10 reasons students blogYour shared classroom blog is a place for you to share work and have meaningful discussions with others. Remember that blogging is about connecting with others through reading, thinking and responding to posts. It’s important that you are mindful of what you post on the Internet. 

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Here are some guidelines we ask you to follow while you make posts and comment to the work of others:

Be kind. Sarcasm hurts. Be positive and aim to treat others as you would like to be treated. When commenting on someone else’s work, start off by addressing the group or person you are directing your remarks, observations, or questions to.  In closing your comment, include your own first name. This helps keep the discussion polite and friendly.

Be safe. Never post your personal information or information about someone else. Keep things like last names, ages, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses off the Internet. Remember that information on the internet, especially embarrassing information, may still be around after you’ve deleted it. Be careful not to post things that you may wish you hadn’t later.

Think before you post. Don’t rush. Re-read your work. Look everything over and use your spell check to be sure everything is accurate. Remember, this blog is monitored by your teacher(s) on a regular basis. The blog is also a representation of your class, so do your best in sharing great writing and meaningful posts with your partners.

Follow directions and Keep it on topic. Be sure to follow the directions that are given for any assignment — be creative, but within the parameters set forth by your teacher(s).

Do not delete the work of others deliberately. Unless it is part of the assignment and you have permission. Do not correct the spelling and grammar of other students unless you have their permission.

Be truthful and accurate. Write things you know to be correct using facts from research from reliable, credible sources.  The Internet is a great source of information but information is only useful when it is accurate. Check more than one source.

Ask first, then give credit. Ask an artist’s permission to post their photos, pictures or pieces of writing. You must also ask permission when using an idea from someone else, including a family member, or an acquaintance. After you have their permission, then you must ask if you can post their name to give them credit.

Be brief, to the point and logical. Consider how to best organize the information you want to share. Use breaks in your text and formatting elements to make the page easy to read and understand.

Adapted from PBWiki’s Wiki Etiquette for Students