Technology Issues

A brief discussion with the technology coordinator this morning challenges me to think outside the box as I contemplate the development of the two units for Web2.0. The student email will no longer be available due to concerns about liability and cost, with the suggestion of blogs as a substitute system. As I was typing this blog, Sherry just informed that Blogmeister does allow monitored collaboration between two schools anywhere in the world, provided I could acquire a contact. I see this as a superb connection for the Advanced Spanish students, with an opportunity to communicate with a series of, perhaps, letters throughout the year. I would use this as the culminating activity of a unit or chapter and focus on the theme or new grammar structure for some of the requirements of the activity. In the past letter exchanges the students enjoyed writing about their favorite topic, themselves, and established a pen pal or e-pal for the school-year. Is this too old-school, or does anyone have suggestions for other types of exchanges?
The other possible unit is to replace the weekly journaling that students submit each Friday with a paperless journal, via blog or wiki. I strongly believe in the option of commenting and making corrections on these entries, or works-in-progress. I'd welcome practical suggestions.