teddy bears and the net (blogpost 3b)

The Teddy Bears Go Blogging article is a great example of integrating technology into the classroom in a real, meaningful way that enhances learning as well as understanding of technology. Blogging gave the elementary students the opportunity to communicate and learn from peers across the globe. The teacher in this story admitted that the blog format became just as easy to use as email, allowed for comment moderation, and made sharing photos simple.

I have heard that some schools do not allow teachers to use public blogs in schools because of difficulty in moderating comments and content. I wonder how wide spread this restriction is, and how educators could create a similar communicative experience from which they can learn.

Conversely, I have heard of high school teachers creating a class blog and requiring students to post a certain number of times. I wonder if 'forcing' students to participate in that way is an effective way to engage them with technology. Does it just become another mindless task? The second graders in the article seemed to love their blogs, but I wonder how much of that kind of passion/interest can be generated on the high school level. They're already so fluent in this sort of technological medium - would they be bored by it? Would it enhance their understanding of technology or of the content being taught in class? Perhaps if done right, but what is 'right'?