infobong.com

As someone who requires his students to blog, I find this story about a high school principal who says blogging is not educational a little troubling. I could understand if he thought students were misusing the technology and disrupting learning by spread gossip and whatnot, but, instead, he cites generalized anxieties about Internet use. He told the Rutland Herald, "As soon as someone has a name and a general geographic location, it can take an Internet predator 20 minutes to find their address and directions to their house." Obviously, I think that any project that makes writing fun for students and gives them practice using technology to make media is educational.

Re-reading the story (which I first saw on bOINGbOING), it could be the case that the principal only banned MySpace.com, so this could be more of an issue about digital literacy - how and when to share personal information - rather than the full spectrum of blogging. I get the impression that the reporter might have a limited understanding of blogging and the MySpace site. Also, I share the principal's concern about sharing information online. Many of my students use a site called The Face Book, which is a social networking application designed for college students. In the site specifically set up for UT-Austin, many students list their phone numbers and physical campus addresses, which concerns me, since it seems like an invitiation to stalking. However, the principal should have chosen his words more carefully before declaring blogging uneducational.