Various Web 2.0 resources let you create a community for your classroom.  The advantages of this is the ability to access the community from both school and at home. 

For classroom purposes, students may upload assignments and work collaboratively far beyond the hours allotted for the class.

PBWorks (formerly PBWiki)

PBworks is a commercial collaboration service created by David Weekly, with Ramit Sethi and Nathan Schmidt joining shortly thereafter as co-founders. Based in San Mateo, California,^[1] the company's original name stems from their belief that "making a wiki is as easy as making a peanut butter sandwich".^[3] The company operates on a freemium basis, with basic features being offered for free and more advanced features for a fee.^[4]

Advantages of PBWorks include the ability for students to have accounts without the need for an email account and the whole validation process.  The owner of the wiki can create guest accounts and students are ready to start collaborating when you give them access.  Wikis may also be public or private.

Jean L. Bontront's Grade 12 Chemistry Wiki

My 80353 Wiki at the University of Windsor

Other popular wikis include Wikispaces and Wetpaint.

Edmodo

Edmodo is a private social network that you create for your classroom.  The layout is similar to Facebook with news updates and conversations in the class, including the teacher.

Integrated into the environment is a calendar, facility to transfer files and a gradebook.  Once you create a class, a join code is created.  Give it to your students and have them join your class.

Ning

Looking for something even more powerful?  Ning are free and let you develop your own community.  Multiple nings can be associated with the same account.

PBworks. (2009, July 13). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:59, July 13, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=PBworks&oldid=301888267

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