Purpose of the Blog/Podcast
The students of Ms H’s Rm 18 class at TIS will be participating in a class blog/podcast for the purposes of

Encouraging the process of writing for an audience

Practising narrative, poetic, transactional and persuasive writing

Sharing and evolving ideas that facilitate interaction and collaboration

Engaging students in conversation and learning

Sharing opinions, points of view on a topic

Sharing classroom events and happenings with families and the wider community

Fostering an understanding of Global Awareness, communication and collaboration

Connecting with others both inside and outside the classroom and encouraging Global communication previously not possible

Reflection, expression and evaluation of own learning

Safety
In the interest of students’ safety, the following restrictions have been configured on the blog.

On the teacher can enter registrations and control permissions

All blog content is subject to teacher approval and/or deletion

The teacher will be notified of any posts/comments to the blog

All comments to any posts are subject to moderation by the teacher and will not be approved if the teacher deems them inappropriate

No individual or identifiable profiles are available on the blog

Class Blog/Podcast Terms and Conditions

All students contributing to the Class Blog must agree to the Blogging/Podcasting Terms & Conditions.

The use of blogs/podcasts is considered an extension of our classroom. Therefore, any speech that is considered inappropriate in the classroom is inappropriate on a blog or podcast. This includes, but is not limited to, swearing; racist, sexist or discriminatory remarks; personal attacks. We expect you to conduct yourself in a manner reflective of a representative of our school.

Blogs are public. Whatever you post on a blog can be read by anyone and everyone on the Internet. Even if you delete a post or comment, it has often already been archived elsewhere on the web. Do not post anything that you wouldn’t want your parents, your best friend, your worst enemy, or a future employer to read.

Students using blogs and podcasts are expected to act safely by keeping personal information out of their posts.  You agree to not post or give out your family name, password, email address, home address, or other information that could help someone locate or contact you in person.  You may share your interests, ideas and opinions.

Pictures may be inserted into a blog. Make sure that the image is appropriate for use in a school document and copyright laws are followed.

Always make sure you check over your post for spelling errors, grammar errors, and your use of words.

The class blog is to be a vehicle for sharing student writing with real audiences.  Most visitors to your blog who leave comments will leave respectful, helpful messages, but all comments will be monitored by Ms H.  Any inappropriate comments will not be passed on to students.

Students who do not abide by these terms and conditions may lose their opportunity to take part in this classroom activity.

Successful Bloggers
The following are some traits of successful bloggers:

Their posts (or comments) are well written. This includes not only good content, but – because these are school-related blogs – also follows writing conventions including spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Their posts (or comments) are responsive. They respond to other people’s ideas – whether it is a post by a teacher, a comment by a student, or an idea elsewhere on the Internet. The power of blogs is in their connectedness – they are connected to a larger community of ideas. Participate in that community.

Their posts (or comments) include textual references to support their opinions. Adding quotes or links to other works strengthens their response.

They participate frequently. To be part of the dialogue, you have to participate fully and consistently.

They are respectful of others. It’s okay to disagree; it’s not okay to be disagreeable. Be respectful of others and their opinions, and be civil when you disagree.

Guideline material adapted from:
http://supportblogging.wikispaces.com/Educational+Blogging
http://ahsblogpolicy.pbwiki.com/
http://anne.teachesme.com/2007/01/17/rationale-for-educational-blogging/