Here is a list of things to teach your students about blogging on the internet. This will insure safety for them:
Never reveal personal information, your real name, where you live, your parents names, telephone number or where you go to school
Never meet anyone you talk to online without asking a trusted adult first.
If anyone you are talking to makes you feel uncomfortable or is using inappropriate language let your parents know, and stop talking to that individual.
Never give out credit card information without parent approval, or to someone you do not know over the internet, or for all to see.
Don't reveal personal or inappropriate pictures of yourself or others
I found this article to be very interesting about internet safety in schools. It tells that blogging may not be as dangerous as everyone says it is, if it is used properly. It can actually be quite beneifcial to students. Listed below is the link:
As a Literacy Specialist Major, I chose to relate my blogging to reading and writing in the classroom. My activities will reflect NYS Standards for Elementary grade level.
Three ways that blogging can be used in the classroom are:
1. Daily or weekly journal writing. This is something that students can do in the classroom, or when they are at home at night, or even over the weekend. This can be a way to stay in touch with their classmates in a monitored way. The students may be asked to write thoughts of the day, or what they learned, poems, songs, etc. This also is a good way for classmates to read and respond.
This meets NYS standard:
Subject: English Language Arts (1996)
Learning Standard 4 : Language for Social Interaction
Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction.
Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.
Key Idea : Reading and Writing
Written communication for social interaction requires using written messages to establish, maintain, and enhance personal relationships with others.
Performance Indicator : Read and discuss published letters, diaries, and journals to learn the conventions of social writing.
2. Newsletter. Blogging can be used in the form of a newsletter. This can be a good way to communicate with parents weekly. In the classroom the students can learn how to use the blog and they can even help create the newsletter. When they are home, they can assess the blog with their parents to read the newsletter. This is a good way for parents to interact with their children and get involved with their school work. The newsletter is also a good way for the students to stay informed on class and/or school upcoming events, field trips, half-days, fundraisers, etc.
To take this one step further, the parents (with the students help if needed) can post comments on the blog, or questions for the teacher. This can be an open line of communication. With parents and teachers busy work schedules, it's hard to schedule meetings or phone calls to talk to the talk teacher.
This would address the NYS Standard:
Subject: English Language Arts (1996) Learning Standard 4 : Language for Social Interaction
Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction.
Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.
Key Idea : Reading and Writing
Written communication for social interaction requires using written messages to establish, maintain, and enhance personal relationships with others.
Performance Indicator : Exchange friendly notes, cards, and letters with friends, relatives, and pen pals to keep in touch and to commemorate special occasions
3. Book Reviews. Blogging can also be a place where students can write reviews on books they are reading inside and outside the classroom. They can write what genre the book is from, and give pros and cons to the book. This will help their classmates decide if they want to read that book too or not.
Subject: English Language Arts (1996)
Learning Standard 3 : Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation
Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation.
As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to present, from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.
Level : Elementary
Key Idea : Speaking and Writing
Speaking and writing for critical analysis and evaluation requires presenting opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information, and issues clearly, logically, and persuasively with reference to specific criteria on which the opinion or judgment is based.
Performance Indicator : Express opinions (in such forms as oral and written reviews, letters to the editor, essays, or persuasive speeches) about events, books, issues, and experiences, supporting their opinions with some evidence
Performance Indicator : Use effective vocabulary and follow the rules of grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation in persuasive writing.
