20 Years of EdTechie
This month (May 2026), marks 20 years of blogging at edtechie.net. That is, by any measure, a long time to pursue one interest, or platform. In that time I have published 1,358 posts. At roughly 500 words per post, that’s a total of 679,000 words. That’s enough for a really turgid series of fantasy novels.
Ironically the 20th anniversary arrives just as I’ve been on hiatus from blogging. There has been no particular reason for this, I didn’t make a grand decision to stop blogging. I just sort of ran out of things to say. Partly this is AI’s fault. It is the only game in town with regards to ed tech, and I’m just so bored with it. Plus the internet really doesn’t need another take on AI. Partly it’s also because I’m retired so don’t have the regular flow of projects or papers to talk about. And lastly, it’s because I’m writing a lot elsewhere. I’ve finished my second novel (The H-Index, coming soon from Morfa Press) and have almost completed a third.
Blogging always helped scratch the creative writing itch that formal academic publications stifled. But now that I’m fully indulging that side (the house resounds to my aggressive typing noises), I need the blog less. Besides, any thoughts I might throw away here I can now ascribe to a character in a novel.
But, blogging is a bit like exercise I think. The less you do it, the more it becomes a big deal to engage with. Once you start doing it again, even on a small basis, the threshold to participation lowers and it becomes a habit, or at least the mental block is removed.
I’m still not sure what this blog is post-OU life. Maybe it will be more occasional, and more personal. I accept that is probably of limited interest to people. But as Van Morrison has it, it’s too late to stop now.
(Image – Twenty’s Plenty)
13 Comments
Maren Deepwell
I feel I should have organised a cake?! 20 years *is* a long time. Congratulations! Long before we got married yours was one of the first edtech blogs I started to read regularly, and I was always amazed at all the things I learnt and discovered along the way. I still am, no matter in what format I get to engage with your thinking. Here’s to more writing.
Alan Levine
20? Your blog is just a pup.
Blog about dogs!
mweller
I was thinking that there aren’t many blogs that are still active over 20 years old – CogDog must be one of the most venerable!
Jörg Pareigis
20 IS plenty! Congratulations to you and all of us!
Will you be around for #OER26?
Cheers,
Jörg
mweller
Hi Jorg! Yes, I should be at OER26 for one day at least. You going to be there? We can chat hockey like the old days!
Dan Harding
Hi Martin, as I’ve enjoyed your writing for years, it seems only fair to drop a quick line of appreciation. I really hope you continue to blog on ed tech (even if it’s only occasionally) as I’ve always found it insightful and a useful sanity check. Also, there’s often vinyl…bonus! Anyway, as AI creeps into almost everything, I value blogs such as yours even more, so thank you.
mweller
Thanks Dan, tat’s very kind. I’m sure a bit of ed tech will still crop up…
Robert Farrow
The plot of h-index sounds a bit familiar! Does it feature an old well?!
mweller
And a possessed paella 🙂
Alastair Creelman
Great that your writing has moved to another level. I’m on 18 years now and actually signed off from my edtech blog 2 years ago. Revived it recently when I got summararily ejected from Facebook and it is now sort of active again though like you I really can’t think of much to write about since I have also no interest in AI.
mweller
I hear you – even writing anti-AI is still writing about AI. I pondered just archiving the blog, but I think I’ll keep it even if it’s just for me.
Jim Groom
Twenty is awesome. And, oddly, I tend to remember the personal posts for far longer than anything academic or project based. Blogging is 4life,.
That said, fact that you are almost done with your third novel is ridiculous, Avanti! We need a edtech blogger to break through to the hororfiction world stage, you would lift us all up 🙂
mweller
We need a 30+ year meet-up with us die-hards, led by CogDog