Safety+Contract


 * Blogging Rules and Etiquette**

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. If you really want a graphic image associated with your posting use an avatar -- a picture of something that represents you but IS NOT of you.


 * Blogging Rules**
 * 1) Students using blogs are expected to treat blogspaces as classroom spaces. Speech that is inappropriate for class is not appropriate for our blog. There is to be abolutely no use of abusive, vulgar, or profane language of any kind for any reason what so ever. There will be severe consequences for anyone who abuses this rule or takes it for granted.
 * 2) While I encourage you to engage in debate and conversation with other bloggers, I also expect that you will conduct yourself in a manner reflective of a representative of this class and school. If you are posting in reference to someone else's post then you are commenting in a completely mature and professional manner. Most importantly, this blog's main purpose is as a learning tool for all of you to work together to tackle some of the struggles you might encounter along the way. Keep everything school-oriented. That means that you **should not** discuss your plans for the weekend.
 * 3) Never **EVER EVER** give out or record personal information on our blog. Our blog exists as a public space on the Internet. Don’t share anything that you don’t want the world to know. For your safety, be careful what you say, too. **DON’T give out your name, school name, phone number or home address**. This is particularly important to remember if you have a personal online journal or blog elsewhere. Do not link to your personal blog/journal from your school blog; you might reveal information on there that you don't want to reveal on your school blog.
 * 4) Again, your 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 some really hateful and immature things you said when you were younger and more prone to foolish things. Be sure that anything you write you are proud of. It can come back to haunt you if you don’t. If you want to write your opinion on a topic, make sure you're not going to be offensive to anyone as you write it. Always make sure you check over your post for spelling errors, grammar errors, and your use of words.
 * 5) Never link to something you haven’t read. While it isn’t your job to police the Internet, when you link to something, you should make sure it is something that you really want to be associated with. If a link contains material that might be creepy or make some people uncomfortable, you should probably try a different source.

I have read, fully understand, and agree to abide by the rules set for using the moodle blog and wiki sites that has been set up by Discovery Middle School for the purpose of problem solving, brain-storming, and sharing of school related material. I also understand that if I do not abide by these rules that I will loose my right to use the moodle site, which will result in an adverse effect on my classroom grade since the site will be used for completion of some class assignments throughout the year, and especially during the review sessions for the comprehensive final. For these assignments, I understand that I will receive a zero since I have lost my privileges of site use.

Student Signature ..................................................................... Date ..............................................

I understand that my child will be using a blog site at Discovery Middle School during the 2007-2008 school year. I know that his site will be used for the purpose of problem solving, brain-storming, and sharing of school related material, and that my child should not be sharing any personal information about him/herself. I also understand that my child is to follow the blogging rules set by Discovery Middle School to help ensure the safety of his/herself and others in the class, as well as, the reputation of his/herself and Discovery Middle School.

Parent/Guardian Signature .......................................................... Date ....................................................