Two thoughts (a penny a thought)

Two issues come quickly to mind in this discussion: intellectual property/copyright and activity structure.

The IP/copyright issue, rather obviously I think, springs from the discussion of sampling y'all have raised. There's a fine line between repurposing and plagiarism. Given the current tendency of the courts to support copyright holders with seemingly limited regard to fair use principles, the whole issue of repurposing becomes somewhat fraught with danger. And therein lies, in my experience, a large component of the reluctance many faculty feel about moving into online education. They are unclear about what their own IP rights are (especially in the light of institutional IP policies that still fail to consider the online world) and they are unclear about what resources can be used safely in creating digital learning objects and online courses.

At the same time, use of online resources and activities is growing exponentially; such are the power and allure of the tools and the administrative efficiencies gained by going digital...

The second issue is that online tools, such as this blog system, are simply that: tools. Like a hammer, they can be used to build trivial little things or majestic palaces; and they can be used destructively.

It seems to me that blogs have a great potential to support a variety of educational processes and activities. Some of the most obvious uses are keeping a journal, presenting reflection/reaction "papers," and debate/discussion to name a few. Likewise, providing space for public ranting, like a soapbox in a public squares, can also have a valuable purpose.

Have you ever seen a classroom debate degenerate into a simple squabble? More often than not, the success of an academic activity depends on the structure and rules of the activity. With appropriate focus, direction, purpose, and constraints, I think blogs could be a powerful tool to add to instructors' toolboxes. So now to develop the "best practices" manual for blogging!