The Ed Techie: Some more reasons to blog

The Ed Techie: Some more reasons to blog: "The technology required to keep a blog is fairly simple to use, so it is easy to get started, and then once your blog has momentum you may wish to explore some of the related tools and technologies."

While I definitely agree with this in principle and have seen it work... I've also seen it have the opposite effect when the technology isn't right. The Moodle blogs available on the pilot presentation of T175 are, as far as I've seen to date, extremely limited. There is no means for the formation of a supportive online community. No browser integration. No easy URL. Out of sight, very much out of mind. If a blog is to have power and be a way of students engaging with Web 2.0 technologies etc, then you need to get the foundations right. Me? I'll use a blog when I know what my purpose for that blog is. When I can quickly create entries as I'm browsing articles online. When I can share a friendly looking address with others. When I can tweak it to give it a bit of 'me'. When I can customize its appearance so I feel I have some ownership and it'll represent the online version of me I want. Without those factors, it's a simple to use bit of technology which doesn't do anything more than sit flacidly empty in cyberspace.

Oh, and interestingly enough, the blogs I've used for the OU's MA ODE courses haven't used Moodle-based blogs and I've used them regularly. This blog - not Moodle based - used fairly regularly. My T175 blog - ermmmm... Moodle... phhhht!