Mr. Bartels:

I think that concerns for student safety are going to be a big issue for truly widespread adoption. It sounds like WetPaint gives you some controls, but is it really managable as an environment where students are enabled to make contributions? While from an individual teacher's perspective it sounds like it might be manageable (each teacher manages his/her realm) district office admin types would prefer to throw a safety net out there to cover all. It is hard to fault them that. If safety is dependent on individual teachers and you have thousands of teachers, slip-ups are going to happen. Intranet/Extranet hosting scenarios are going to be attractive on that basis ... at the loss, of course, of significant educational value/opportunity. I work in IT at the district office. I am beside myself with excitement re Web 2.0 opportunities for education and I want to spread that to the Ed. Svcs. division. But these are rational concerns that will be raised and I'd like to know how others are addressing them.

Some of WetPaint's marketing casts a shadow of negativity on IT. I know that the buerecratic nature of public education admin is brutal and, worse, it saps public ed of vital resources especially excitement. But IT is really not the enemy. DO admin types are not the ememy. Each element of buerecratic overhead is a response to public demands/dynamics. I can do more about it as an individual than I can as a public employee. In other words the enemy is in the masses not at the DO and not in IT. Widespread, ubiquitous adoption is going to require tackling the issues that make IT and the DO less responsive than desireable to these opportunities.

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