Social Networking for Classrooms

I wanted a way to socialize with students and parents, as well as a way for these groups to be able to socialize with each other, much like Facebook allows us to network with groups of friends and colleagues and share information quickly.  Obviously, I am not comfortable setting up a Facebook account for my classroom, nor do I think it is appropriate for my first graders to have accounts!  Today I stumbled across something interesting: Edmodo, a "trusted web 2.0 environment" and social network for classrooms.  Teachers can give codes to students to allow them to sign up with the classroom, where they can share information and web resources.  Parents can even have updates sent to their Android phones!  I am going to research this site more and decide which would be more user-friendly to my students and their families: Edmodo or a classroom blog.  This may also be a great way for colleagues to share information, and I know many of my colleagues love Facebook, so maybe this would catch on!  What do you think?

Edmodo

Edmodo guide From the graphics included, this appears to be a network set up similarly to Facebook, but safe for students!

Blog post about Edmodo on Media Infusion: A PBS Teachers blog offering strategies and resources to help you create rich, engaging learning experiences with multimedia.