BloggingGuidelines

toc

As we move forward with exploring how Web 2.0 technologies and tools can help promote engaging classroom instruction, address technology literacy standards, and support our curriculum objectives, there is a growing need for guidelines and protocols to help guide effective and safe use. Currently, CCPS does not have a blogging solution that is hosted within the CCPS network. In the near future, Microsoft SharePoint will be able to provide such a blogging tool for student and teacher use. Therefore, the following guidelines and resources are necessary. [|CCPS Blogging Guidelines] [|Web 2.0 Planning Document]

=**Description**= Educational blogging provides students a collaborative writing environment and can add an interactive dimension to writing. When blogging, students are provided an authentic audience to share their thoughts, reactions, and reflections. Blogging provides students a unique platform for connective writing through linking what they have read, online resources, and other students' writing within a blog post. As a result, students are able to develop higher level thinking skills through both their critical review of resources and their reflections through writing. This unique Web 2.0 tool also provides students opportunities to practice ethical behavior and digital citizenship by providing students with their own online presence and the need to acknowledge and link to the intellectual property of others while synthesizing and extending their own learning.

[|CommonCraft description]

//Writing stop... blogging continues Writing is inside.... blogging is outside Writing is monologue.... blogging is conversation Writing is thesis... blogging is synthesis Writing becomes an ongoing process, on that is not just done for the contrived purposed of the classroom (Richardson, p 31)//

Blogs can: (Will Richardson)
 * promote critical and analytical thinking
 * be a powerful promoter of creative, intuitive, and associational thinking
 * promote analogical thinking
 * be a powerful medium for increasing access and exposure to quality information
 * combine the best of solitary reflection and social interaction

Blogging should be considered an instructional tool that can be used to support content objectives that you are teaching. There are numerous ways to use educational blogs, however you should first identify his/her content objectives prior to deciding how this Web 2.0 tool can support classroom instruction. When beginning to use blogs in the classroom, it is suggested that teachers model their use and post multiple sample, class posts and comments prior to setting students up with individual accounts for posting and commenting. Once you are ready to have students blogging and commenting individually, you will need to consider how you will scaffold this student learning and the technology literacy skills that are necessary to be successful. Also consider how you will evaluate student learning. Are there specific expectations for a student post and/or comment? Does your scoring tool address the content objectives that are to be addressed through the use of the blog? How will you know if the use of this Web 2.0 tool supported student achievement?
 * Instructional Applications & Purposes:**

How do we need to rethink our ideas of literacy when we must prepare our students to become not only readers and writers, but editors and collaborators and publishers as well? Will Richardson, p5 (Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts - 2nd edition)


 * Instructional strategies:**
 * Class Portal
 * Online Filing Cabinet
 * E-Portfolio
 * Collaborative Space
 * Knowledge Management and Articulation
 * School Website
 * synthesis of classroom learning (scribe)
 * writing tasks (with scoring tools)


 * Professional development strategies and support:**
 * Schools should consider coordinating the use of blogging tools and expectation for student use. Our goal is to leverage this powerful tool for learning and student posts and comments should be of an academic nature.
 * Tutorials and step-by-step directions should be developed (perhaps through Elluminate) to provide teachers a quick resource of how to set up a classroom blog while also setting up appropriate settings for student safety.
 * Teachers should review the blogging materials identified below prior to planning with a Supervisor, Administrator, Resource Teacher, Media Specialist, or Staff Development Facilitator. The planning guide should be used to facilitate planning discussions.

=**Alignment with Standards**= Maryland Technology Literacy Standards for Students (MTLSS)
 * Standard 2.0

Digital Citizenship || Legal and Ethical Issues
 * Practice responsible and appropriate use technology systems, software, and information
 * Demonstrate and understanding of current legal standards
 * Understand current online safety guidelines ||
 * Standard 3.0

Technology for Learning and Collaboration || Learning Collaboration
 * Use and explain how the technology enhances learning
 * Use and explain how technology tools encourage collaboration ||
 * Standard 4.0

Technology for Communication and Expression || Communication Expression IRA Position Statement - [|Integrating Literacy and Technology in the Curriculum] NCTM [|The Technology Principle] NCSS [|Technology Position Statement] [|ISTE Standards for Students]**
 * Use technology for communication
 * Use and explain the purposes of different media formats
 * Select and use technology to express ideas
 * Use and explain how the technology can be used to express ideas ||
 * [|Standards for English Language Arts (supported by NCTE and IRA)]

=**CCPS Approved Blogging Tools**= For teachers wanting to create a classroom blog with the option of creating individual student blogs, use: [|ClassBlogmeister] [|Blogmeister Instructions] [|Blogmeister Conditions]

For teachers who want to be the main author, and have students enrolled as contributors, use the [|CCPS EduBlog Tool]: Make sure you read the process for getting a blog! The same information can be found here: [|CCPS Blogs]

=**Considerations**=
 * Need to communicate that teachers who are interested in/exploring/using instructional blogs should do so in conjunction/collaboration with a media specialist, curriculum supervisor, school administrator, or staff development facilitator
 * Identify/provide/discuss key terminology, "online language/IM Lingo" and expectations
 * Written etiquette

=Safety=
 * Make sure that students, parents, and administrators are clear about the expectations and reasoning behind blogging.
 * A parent letter should be sent home that: clearly explains your plans and asks permission for students to participate, includes a description of the technology, how it will be used, what security measures have been put in place (protect privacy), what your expectations are of your students, and what the curricular goals are for its use [|(Sample Letter)>]
 * Set proper permissions on the blogging tool
 * Establish process for reporting problems (students)
 * Process in place for consistent monitoring of student activity, blogs and comments
 * Teacher’s role – promoting effective uses
 * Plan for how to evaluate a blog post
 * Blogging goes far beyond exchanging papers in a closed classroom environment
 * Blogging should not be "journaling." This is more of a writing genre that engages thinking and reflecting with words
 * Managing student blogs and settings ([|EduBlogs])

=**Resources**= [|7 Things you Should Know About Blogs] The Educause series of articles is great; this one is a little old, 2005. But helpful. [|Blog Rules - Ground Rules for Teachers Who Blog] Very current, but more newsy than instructional [|To Blog or Not to Blog - Online Safety Tips Prior to Launching a Blogging Project] [|Objectives and Guidelines for Safe and Responsible Blogging] This is one school's policy (elem school). The format is great. [|Support Blogging - Educational Blogging] [|EduBlog Awards] http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/blog/blogbasics.cfm Quick, basic, complete information. Excellent as a suggested online resource. (2007) [|You blog, we blog] Excellent and thorough from __Teacher Librarian.__ =Classroom Examples= [|Links to School Bloggers] [|Reservoir High School - Art Class] [|Earth and Beyond - CCPS Astronomy sample] [|NSTA - The Early Years Blog] [|Strength of Weak Ties - David Jakes] [|Miller's English 10 Classroom Blog] [|The Tempered Radical] [|Lewis Elementary] [|AP Calculus] [|Extreme Biology] [|Edublogs Insights] [|Ways to Use Weblogs in Education] [|Kathy Cassidy] - primary example =Background Materials= [|Bud The Teacher - Lots of resources on educational blogging] [|Will Richardson - Weblog Resources] [|Anne Davis - Guidelines and Responsibilities] http://concepts.pbwiki.com/ [|Teaching with Blogs] [|Legal Guide for Bloggers] [|Student Blogging Rights]

=Notes= THEN...
 * 1) Need to develop an overview/vision of blogging (using content above) with guidelines/procedures.
 * 2) Identify top 2- 3 resources to put in the hands of the teachers interested in blogging.
 * 3) Explore Campus solution for EduBlog
 * 4) Develop planning guide for general Web 2.0 tools planning. Interactive planning guide to use to facilitate planning and collaboration.
 * develop pd materials to support resource, supervisors, media specialists, facilitators

Blogging

TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACCEPTABLE USE GUIDELINES FOR STUDENTS.

D. Telecommunications/Internet Safety Procedures

It is the intent of the Carroll County Board of Education to: 1. prevent the use of its computer network to access, or transmit, inappropriate material via the Internet, electronic mail, or other forms of direct electronic communications; 2. prevent unauthorized access and other unlawful online activity; 3. prevent unauthorized online disclosure, use or dissemination of personal identification of minors; and 4. comply with the Children’s Internet Protection Act [Pub. L. No. 106-554 and 47 USC 254 (h)]. These guidelines address situations where the unfamiliarity with particular telecommunication facilities might cause questions or uncertainty about the application of existing rules and/or procedures. 5. Websites a. Access: Since website search engines make it possible to locate particular types of material, it is important that identifiable student information not be published on the Internet. Identifiable student information includes but is not limited to:

1. student’s name; 2. parent’s or guardian’s name; 3. family member’s name; 4. student’s address; 5. student’s phone numbers; 6. social security numbers; 7. student numbers; and 8. personal characteristics or other information that would make it possible to identify a student with reasonable certainty.

b. Website Development: Staff and students may: 1. use school websites to provide copies of a research paper the teacher wrote on a subject related to the class. 2. maintain a website to provide information to students and parents pertaining to such matters as the school calendar, lunch menus, directions to the school, business telephone numbers for staff, and information about field trips. 3. not post photographs of students or identifiable student information without obtaining a release. (see Attachment A) 4. not post student artwork (paintings, stories, poetry, etc.) on the web without proper copyright notices and written permission from the student. (see Attachment A) 5. not create links to outside websites that may, or are known to, contain objectionable material. 6. not post advertisements on websites without following Board Policy KJ on Advertising in School. 7. not incorporate copyrighted material on websites without permission of the copyright holder. 8. not post student grades on websites without proper password protection.

Technology Considerations

Carroll County Public Schools utilizes many technologies to aid in website creation and management. Only websites hosted by Carroll County Public Schools are considered official CCPS websites. All other websites must be designated as unofficial and contain the following disclaimer:

The views, opinions, conclusions and content expressed in this website are those of the author or organization and not necessarily those of Carroll County Public Schools, its officials or the Board of Education. The content of this page has not been reviewed or approved by CCPS and the author or organization is solely responsible for its content.

CCPS employees should: 1. comply with the Children’s Internet Protection Act a. comply with the CCPS Employee Telecommunications Acceptable Use Policy 2. make every effort to make sites 508 compliant (Section 508 (29 U.S.C. b 794d)) Section 508 law was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. 3. assure that website content has a clear educational purpose and meets academic standards for proper spelling, grammar, content, accuracy and appropriateness

4. make every attempt to create the smallest file size as possible a. use Adobe Acrobat Standard to make documents ready for web publication 5. keep photograph file sizes below 500k and in jpeg or gif file formats 6. keep websites up–to-date and remove untimely content 7. use Eschoolnewsletter for emergency and news updates 8. use www.thinkport.org for teacher/staff website creation and hosting 9. contact Technology Services for information on use of specialized website technologies (Web 2.0)

CCPS employees and students should not: 1. post student information 2. post information that could compromise CCPS security i.e. floorplans, daily schedules, student whereabouts 3. scan large paper documents for publication (all files should be below 2 mb) 4. link to website and/or files that are not monitored regularly and are not from a reputable source 5. incorporate copyrighted material on websites without permission of the copyright holder including graphics, photographs and written content 6. include advertizing see: Board Policy KJ on Advertising in School