wikiletter

Dear Parents, A few years ago, Blatchington Junior School in England began incorporating blogging into the school's daily curriculum. By including social tools like blogs, wikis, and podcasts Blatchington is ahead of the technology curve positioning their students to meet the competitive challenges of the 21st century. Why do we need wikis in our classroom? Wikis is synchronous and allows students and teachers to collaborate creating online text for assignments. Blogging can be interesting and cool encouraging students to concentrate on accuracy of content before publishing blogs for others to read. In addition, playing computer games using words and pictures, according can engage students constructively without them knowi ng they are be ing motivated to focus on their assignments. In order to achieve optimal student performance, 21st century learners have to be competitive with their peers globally as well as within their own neighborhoods. Using blogs in the classroom allows students to display creativity as they construct Web blogs to share with their peers. The opportunity for students to create and maintain Web blogs allows them a creative outlet which also places our students ahead of their peers elsewhere. In an increasingly technology-centered world, wikis and web blogs are becoming common go-to mediums through which children may express their opinions and share them with others.

As always, safe Internet uses and cyberb ullying are also important concerns for our students when blogging. For those of you who may not be aware of cyberbullying and its dangers it is defined by the Cyberbullying Research Cen ter as "willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices". You can find out more about cyberbullying and its nature, extent, causes and consequences by visiting the Cyberbullying Research Center website.

By implementing our school's own security measures, we will ensure that our students are not exposed to responses posted on their blogs that are inappropriate or profane. Also, an e-mail will be sent to both students and parents which outlines the precautions and actions that should be taken while using online resources on the Web. Students will be thoroughly educated on the proper uses of online resources, and parents at home will also be able to keep track of their students' progress. While we do have a security software program, students will be in charge of managing responses posted by their peers in order to cultivate their abilities to moderate and organize feedback from other students. Communication in cyberspace will be restricted to our school, therefore, any student who uses the Internet to bully, intimidate, or post a blog outside of school will be subject to administrative discipline as outlined in our student handbook. In addition, administrators of our school reserve the right to terminate a student's access to the Internet for violations of school and safety standards. With proper cooperation of students, teachers, and parents we can work together to ensure the safety of all of our students.


 * //By using wiki and other weblogs://**
 * **//We can monitor who has access to the blogs//**
 * **//Parents can see what their children are engaging in//**
 * **//Students have the opportunity to communicate with one another outside the classroom//**
 * **//Teachers can make sure all content is fair and appropriate//**

Students, parents, teachers, and school administrators will have access to this blog and it can be monitored by all at any time. Online communication opens the door for children to have access to more information when they're at home, and it also gives them a chance to contribute to class discussion if they don't get time to say it in class.

Wikis and Web blogging are effective technology toolboxes for both educators and learners. How can teachers use blogging in the classroom? They can be productive at fostering collaboration wherein students are not only learning how to publish content. Students develop and use communication and negotiating skills that will serve as life-long learning skills.

Howard Rheingold is a writer, artist and designer, theorist and community builder. He was one of the first creative thinkers who believed that computers and the Internet could help us form powerful new communities. Here, you can watch his TED talk from 2005 in which he addresses "the coming world of collaboration, participatory media and collective action -- and how Wikipedia is really an outgrowth of our natural human instinct to work as a group". Hopefully by listening to his talk and visiting his blogs/websites you can learn a bit more about wikis, blogging, and their place in this highly-technological world.

After you have read this letter I ask you to please e-sign the document below that grants your child permission to participate in the class use of online social activities. media type="custom" key="10155057" width="60" height="60"