Let's get started!

Hi There! You found our blog! This is the place to talk about what's happening in class; to ask a question you didn't get a chance to ask in class; to find out what you missed if you were absent, for parents to find out "How Was School Today;" to share your knowledge with other students. Most importantly it's a place to reflect on what we're learning.

Before you can get blogging, please follow the instructions on moodle for instructions on how to become an author on our blog.  Be sure to choose an appropriate screen name for yourself that can be used to identify you WITHOUT using your last name.  Please read this post completely and refer back to it if you have any questions about blogging.

The Scribe Post
So, what's this whole blogging thing and how will we use it in class?  Well, that is a great question that we will answer together over the course of the year.  Blogging is new to me too, so we will figure it out together! Every day one student will be responsible for creating a post to document what went on that day in class.  These posts will be called scribe posts and will make up much of our blog (at least to start!).  The student who makes the scribe post for the day will assign the next day's scribe the end of their post.  Refer to the Scribe List for more information.
 
Labels
Labels, also referred to as tags are important to keep our blog organized and for me to keep track of your contributions for your grade.  If you don't label correctly, I cannot give you credit for your work!  You must include the following 3 labels:  your name (first name, last initial... for example, mine would be DeborahS), the unit we are studying (refer to moodle for the name of the unit), and the type of post that it is.  For now, the two types of posts will be "scribe" OR "on my mind".  As we continue on this journey, we may introduce more types of posts.
 
Important Words About Ethics
Blogging is a very public activity. Anything that gets posted on the internet stays there. Forever. Deleting a post simply removes it from the blog it was posted to. Copies of the post may exist scattered all over the internet.  That is why we are being so careful to respect your privacy and using first names only. We do not use pictures of ourselves. This is important not only for our blog but for online activities in your own life.  Use good judgement. 



Below are 4 guidelines that you will be expected to abide by.

1. Blogspaces are to be treated as classroom spaces. Speech that is inappropriate for class is not appropriate for our blog. Engaging in conversation and debate with your classmates is encouraged, however, remember to always be respectful.
2. Never EVER EVER give out or record personal information on our blog.  Don’t share anything that you don’t want the world to know.
3. Again, our blog is a public space. And if you put it on the Internet, odds are really good that it will stay on the Internet. Always. That means ten years from now when you are looking for a job, it might be possible for an employer to discover things about you from your younger years. Be sure that anything you post you are proud of.... or else it can come bag to haunt you!
4. Never link to something you haven’t read. When you link to something, you should make sure it is something that you really want to be associated with. 

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