summer learning

I have very mixed feelings about Web 2.0 and its role in my teaching. My teaching has been changed in that I am much better informed about my subject and have available such a vast array of resources for providing instruction. I listen to podcasts from NPR and various news programs. I have reservations about podcasts of my own class instruction. I have concerns about parent involvement in what I teach or what they want their son/daughter to hear in a class discussion. If they hear the class podcast and they don’t like what they hear, how will their concerns be addressed? My students have been using Nicenet to work in collaborative groups for a stock market activity for three years. The groups this year worked quite well and had the most participation of any class. I don’t know if this is because they are more comfortable with blogs, or if they are just very engaged, polite students. Next fall I will try to use edline to set up study teams—across the classes—for collaboration on all material—not just the stock market. The team wiki for review, especially of rather simple material, sounds very appealing.
However, I don’t want to find myself in a situation where my choice of instruction is compared unfavorably with another’s. I don’t want to be pressured to collaborate on an assignment when it really wouldn’t be a good fit—but it would look good in some report. I want the students to focus on the critical thinking and analytical skills of my subject, rather than on making the most colorful wiki or detailed blog without content. I have seen how students who don’t speak out in class come alive when on blogging—but how will I handle the assessment of a student who is unable or unwilling [to]or uncomfortable with participation?