N AVIGATING YOUR WAY AROUND A B LOG Presented by:Wendy Pike, Teacher Cherrybrook Public School

O VERVIEW What is a blog? Blogging in schools. Establishing a blog. Managing a blog.

W HAT IS A BLOG ?

The term ‘blog’ originated from the blend of the terms “web log”. A blog is a website that is arranged in chronological order from the most recent ‘post’ at the top of the main page to the older entries at the bottom. A blog is used to regularly communicate ideas, usually about a specific area of interest. Blogs in Plain English

B LOGGING IN SCHOOLS School blogs can be used to share information with students, parents, families and friends anytime and anywhere. School blogs provide a window into a classroom. They keep students and parents informed and extend the classroom to any place with access to the web. Students enjoy blogging and doing so can engage students in their learning and extend collaboration with classmates and even people all over the world.

B LOGGING IN SCHOOLS

E STABLISHING A BLOG School support must be obtained before establishing a classroom blog. The platform to be used must have school approval. Parents and/or other guardians must be informed as soon as practical when a classroom blog is established. You must receive written consent from parents and/or other guardians specifically indicating their permission for their child’s work samples, pictures and or movies to appear on a classroom blog before any material can be used for the purpose of a classroom blog.

S AMPLE OF P ARENT CONSENT LETTER Dear Parents, A class blog has been established for 3P. This blog is a type of website that students and their families can access on the internet. It will be maintained by Miss Pike and will include entries from students showing some of their class activities. The types of activities that will appear on the blog may include artworks, writing, speeches and videos. The class blog will be hosted at Parents are invited to view the blog with their child and discuss what has been displayed and if suitable help them to compose a comment for others to see. Please note: No comment or entry will be published before Miss Pike has seen and approved it. All students have read the school’s Internet Acceptable Use Policy and signed that they agree and understand the importance of confidentiality and inappropriate behaviour. An example of a previous class blog can be seen at Please complete the permission below and if you have any questions please feel free to contact Miss Pike. W endy Pike Year 3 Teacher _______________________________________________________________________________ Year 3 Blog Permission As a parent or legal guardian of __________________________, I agree to the following: (Please circle where appropriate) I do / do not give permission for my child’s school work to be published on the year 3 blog. I do / do not give permission for my child’s photo/video to appear on the year 3 blog. Childs Name (Please Print):_________________________________________________ Parent (Guardian) Signature: _________________________________________________ Date:_____ /______ /______

E STABLISHING A BLOG

E STABLISHING A BLOG ( TERMINOLOGY ) DashboardThis is the driving wheel of a blog. It can only be accessed by blog administrators and it’s where changes and edits can be made. ThemesThis is the chosen format for a blog. PostsMost of the content published on a blog is written as a post. It is an up to date display of information. PagesThese are used to share information with your readers about your blog. Eg: Blogging Rules SidebarsSidebars are used to display widgets, links and other useful information. WidgetsThese are the blocks that make up side bars. Examples of widgets include maps, statistics and avatars.

M ANAGING A BLOG Blog posts are made to invoke further discussion and reflection, whether in the classroom or at home. The comment function is important because blog posts then become discussion topics left by readers. All Edublogs comments need approval by an administrator before they will appear on a blog.

M ANAGING A BLOG Blog administrators must: Regularly update the blog to inform and update blog readers. Explicitly teach blogging etiquette on a continual basis. Approve comments made by readers. Respond to comments made by readers and/or encourage students to continue blogging dialogues.

Q UESTIONS