Koelker+Safety

This is from a series of lessons I did with some of our sixth grade classes who were learning about blogging this past spring. An appropriate sample to visit is [|Mrs. Woodbury's language arts classes] who wrote poems in a class blog and commented on one another's writing.

Objective:
Students will practice commenting on blogs using appropriate tone and word choice.

Technology focus:
Blogs - The class will respond to blog posts created by other class members. Posting and commenting on a single class blog simplifies the process and allows younger students to learn netiquette in a controlled environment.

Description:
Students will be required to comment on 2 classmates' posts focusing on the content of the post and using positive word choices. Discussion will focus on appropriate netiquette and responding to negative comments.

Process:
- Part 1 of this lesson has already been completed - students have written short poems based on an earlier writing and modified to follow the structure of a book in verse written by Maria Testa and read by the entire school. These are now posted on the class writing blog. - Using the Smartboard to project the writing blog, we will read a sample poem together looking for poetic devises used in the writing and reacting to the emotion of the poem. - We will list important words from the poem as well as specific poetic terminology that focuses on the content of the poem. - Each term listed will be judged together as either negative or positive. All negative terms will be erased from the list as potential comment terms. - Working in pairs and triads, students will help create complete sentences from the key terms on the board. In a group share, positive statements that focus on the content and not on the author will be written as comments on the sample poem. - Discussion will involve the power of personal comments to affirm or denigrate the author's work. Only affirming comments are appropriate when responding to the creative work of others. It is possible to disagree while using positive and affirming language. As a blog author, you have the ability to delete inappropriate comments when you are in control of your own blog. On the class blog, the teachers will take that role. When you have your own blog, you will have the responsibility of deleting those comments if they appear. Remember that anonymous commenters who do not use positive language are violating the spirit of sharing on the Internet. - Reminder: If negative comments that are in any way uncomfortable to you appear as a response to anything you post on line, you need to contact a teacher or parent immediately. Do not respond to the comment in any way including clicking on any links that may have been posted. - Students will log in to the class writing blog and comment on one another's writing appropriately.

Permission Letter
Dear Parents,

This semester, your child will be developing his/her writing skills in part through the use of our class writing blog. The word "blog" is short for Weblog and is a log of writings shared with interested readers through the Internet. Blogs are used by people to publish their writing in a way that is simple, free, and interactive. Our class will post writings on a regular basis and will respond to one another's writing according to the structure of lessons I present to them.

Our blogs will be available to anyone with an Internet connection to read. Since there are millions of blogs already in existence, it's not likely that visitors from outside of our school will stumble upon our work. However, in order to protect your child, no personal information that might identify him/her, our school, or any other identifying data will be presented on the blog. Students will use pseudonyms rather than their own names, and the content of posted writing will be edited to ensure that no one could identify your child or his/her location.

It is important that you and your child discuss the details of the Blogger's Contract (from David Warlick's Class Blogmeister website) below before signing your agreement to the terms and returning the signed portiion to me. If you would like to discuss blogging or any part of the contract, feel free to contact me here at the school or through my email.

Sincerely,

Mr. Koelker koelkest@spsd.org

Blogger's Contract
Acknowledging that blogging is a legitimate and authentic form of journalistic publication, student and teacher bloggers must adhere to essential principles of ethics. The free exchange and publication of information can help people in important ways. At the same time information can also harm people either intentionally or unintentionally.

Being a responsible participant in the great online conversation, I pledge that I will use information to:
 * Honestly and joyously express the truth, and that if challenged, I will be able to prove that what I write or say is true,
 * Always treat all people with respect. I will never use information to cause harm or appear to cause harm to any person or group of people, and
 * Respect and protect information tools and that I will neither do any harm to a computer system, network, software, or other person’s information; nor will I allow others to do harm to a computer system, network, software, or other person’s information.
 * I will always be accountable for the information that I produce and publish, willing and able to defend my information or acknowledge when I have made a mistake and fix it.

I have read and understood the terms of this contract, and I agree to uphold them.

Student's signature ____________________________________Date: ____________

Parent's signature _____________________________________Date: ____________