Martin,+Tracy+7-D

** Blogging Activity **
 * Teaching Safe Behavior **

**Objective**: Students in the 8th grade Career class will learn safe and appropriate on-line behaviors before posting blog entries.

**Proposed Technology**: Blogging (Wordpress)

** Materials: ** Private and Personal Worksheet Writing Utencil

** Background: **
 * Students in the 8th grade will create a series of blog entries as part of a Career class.
 * The students will make one blog entry per week about a career they have researched or respond to a writing prompt related to careers.

** Expectations: **
 * Students will read and complete two worksheets on Private and Personal Information.
 * As a large group, students will discuss the difference between Private and Personal information.
 * Students will post appropriate on-line information about themselves on their blogs.

** Blogging Expectations: **
 * Students will keep all private information off of their blogs.

** Procedure: **
 * **S**tudents will be introduced to learning safe and appropriate on-line behaviors.
 * The large group will discuss “Are you giving out information that you should keep private?”
 * Students will complete Private and Personal Information Worksheets.
 * As a large group, students will discuss how this can keep them safe while communicating on the web.
 * Discussion about discovery of inappropriate content posted to their blog.
 * Students will report any inappropriate blog comment to classroom teacher.
 * Students will not respond to any in appropriate blog comments posted to their blog.
 * Classroom teacher will have the student/parent remove any inappropriate comment from blog as necessary.
 * Will discuss with student and as a class the inappropriateness of comment and remind them of the importance of reporting inappropriate comments to parents and teacher.

** Resources **
 * Cybersmart (cybersmartcurriculum.org)

**Worksheets:** **[]**

__**Permission Letter**__

Dear Families:

As part of Ms. Tracy Martin’s 9-week Careers class, students will be taking part in posting their career research, thoughts, and writing prompts related to careers with a real audience through the technology of blogging on the web. Students will be using Wordpress.com to create their own personal Weblog to post their writings to the Internet.

A weblog is a type of webpage that is created and easily updated. Each entry has its own title and is date stamped. Each entry has space provided for visitors to place comments to the author.

**Implementation** By the second week of the career class, students will create their weblogs. Students will be posting one blog on their personal Weblog every Friday during class. The emphasis of these blogs will be about writing a paragraph about a new career topic they learned this week, research they found, or a writing prompt I will give to the students.

If a student misses class on a Friday, they will have an opportunity to complete this assignment the first day they return to class. Students may also post from home if they have Internet access.

The real audience will be mainly the other students in the career class. However, since this is published on the web, it is available to anyone using the web that finds your students’ blog. It is very unlikely that the world at large will stumble across your child’s weblog. Parents, grandparents, siblings, and relatives of your child are also invited to read and post comments to your child’s career discoveries and research.

Security This blogging project is designed to create a minimal risk to your child. Your child will learn about private and personal information and appropriate on-line behavior prior to the first blog entry. Your child’s first name will be the only identifying information on the blog. Our school or grade information will not be posted. Students can post their interests, their research on career information, and opinions. They are not permitted to post their age, email address, pictures, or other private information.

Assessment Your child will have one graded assignment per week for 8 weeks. Students will earn 15 points per entry. A scoring rubric will be included in the course syllabus.

Permission Before your child may start posting to their blog, I am requesting you and your child to read and sign the following form. Please return to Ms. Tracy Martin.

Blogging Terms and Conditions
 * 1) Students will complete the activity on understanding the difference between Personal and Private information.
 * 2) Students will not post any Private information on their blog. This includes but not limited to family name, school name, city and state, telephone number or other information that could help someone locate you in person.
 * 3) Students can share information gathered about different careers and their opinions about careers.
 * 4) Students will not share their username and password with anyone beside Ms. Tracy Martin and their parents. Students will not log on as someone else.
 * 5) Students will consider the blog space as classroom space. No inappropriate behavior will be acceptable on blog space. You will conduct all writings in a respectful manner in accordance to the school code of conduct.
 * 6) These student blogs are a forum for sharing student knowledge and reflection. If an inappropriate comment is posted to your blog, you need to immediately report this to Ms. Tracy Martin and your parent. Do not respond to the comment.
 * 7) Students will not download any content to the blog that is not assigned during the duration of the career class.
 * 8) Students who do not follow these terms and conditions may lose their opportunity to take part in this project.

I have read and understood these blogging terms and conditions. I agree to uphold them.

Students Signature ___ Date__ Parent Signature _ Date __