Staying Mute....

Jay Mathews of the Washington Post had an interesting column today discussing the merits of educational blogs. Citing a widely read educator named Gardner who has had hundreds of pieces published in newsletters over the past decade, Mathews wrote:

Like me, Gardner is also not very familiar with the education blogs. "I have an
aversion to them because they too often become venues for rants rather than for
reason," he said. "It's a question of time management. I do learn valuable
things at times from blogs, but they seem to attract a disproportionate number
of self-styled experts with dubious credentials who just want to ventilate."

That got me to thinking about what role blogs can/should play in conversations about education? Are blogs sources of information and ideas that we should grow to respect and admire? Do they stimulate conversation between groups of people that normally don't connect? Do they provide opportunities for writers---regardless of expertise---to refine, revise and polish their thinking on critical issues? Or are they just a collection of "rants" and "ventilation?"

Better yet, how do we contribute to the growing base of knowledge about teaching and learning when we join in electronic conversations? Do we have a responsibility as educators to speak up and let our voices be heard?

In Mathews piece, Gardner described his impetus for his writing as his "growing awareness that public education was entering a new era, with unprecedented threats to its very existence. I decided I could no longer stay mute when so much was on the line."

Do educators take great risks by staying mute?