Clearly blogging is not something I have taken to that well ... yet. When teachers ask me what web 2.0 platform I suggest, I find myself really having to think about the relative merits of wikis, blogs, ning, facebook, etc. So far I have found that blogging feels more like I am talking about myself - thinking out loud so to speak. This attitude has prevented me from really engaging in using them in my work. This weekend however I was working with a colleague on just this issue and we agreed that a blog would better meet her needs, initially at least. She wanted to be able to show educators of all forms the sorts of practice she undertook - to model her actions and provide material and links for these educators. In short she was trying to 'walk the talk' of sustainable action. Try as i might, I couldn't justify my favourite 'wiki' environment as the right way to go.
I showed her a variety of platforms to see what appealed and one of these was the RadioNZ website with its This Way Up self sufficiency series. Perfect fit for her needs. And this type of website platform could be duplicated much more conveniently using a blog. It is still going to be her talking about herself, but in such a way that it would be able to support others wishing to find ideas. Because she doesn't expect to use it collaboratively - yet - blogging is definitely the way to go. Comments are possible, but she is modelling and teaching, not facilitating in a multi-directional way. I suspect that this may be the turning point for me. Wikis are fantastic if you want people to collaborate, share their practice and develop collective new knowledge, and if you are prepared to really actively facilitate the platform. But, if you have less time to be actively involved and just want to share good stuff, then a blog is ideal. Horses for courses! What are your thoughts?
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