http://studentchallenge.edublogs.org
This challenge is also on Flipboard, which is an on-line magazine. You could have your voice published....
https://flipboard.com/section/student-blogging-challenge-sept-2013-bg1pav
Perhaps it's something we need to explore as a class....
Something else to try if you have a microphone... It's vocaroo (voice-a-too, not voc-a-roo...)
Audio and voice recording >>
Dear Families:
Throughout the 2013-14
school year, our class will be using technology to enhance learning and prepare
students for future challenges. Many of these technologies require students to
publish to the Internet. These include the use of blogs, podcasts, and digital
photography.
Blogs
A Weblog, or blog as
they are commonly called, is a special type of Web page that can be created and
easily updated using a Web browser. Each new entry has its own date stamp. Each
entry has a comments section where visitors to the blog may leave comments for
the author. For example, students in our class will respond to prompts and
discuss quality literature within our class blog.
When we start blogging, we will focus on just blogging with students from our class. as we become more proficient as bloggers, then we will increase our audience to another class in the Regina Catholic School Division. Later we will move towards blogging with classrooms from other parts if the world. In part of this process, students will have the opportunity to examine on-line safety, ethical use if technology and digital citizenship.
So to begin, our Class Blog will be found
at http://kidblog.org/missiontomakeamark/. This
site provides secure and private safety features. This blog is a "Walled" environment, that requires passwords and userids. Some features include:
1. Teachers have administrative control over all student blogs
and student accounts.
2. Comment privacy settings block unsolicited comments from
outside sources. The only comments permitted are those that are approved by the
teacher or moderator. All audio and video productions are uploaded by me and,
as subscriber to the site, all comments must be approved by me in order for
them to go public.
3. Kidblog does not collect any personal information from
teachers or students.
Having a real audience
is one of the key components to this program. In addition to receiving comments
from their classmates, as I mentioned previously, I hope to arrange collaborative opportunities for our
class to receive comments from other classes who are invited to visit our web pages. It would be quite engaging for
students in other parts of the country or world to visit our blogs and comment
on our writing.
Podcasts
A podcast is a digital
audio and/or video recording published on the Internet and available for
downloading. For example, select student presentations will be published to the
class website via podcasts. We will be using web tools such as vocaroo.com and blabberize.com
as voice recording services and embedding student mini-podcasts into our blogs.
Digital
Photography
A digital photograph is
a still picture that can be stored electronically and published to the
Internet. Students may post pictures of class activities, student work, and
special events in their classroom blog, which is not open to outside users of
the Internet. The context of the photos will connect only with student work, as
the blog will be used as a Digital Portfolio of the student’s learning.
Security
Our use of the
aforementioned technologies has been designed to minimize risk to your child.
All student blogs, podcasts, and any other published work will be closely
monitored by me and will be published online only after I give my approval.
Students will be required to refrain from sharing personally identifying
information such as last name, address, phone number, age, etc. Students will
take part in Digital Citizenship lessons or tutorials to further educate them
in using digital technology appropriately and safely. Lessons as well as additional
home resources can be accessed at commonsensemedia.org. Or feel free to visit the library website for links at www.stfrancisschoollibrary. weebly.com
Permission
Before your child may
start blogging, podcasting, or using these collaborative digital tools, I am asking for
you and your child to discuss and sign this form. Please keep the second copy
for your future reference and return the form to Ms. Stewart-Mitchell as soon
as possible.
If you have any
questions or concerns, please contact Ms. Stewart-Mitchell at St. Francis
School or by email at j.stewart-mitchell@rcsd.ca.
Sincerely,
Ms. Stewart- Mitchell
Student Blogging
Guidelines/Podcast Consent
1. Students using blogs
are expected to act safely by keeping personal information out of their posts.
You agree not to post or give out your family name, password, user name, email
address, home address, city, country or other information that could help
someone locate or contact you in person. You may share your interests, ideas
and preferences, although most posts will relate specifically to a writing task.(Keep in mind that most of our blogging will be predominantly within the confines of our classroom. If there are opportunities to blog with another classroom, further information will be sent home).
2. Students agree to
never log in as another student.
3. Students using blogs
are expected to treat blogspaces as classroom spaces. Speech that is
inappropriate for class is not appropriate for your blog. While I encourage
students to have discussions with other bloggers, I also expect that they will
be respectful and represent our school in a positive way. Keep in mind all
posts come to your teacher first, so if inappropriate language or content is
shared, it will be moderated.
4. Blogs are to be a
place for students to give their opinions. However, they are first and foremost,
a tool for learning, and students will be expected to follow the same rules we
have for classroom discussions.
5. Blogs are a way for
students to share their writing with real audiences. Classroom peers who visit
your blog will leave comments or respectful, helpful messages. The idea is that
students are able to give each other feedback and collaborate.
6. Students who do not
follow these guidelines may lose their opportunity to take part in the blogging
activities. And in these situations, students will do alternate assignments using more "pen and paper traditional means".
Please sign and return one copy of this letter and keep the other
for your information.
I have read and
understood these blogging guidelines. I agree to follow them.
Student’s
Signature:_____________________________ Date: ________________
Parent’s Signature: _____________________________ Date: ________________
Parent’s Signature: _____________________________ Date: ________________
