Get permission before posting student work!

The development of blogs and web pages opens up a can of worms regarding internet safety. Before posting any student work or creating blogs teachers should inform parents and get specific permission to publish student work on the internet. Parents will have signed an acceptable use form but it is not the same as a permission form to post work on the web. Check out the article at www.sie.k12.in.us/~west/article/publish.htm Under the heading Getting Started the author shares tips for teachers and includes sample student permission forms.

Blogging newbie makes great discovery!!

First, I must declare myself a newbie to the blogging world. It is with nervous excitement that I am exploring the uses of blogging in the classroom. In my search, I have discovered a fantastic peer-reviewed journal on the Internet. In the journal "first monday"(www.firstmonday.org/) I found the article "The educated blogger: Using weblogs to promote literacy in the classroom", by David Huffaker. The author recognizes digital fluency as a type of literacy and declares it a prerequisite skill for sociability, lifelong learning and employment opportunities. It is worth your time to read it. Of particular interest to me was the section that shared examples of blogs in practice.