BuddyPress

1. WordPress and Education Presented by Thomas Capretta, Seton Hall University BuddyPress Open Source Learning Abstract Since 2003 then WordPress has developed into a widely used and ever improving open source web application that reportedly powered 22 percent of U.S.-based websites in 2011.WordPress if used to its fullest capacity can be used to link thousands of students to each other and act as a social network through which discussion forums, projects and courses can be shared and worked by a limitless amount of people. Accordingly WordPress is significant in the way that it provides instant responses and dialogue on works allowing students and faculty to amend and revise their works almost immediately while also stimulating discussion of the topics at hand. All-in-all, WordPress is a valuable tool which can be manipulated to meet the exact needs of a school community while still able to retain its ease of use and the power to connect, literally, millions of minds. Another effective use of WordPress in education is its community networking capabilities.- Most impressively, however; institutions using WordPress can install the BuddyPress plugin effectively transforming WordPresss into a unique social network. BuddyPresswas designed to input social networking features such as personal user profiles, user-developed wikis, and groups and message boards. These tools can easily and effectively provide a social network for companies, schools and universities that serve as a center for discussion and quick communications. By using the BuddyPress component of WordPress a place for the archival of student and faculty works, critique and discussion, as well as easy and fast communication with students and professors with similar academic interests is created. WordPress’ ease of use and effectiveness is aided by the fact that it has always existed as an open source platform. As the administrator of the blog, the creator can then add users who will then have the ability to contribute to the blog. From this initial blog one can add plugins and templates to add appealing designs for the end user. Beyond its ease of use and affordability the open source platform WPMU provides an environment in which collaboration and the exchange of ideas is the basis for development. Such collaboration leads to the construction of completely unique and tailored environments for a school community. Once this unique environment is put into place it can flourish with the ideas and creations of an entire school community. Due to the fact that open source environments allow so many users to affect change in the environment, collaboration seemingly never ends. WordPress and Goochland County Schools Goochland County Public School (Goochland, Virginia) was one of the many academic communities that saw the potential in interactive blogging. In 2005 Goochland County Schools started an initiative for teacher and student blogging on WordPressthroughout the entire district. The intention for these blogs is for parents and students “to stay informed and continue the process of learning beyond the school day, and beyond school walls.” These blogs are available to all students and parents and offer news, events, assignments and activities.Furthermore , these posts incorporate a comments feature in which parents and students can ask general questions about announcements. For Parents Blogging • Convenient and easy to use • Blogs can act like a permanent news lettter • Makes it possible to track a childs work and progress • Easy to share school announcements with other family and friends • Able to be checked from any computer or smartphone • An easy way to reach students, parents and the community quickly • Teachers can keep class blogs to keep students updated on assignments and announcements • Can archive student work acting as an assessment of growth, as well as a portfolio • Comments can accumulate rapidly sparking immediate discussion