Building Student PLN's

Tonight's #edchat was about how social media can/is changing education.  Social media's influence has greatly benefitted me.  My PLN, built primarily around Twitter, has enabled me to change so much about how I teach.  My personal growth over the last year has been exponentially greater than my previous eight years as teacher.  Part of my learning has resulted from the sharing I do as well.

What if my students' could build PLN's?  How would their learning change?  What would be the impact on their education?  After tonight's chat, I'm determined to begin that process tomorrow, even if there are only 12 weeks left in the school year.

So how do I get this started?  There are some important logistical and legal issues that must be considered.  Some I have thought of.  Others I need your help on.

• Find a service permissible and properly secure for your age group that is accessible on your school network.  This includes getting them email addresses.
• Find an avatar creation site so kids won't have to use their real pics.
• Teach them proper digital citizenship.
• Model and demonstrate how a PLN can be used.
• Create an IMMEDIATE use for them.

What am I missing?  What services would you suggest?