Thursday, July 12, 2012

Rules & Guidelines

The beginning of the school year comes with expectations and rules. Establishing these rules and routines in the classroom provides structure and reassurance for most students. Usually, we have a guidelines in place for using materials, completing homework, using the restroom and all else.

What about blogging? Should there be specific rules and guidelines attached to this activity? After checking out the following resources: RULES & GUIDELINES please leave a comment below sharing your thoughts and ideas. Please reference at least 2 of the sources to back up your statement.

Also, please respond to one of your classmates ideas as well.

23 comments:

  1. Of course there should be rules and guidelines! Students should know what is expected of them and how their comments could hurt a friend. Ms. Cofino's Always Learning Blog states ten guidelines that are necessary for students to review and understand before they embark on their blogging journey. Dr. Alec Couros created a wiki on Digital Citizenship. His wiki is full of information on online safety and ethics, including videos and links on thinking before you post. This is important because kids need to understand that when you publish something, it is out there for other people to see.

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    1. You have mentioned two great sites that are full of information. Dr. Couros is a respected member of the learning community who puts a lot of thought and effort into his work. I think using 10 guidelines (or less depending on the grade level) is perfect for our students. Easy to follow expectations are a must at the elementary level.

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    2. I agree that Ms. Cofino's Always Learning Blog is one that would be useful for my fifth graders (even though it is meant for older students). Like Ms. Cofino, I would limit my guidelines to ten. I will use hers as a model in developing my own

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    3. I agree! I also think that the guidelines need to be reviewed during the year and changed as students progress throughout the years. As students get older they find themselves in new situations that also require guidance.

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  2. I definitely think there should be rules and guidelines for students blogging. I just viewed the guidelines for the primary grades and at first I thought it wasn't necessary for that age group. However, I think that if you are having students on-line that guidelines are needed. We expect students to know the rules for being part of a classroom community and, likewise, they should have rules they follow when going on-line.

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    1. I agree Heather. I also think it makes the students feel safe when they know that there are rules that need to be followed. Making a poster or blog post with those rules or guidelines will make sure those are always in the forefront when posting.

      Thanks for sharing.

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    2. Heather,
      I think it is MOST important that elementary educators start our students correctly. As in all else that we do, we build a strong foundation. I've already encountered students who say, "We didn't cite our sources last year," and yet these same students would be dismayed to have their work "taken." That's actually how I teach the concept: use a piece of student artwork that he/she spent a great deal of time and care on, and imagine that I posted it on my blog and did not mention the artist...or worse, that I took credit for the work. How does that feel? Students react pretty strongly to that. We have a great responsibility to students and to our colleagues...to talk about netiquette with all of them. Thanks for giving me this opportunity to "soapbox."

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    3. Hi Mrs. Bruns-
      As a middle school teacher, I fully agree with your thinking that elementary teachers build the foundation ~ I like your real life example of using the students artwork to teach how important it is to cite work. We spend a lot of time in 7th grade working on proper citations.
      Thanks-

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  3. Great resources here...with a variety of levels. Several ideas struck me as I begin my own blogging with students in 4th grade.
    1. Audience...Think about who is reading...I may have them draw a picture of everyone who will be reading their posts...we'll see how many of them draw a rich variety and an infinite number of people!
    2. Truth...4th graders need to explore the concept of truth vs. opinion. How one states as well as how one reads are key to the complexity of our world. Further, they are what the future is about as we are flooded with bias, frequently unrecognized.
    3. One of the authors described blogs as "A Voice to the World". Love that phrase and image. I see a megaphone to a vast audience as an icon to represent their blogging.
    What do you think about any of these ideas? I'd love to extend my thinking.

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    1. Mrs. Bruns 4B,
      The ideas you have gleaned from the resources are great. I especially love the idea of "Truth". We know that our students may hear something and without much thought will repeat that as a 'true' or 'real' statement. It is our responsibility (especially as they are blogging and becoming the 'Voice of the World') to guide them and teach them to focus on their thoughts, to use evidence to support statements and to validate sources being used.

      Thanks for sharing and providing the image of the Megaphone!

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    2. These 3 ideas are very powerful, especially for elementary students who are just beginning their journey into the blogging world. Although it may seem that only a few close peers and teachers are reading/responding to their comments, this may not be the case. "A Voice to the World" is an interesting way of describing the concept of blogging. In addition to your 3 ideas, I like the idea of learning how to give thoughtful constructive feedback, and asking yourself, "What will I cause by writing this post?" as stated in Ms. Cofino's Blog. Great ideas to implement in the classroom!

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  5. Here's another thought: "Who's responsibility is it?" referring to Netiquette. That's what the author asks in The Journal. Here we are again picking up and owning what should be a responsibility shared with parents. I am going to add this to my agenda on Curriculum Night. Will you?

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    1. Hello Mrs. Bruns-
      I really like Ms. Cofino's Blogging Guidelines. I think I will also share this information with parents at open house and might turn the guidelines into some sort of a contract for students and teachers!
      ~Alison

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    2. I will absolutely include this in my Curriculum Night...great idea!

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  6. There should absolutely be rules and guidelines that are taught to students before they begin blogging. It's amazing to me how when we teach kids about proper netiquette how instances will still arise in the middle school because kids just generally don't think. I like the way Ms. Cofino's site starts off withe the "golden rule" of establishing your online persona: treat others the way you would want to be treated and only write what you would be ok with your parent or principal seeing. I am a big fan of the keep it simple rules. With too many rules the kids start spacing out on them and when the rules are more general more sub-rules so-to-speak can fall under the umbrella.

    In the digital citizenship slideshow they made a good point of reminding us that just because kids know how to use the technology doesn't mean that they know how to use it properly. This education piece can tie in nicely to anti-bullying education.

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    1. I always like using the "Golden Rule" as kids really can relate to it...they certainly don't want to be made fun of or hurt so sometimes using 'empathy' helps.

      Truly, many think that just because the students have grown up using technology that they know what to do and how to use it properly. I agree that those "digital natives" still need guidance.

      Thanks for sharing.

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  7. "Digital Citizenship" is a great way to get the entire school on board using the same language, expectations, guidelines with any/all online activities, including blogging. Looks like a professional development curriculum to me!

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    1. The NSW powerpoint does a good job of introducing this idea. I pulled out the graphic in video form and posted it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUjHJfEyKKg. It introduced the idea to me in a way that reminded me how vast this topic is and how much of our students' lives it touches.

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    2. Paula,
      I think it is wise to get the whole school on board with Digital Citizenship. There are many free programs and resources that would fit with many curriculums. I suspect that more and more schools will take this on as social media is being used so often in the schools.

      Thanks for sharing.

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  8. I found it interesting to survey the various forms and approaches of the guidelines, some being more verbose, some being more concise. I pulled together a bunch of these resources here: http://whsipadpilot.wordpress.com/2012/07/13/guidelines-for-student-blogging/, and will use these materials to create my own.

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  9. I think the various forms show people's different personalities and it would be great to use/borrow what fits for each of us. Glad you found some resources you could use.

    Thanks for sharing.

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