Blogging for Safety

**Student Safety is #1 priority when using the Internet within the classroom**

As a teacher, it is the utmost priority to keep your students safe and responsible when using the Internet at anytime (even outside of school) in regards to your classroom assignments/activities. Below is a list of safety rules about safe blogging for both teachers and students alike.

1) Always get parent permission first for their child to participate in the activity involving blogging and Internet usage. Either through a signed permission slip/letter or a personal phone call home from the teacher, parents must be explained and fully understand exactly what their child will be doing along with its educational use and safety measures.

2) Students must be given a clear set of rules, responsibilities and expectations about Internet usage that must be clearly explained by the teacher and agreed to by the student before any Internet/blogging activity should occur within the classroom.

3) Student identification/privacy must be kept at a minimal where gender, location, email, full name and age of the student should not be posted. Students should be given pseudonym names by the teacher that only the other students know or possibly only the teacher.

4) The teacher should set clear restrictions through the blog settings on who is able to view the content of the blog. Permission should be given primarily only to the students and teacher along with possibly any parents who wish to view the page as well.

5) The teacher should monitor all postings before they are posted to the blog in order to filter out any inappropriate responses, material, links and/or pictures to the blog.

If all rules and expectations are set forth in advance and agreed to by both student and parent, blogging and Internet usage can be an extremely valuable tool in the classroom that is both safe and fun!