Blog Guidelines

Dear Reader,
        Before one can start an educational blog, there are some guidelines and expectations to be followed. Microsoft put out a statement about safe blogging. http://www.microsoft.com/security/family-safety/blogging.aspx
Here are three of the guidelines I found most important.
1. Parents need to sit down and have a talk with their kids about internet safety. They should also screen their kids' posts before allowing them to be published.
2. Set privacy settings on your blog. Especially for children and teenagers.
3. Ask yourself -would you feel comfortable showing all of this to a stranger? Because potentially, that's who will be viewing your blog.

        This website http://edublogs.org/curriculum-corner-using-a-blog-with-students/ also explains some safety and privacy guidelines for classroom blogs. It also suggests that as a class, you develop a set of rules for your blog (no bullying, kind comments, sharing personal information, etc.). I think that is vital before beginning a class blog. Especially with younger students who may have not had a lot of experience with social media and the internet in general.

        As someone who has had a blog for a few years, I understand the importance of internet safety and privacy. It is a required aspect if a classroom blog is going to be developed.

-Sam's an Aggie