David Muir has given me real pause for thought with his recent comment on my post about the Blogs and Moodle installation that has recently gone online for our pupils. He (rightly) points out that the rules that I have set out as the terms and conditions for pupils using the blog service are almost universally negative. I can only agree, and am really glad he pointed this out. I could try and claim that this has happened because I based our rules on those laid out by Jeanne Simpson in her Mathematical Musings blog, but that doesn’t excuse my own short sightedness.
If I am trying to portray the positive side of blogging as a tool that pupils could and should be using, why am I assuming the worst case scenarios? At the very least, if I was looking at the rules, I’d be thinking ‘what do these rules tell me about the dangers of blogging?’ I need to change them to be more positive (as David suggested), and I need to use them as a means of encouraging people rather than putting them off… so… does anyone fancy chipping in with some good, positive rules? I’m going to make a start on them over the weekend, but if you’ve got any suggestions or have seen (or use) good positive rules/guidelines, then please feel free to post them here. You may wish to look at the offending articles first…
I’m glad David pointed this out, and I wonder how many of the rest of you are busy telling people what they can’t do when we should just be encouraging them to do…
February 24, 2007 at 7:07 am
Here’s a few I use:
Use only your initials when signing your blog.
Write only about the assigned topic; use psuedo-names for friedns & family.
Remember, a good story starts with truth and then turns it – save personal information for people you can see!
Respond to peopl you: know or recognize. Anonymous people and people you don’t know must stay that way.
Take time to comment on each other’s blogs – be critical and fair.
Encourage your classmates to do better with positive suggestions.
Above all else, protect yourself- always wear your seatbelt. (Justlike a car – you don’t want to be lazy just once. Use your common sense but don’t forget the basic things.)
We go over these a few times. I remind them – as because I use blogmeister, I can comment and send them back before being posted. This way we can build in some habits before we turn them loose on the world. Hope this helps!
February 24, 2007 at 7:33 am
East Lothian’s guidelines (http://edubuzz.org/support) are positive but have also stood up to weeks of editing by our teachers. They might be worth a copy and paste into a wiki of your own and seeing how *your* teachers and *your* kids play with them. (I think each school will have its own cultural context to take into account)
February 24, 2007 at 8:40 am
Hi Neil,
Looks like you are getting some good ideas. I like ELs way of mixing the safety instructions in with others lie ‘be interesting’.
At Sandaig, I’ve never formalised any rules, and probably spout a mix of positive and negative. I am going try and be more positive from now on and possible actually put them up on the wall. We also unlike Kelly use first names in the blogs all the time, I’ve had children use pseudonyms in digital video but I am ok with names in blogs posts as long as they are not beside photos (and so is my local authority).