide and especially
in education (search hashtags #edchat
or #edtech). Plus, with the soon-to-come
parental controls, Twitter becomes a
more viable option for educators.
2 Classroom 2.0: Created by Steve
Hargadon and used by thousands of
educators on a daily basis.
3 Facebook: ‘nuff said!
4 Google+: The highly publicized social
network by Google. While it is still in
its early release, there are a lot of features
that make this an attractive option
for education such as: hangouts (the
impressive group video chat) and circles
(the way 
to control posts with privacy
settings).
5 Plurk: A social network similar to
Twitter (micro-blogging) with a timeline
view and fun “karma” rewards system
for being an active user.
6 Educator’s PLN: Built by Thomas
Whitby, this social network features
some of the top tech innovators.
7 Sophia: A new (beta) social network
for education. Lots of great features
can be found here, such as free lesson
plans, 
private groups (for student study
groups or educator sharing), and online
tutoring.
8 LearnCentral: Sponsored by elluminate,
LearnCentral is an ideal place
for educators to host/learn in real time
through virtual conferences.
9 ISTE Community: A great place for
educators to come together and collaborate
on technology issues.
10 WhoTeaches: A new (beta) network
designed to bring students,
parents, and educators together.
WhoTeaches 
offers the ability to collaborate,
share documents and create
groups.
11 Edutopia: A very popular
resource created by the George
Lucas Educational Foundation.
12 Technology Integration in
Education: Created by Greg
Limperis, this social network is similar
to Classroom 2.0.
13 The 21st Century Teacher: A new
social network designed to help
teachers facilitate using technology in
the classroom.
14 Better Lesson: Thousands of
resources can be found here as
well as opportunities to collaborate with
other educators.
15 Diipo: A wonderful new (beta)
social network that is similar to
Moodle and Gaggle.
16 Intel Education Teachers Engage
Community: A nice online community
designed to facilitate online collaboration
and increase teachers’ technology
literacy.
17 Everloop: An excellent social
network designed to teach students
how to network appropriately.
18 Edudemic: An online community,
magazine, and social network
with lots of information on technology,
education, and integration.
19 K12 Advantage: An online environment
with lots of resources,
such as forums and chats.
20 IT4ALL: A nice site for educators
to share ideas on best practices
for technology integration.
David Kapuler is an educational consultant
with more than 10 years of experience
working in the K-12 environment.