Frequently Asked Questions
about Class Blogging
- What’s so good about class blogging?
There are lots of positives for students who participate in blogging.
- They take a lot of pride in their work if they know it might go onto the class blog.
- They have access to other students and teachers around the world and share the learning experiences with people that they would never actually meet here in Darwin. They get to learn about other kids just like them from very different places.
- They learn how to comment and participate in an online environment within a structured teaching and learning setting. As a class we will learn how to write comments positively and politely, as well as how to protect our privacy and be safe online. It’s no use in this technological age expecting them to know what not to do online if we don’t teach them what TO do. They are going to be participating in online environments for their whole lives so it’s important that they learn how to do this responsibly, respectfully and safely.
- Is my child’s identity safe online?
Yes. Your child’d full name will never be used on our class blog. Only their first name or a variation of it will be used in posts and comments. The classes and teachers that we connect with have been screened by me, prior to the students having access to them through the class blog.
- Will my child’s photo appear on the class blog?
It depends. Parents that have requested that their child not have their photo published will NOT have their photo on the class blog. At times I will take photos of student work and will include maybe their hands, back or top of their heads excluding faces.
Students may create videos and their faces may be included. If the students that are featured in the video have permission to have their photograph published, the video may be uploaded to the blog BUT their name will not be labelled to their face.
For example if Billy, Sally and Jessie create a great video but as they appear in the video their name pops up under their faces, I will NOT upload that onto the class blog. But if Casey, Carly, Tom and Tim create a great video and their names OR faces, but not both, appear in the video I may upload it and say ” Look what Casey, Carly, Tom and Tim created!”. That way as two are girls and two are boys they are not easily identifiable as who is whom. Alternatively, I may not name them at all just say ” Look what four of our students created today!”.
If you have questions just ask me 🙂
- What if someone writes something that’s a bit dodgy?
Good question! I have restricted the settings so that EVERY single post or comment must be approved by me before appearing on the blog. That means, I read everything that is submitted for posting and if I don’t like it, it won’t be approved.
- Are parents allowed to comment on the class blog?
Absolutely! In fact, please do! We would love feedback from our parents and school community. Please just remember that in order to keep the students’ identity safe don’t include your full name. When you comment please do so as ” Tracey T” or ” John (Michael’s dad)”.
If you have family near or far, please send them the link so that they too can see what great learning we do in Room 18!
