GSN Updates Enliven the Networking Website
2009 marked the official launch of NYLC’s Generator School Network — an online platform for service-learning practitioners to learn, plan, and connect with each other across the globe and a place where they can share resources and improve their practice. To meet the needs of a growing membership (more than 1,400 members), the GSN has implemented new features to allow members to access professional development topics and navigate the site more easily.
When members first log in, the most noticeable change is an improved layout, with sleek graphics that categorize service-learning projects and discussions in a user-friendly way. On the Dashboard, members can view and edit their own ongoing projects, discussions, groups, and messages, as well as see dates and times for upcoming NYLC webinars and the live twitter stream.
Other changes allow members to learn and plan service-learning projects more intuitively. In the “Learn” section, professional development resources are organized into three topic areas — Developing Youth Leaders, Convening the Field, and Supporting Educators — as well as the option to view all topics. All of NYLC’s live webinars from fall 2011 to today are archived in a recorded format within this section in their respective topic pages.
“One of the most exciting updates to the site is our monthly featured member articles,” said Lana Peterson, professional development manager, school initiatives lead at NYLC “These articles highlight a GSN member who creates or participates in a particularly interesting or successful project or group. We hope to honor these members for their contributions to the GSN, and to the service-learning field, and direct other users to their GSN pages for inspiration.” These articles can be found in the Connect section of the site.
The GSN remains a valuable resource for anyone interested in deepening their understanding of service-learning or looking to improve their practice. Membership is always free and sign up is available by visiting http://gsn.nylc.org. Members are automatically added to the monthly GSN e-newsletter mailing list and may update their preferences at any time by editing their user profiles.
