Parent_Blogging_letter_Contract

							Dear Parents, [[Describe the project the students will be working on here.]] I created a blog on www.classblogmeister.com for my students to use this school year (A blog is short for web log). The blog is set up with each student identified with pseudonyms. {{Describe what the student will write.}} [[Describe who will be working with / commenting on their work.]]

This can stimulate a discussion because students can access our blog from class, home or after school to respond to [[the person they are working with]]. This will help us improve our written communication. The blog also allows me to be active in all dialogs all the time. This blog was created by David Warlick, a former teacher and nationally known speaker, and is used only by teachers and students. It has high security and follows all laws. Students are only allowed to use their teachergiven username and password. Students submit an article or a comment to the blog and it is forwarded to me for approval. Once I approve it, it is posted in the appropriate thread. A password is needed to access the classroom blog and a password is needed to even submit something. The students will have the password. If the password gets to other students at [[name of school]], that is not a big deal. All they can do is read our discussions. If any student posts any inappropriate article or comment, I will not approve it. There is also a picture of a word at the bottom of the submission that physically needs a human to type in. Therefore, for added security, a computer program cannot automatically access or enter our blog. I assure you this is a safe environment for your child to participate in. David Warlick states “There are many freely available tools that facilitate blogging, but none seem especially suited for the classroom. That is the reason for BlogMeister. This online blogging tool is explicitly designed with teachers and students in mind, where the teacher can evaluate, comment on, and finally publish students' blog articles in a controlled environment.” School District U-46 recommends Blogmeister as a safe blogging tool for their teachers and students to use. [[Add other endorsements here]]

Thank you,

Blogger’s Contract
Acknowledging that blogging is a legitimate and authentic form of journalistic publication, student and teacher bloggers must adhere to essential principles of ethics. The free exchange and publication of information can help people in important ways. At the same time information can also harm people either intentionally or unintentionally. Being a responsible participant in the great online conversation, I pledge that I will use information to:
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Honestly and joyously express the truth, and that if challenged, I will be able to prove that what I write or say is true, Always treat all people with respect. I will never use information to cause harm or appear to cause harm to any person or group of people, and Respect and protect information tools and that I will neither do any harm to a computer system, network, software, or other person’s information; nor will I allow others to do harm to a computer system, network, software, or other person’s information. I will not divulge my passwords to other students. I will always be accountable for the information that I produce and publish, willing and able to defend my information or acknowledge when I have made a mistake and fix it.

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Parent

Student

To the Teacher: The following were from communications between teachers concerning students whose parents are apprehensive about blogging:

About the case of the parent who has apprehensions about it, give the person directions to go to www.classblogmeister.com. Then give him/her directions to get to your site. When the parent finds out that he/she can't even read the blogs without a password, which may help. Another idea: If writing on a blog is a major concern, ask the parent if student can at least just read what his/her classmates are saying on the blog, without writing to it. The student can submit papers to you. Another idea is to ask the parent if the student can submit the comments to you (as a file) and that you post them (copy & paste) into the student's blog. This way the student isn't actually posting to the blog, you are. I do think that your idea of a phone call to assuage fears is a good one. If you don't mind a suggestion I forgot to mention. Students tend not to use good grammar on blogs (shorthand words such as u = you etc., no capitals, using code words such as LOL, etc.) Since this blog is being done as a class project and represents the best of XXX School, you might tell your students that their blogging will count for two grades. One grade is for the ideas they write about. The second is for using good writing conventions.