Group+B+7-C-2

= Home > Group B Workspace > Learning Activity 7-C-2=

=Overview= Blogging has become a common practice in the classroom to encourage students to write, explore the web, critically analyze text and collaborate with classmates. Although the Read/Write web offers innovative opportunities for students of all ages, safety risks can accompany lessons at any time. In order to fully execute learning, teaching students about these risks offer instructors “teachable moments” that center around online safety and the course material at the same time. =**The Scenario**= Your fourth grade class has been blogging for about two months now. They have shared several writing projects on their class blogs, including revisions of some short stories with illustrations. To protect your students’ identities, all students use only their first name and first letter of their last names (e.g., Kayla F., Joseph R.)

Your students have commented on each others blogs, and a few parents and other teachers have added comments as well. Your students have become accustomed to this feedback from your internal audience.

Today, one of your students, Aaron, asked you about a comment on his blog. Someone complimented him on his story but Aaron doesn’t recognize the name. You review the comment and the link provided, and it appears to be someone from Canada doing educational research. Aaron asks what he should do next.

// Online Safety (June 4, 2008). Paul.Kintworth’s Photostream. // // Retrieved February 23, 2011, from @http://www.flickr.com/photos/27340884@N07/2550811617/ //

=Safety First= Safety is important when using an on-line website so therefore the following should be followed: The blog site will be used in the following way:
 * 1) The teacher in the classroom will be the only one to register members.
 * 2) Only students and parents will be permitted to register.
 * 3) Only registered members will be permitted to see student postings
 * 4) All postings and comments will be posted on teacher approval before being visible on the blog.
 * 5) No individual or personal information will be on the blog.
 * 6) The blog will be deleted at the end of the school year.
 * 1) All participants must agree to the terms of this agreement.
 * 2) The teacher will monitor the site but all participants must support the teacher in the same approach.
 * 3) No student will post anything that will compromise the safety of any blog members and all posting are to be appropriate and respectful.
 * 4) No student will change the settings or share this password with others. This includes allowing tracking of the site to occur.
 * 5) Any blog member who is aware of violations of this agreement will tell the teacher immediately, either written or orally.

The Teacher, when setting up a classroom blog needs to choose a site that protects the students as much as possible. Obviously the scenario above did not provide the protection and privacy that was expected.

=Teaching Online Safety= The scenario presents the opportunity for the teacher to instruct her students about online safety. Once a safety agreement is in place, teachers can then discuss possible outcomes and risks associated with online posting.

Safety using the blog site needs to be in place before the blog project begins. Here is a chart to show the features of the best blog site to use in the classroom. This will help the teacher to choose the best site based on the needs of the classroom. []

Gaggle is a safe blog site to use in the classroom. It's filters block offensive words and can be customized to block even more. []

The teacher in this scenario should have excluded postings from all outside sources as a setting option. That would have eliminated the possibility of a person commenting on her student's post.

=Verdict - Response to Aaron's question "What he should do next?"= The teacher should instruct Aaron that he does not need to do anything but she should explain why knowing who you are communicating with on the web is important. The teacher should log onto the blog and adjust the settings so only approved members may post. The teacher should also moderate all posts before they are published. This would have allowed her to check the messages before the student saw the comment to his post. The teacher should also use this situation as a opportunity for a class lesson on internet safety. She could explain the dangers of communicating with others on the internet, especially when they personally do not know the person on "the other side of the computer". Furthermore, the teacher could send a message to the person who commented on the blog and explain how the site was only meant for the school and those directly related to the community. Although web 2.0 does open up students to the unknown, when it is used appropriately, it can be a great resource. Even if a security breach of the blog occurs, the teacher could still use this opportunity to explain responsible use to the students when using the internet.

How Teachers Use Blogging in the Classroom