James has posted another entry in the growing discussion on the use of blogging for learning.

As he rightly points out blogging may be of limited use in teacher driven, assessement motivated formal education settings but truly comes into its own for expression and creativity, more typical of informal learning.

A few points here. Firstly, from a European standpoint, it does seem sad when we are developing new pedagogies and exciting tools for informal learning, the EU (and its Member States) seem so hung up on qualifications and on measuring learning.

Second, in my (probably minority) view e-learning has moved pedagogy backwards in the classroom setting. This is not top deny the positive benefit of e-learnng for access and providing distance learning for those not able (or unwilling) to use more tradtional learning infrastructures and institutions. However, despite the espoused constructivism of many early adopters and more recent advocates of e-learning, most e-learning programmes are fairly poverty stricken in pedagogic terms.

Blogging, on the other hand, offers rich, rich opportunties for creating and sharing and for mutual, interactive learning.

What this tends to suggest - is - yes a focus on informal learning - but also another look at the ideas and pedagogies behind the technologies of e-learning and the technologies of blogging. And I think we can develop all kinds of new environments which build on the technology and pedagogy of blogging and provide real learning opportunties.

I think I said this before (but perhaps I didn't). All software has an inherent pedagogy - the problems are that technologists have been reluctant (or unable) to recognise this - and pedagogists have not understood enough of the technology to help shape the design process.