Kelly Christopherson

there is such a fantastic integration of word, image, music.... a kind of synaesthesia we have been dreaming of for centuries.
Exactly!! 
As an English major, it would have been such a rush to study The Bard or Woosworth or Hemingway or.... with the rich resources that are available. To put together multimedia mashups of pictures, sounds, words and video would have allowed for much deeper discussions of text rather than just the written word. While doing my MEd, one of the options that was being considered was exactly that kind of project, although not as ellaborate.
Of course, we cannot rush headlong into the night or we just may step on that rake in the grass We are not what we were 5 years ago and all the wishing in the world will not change that fact. Common sense, combined with some technological precautions and  some forethought, will help to prevent us from experiencing the fate of people like Julie Amero. For some good reading on this particular case,check out Eric Hoefler Sicheii Yazhi site. However, all the precautions in the world, will not keep us entirely safe - kind of like birth control - the only sure method is to abstain! Each individual has to decide what they will do knowing that there are consequences for all actions.

What did you do during your summer vacation? Something we've seen many a time and, depending on the student, will end up with various degrees of information revealed in the answer. Will that be used in the future against someone? Depends on the grade and the information. As I've suggested in the post before, we have entered a new era of information sharing. We have a whole new group that treats their online identity very differently than we do. Is it right and will it cause problems? It might. But, just like we cannot predict the jobs these young students will have, we cannot predict how the future will play out regarding information, privacy, personal space and many more situations that we have yet to encounter. Because change in culture is happening faster and faster, we are having to react to change at a much faster rate which can be unsettling for people, especially those who are familiar with the old paradigm when change occurred at a much slower pace. Because these new technologies allow us to share and interact in ways that we have not be able to until now, we are uncertain and leery of how this will affect things we previously did. So, will we need to reframe our questions? Possibly. Will we have to stay away from the personal? Could be a solution. Right now, I can see how hype, hysteria and uncertianty will drive the decisions in the next few years until we sort out some of these things. I'm still going to use the summer question! It's a keeper.

Tamara,

As a person who is keeping a blog for professional reasons, my idea of a successful blog is one that develops and grows, where the writer explores various topics and encourages open dialgoue. Presently I track about 200 blogs of various people. I don't necessarily go to some of the higher profilce blogs like Vickie Davis,  Will Richardson or David Warlick as much as I use to.  Having said this, Vickie Davis' site has great resources especially 10 Habits of Bloggers that Win. I'm always searching for those that have something interesting and worthwhile to say - something that makes me think and evaluate my own ideas. When I first started, I was not a real advocate of blogging but since I have begun and have connected with all kinds of people, I am a firm believer in its use as a professional development/learning tool.

Michael,

I would agree that many people do not know about blogs. However, I think that is changing, especially in the K - 12 educational area. I see more and more teachers, administrators and senior admin using them for various reasons. I use a blog for a varety of reasons but mostly to build my networks, connect with other educators and discuss various aspects of education. As more and more educators begin to use these tools, we may see a wider range of uses. Having just begun blogging in January, I am establishing a fairly wide range of people who visit and read my blog, comment and are interested. At this moment, I am spearheading an online book club that will be reading Dan Pink's Whole New Mind. What started out as a few people interested has now grown into a 15 plus group of educators worldwide who are interested in exploring this idea with me. Thus, as a tool for connecting people and bringing together ideas and conversation, it is a powerful tool.

Michael,

I'm also interested in a Mac blogger. I'll let you know if I find anything. I haven't run acrosss anything but I'll ask around.

Kelly