Dear RHS Staff,

Please review the following document outlining guidelines and a policy page for students and parents to sign. Then add your comments to this post. Thanks!

Rye High School Safe Blogging Guidelines

This is a set of general guidelines for the use of weblogs (“blogs”) at Rye High School. Blogs are considered an extension of the classroom and therefore are subject to these guidelines as well as the rules and regulations of Rye High School and School District 70. The use of school computers is limited to assigned schoolwork; personal blogs that do not pertain to class work at Rye High School should not be accessed from school computers. These guidelines are not meant to be exhaustive and do not cover every contingency. If you are ever in doubt about the appropriateness of an item – ask a parent or teacher. If you are going to err, err on the safe side.

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.

Students using blogs are expected to treat blogspaces as classroom spaces. Speech that is inappropriate for class is not appropriate for our blog. While we encourage you to engage in debate and conversation with other bloggers, we also expect you will conduct yourself in a manner reflective of a representative of this school.

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 phone number or home address. This is particularly important to remember if you have a personal online journal or blog elsewhere.

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 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.

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.

Freedom of speech comes with personal responsibility. Everything you post represents you. You shouldn’t post anything you wouldn’t be comfortable with anyone, from your parents to potential employers, viewing.

Safe and Responsible Blogging

Here are some specific items to consider:

1. The use of blogs is considered an extension of your classroom. Therefore, any speech that is considered inappropriate in the classroom is inappropriate on a blog. This includes, but is not limited to, profanity; racist, sexist or discriminatory remarks; personal attacks.

2. Blogs are used primarily as learning tools, either as extensions of conversations and thinking outside of regular class time, or as the basis for beginning new classroom discussions. Either way, be sure to follow all rules and suggestions that are offered by your teachers regarding appropriate posting in your class.

3. Blogs are about ideas – therefore, agree or disagree with the idea, not the person. Freedom of speech does not give you the right to be uncivil. Use constructive criticism and use evidence to support your position. Read others’ posts carefully – often in the heat of the moment you may think that a person is saying one thing, when really they are not.

4. Try not to generalize. Sentences that start with words like “All” (e.g., “All teachers,” “All administrators,” “All liberals,” “All conservatives”) are typically going to be too general.

5. Blogs are public. Whatever you post on a blog can be read by anyone and everyone on the Internet. Even if you delete a post or comment, it has often already been archived elsewhere on the web. Do not post anything that you wouldn’t want your parents, your best friend, your worst enemy, or a future employer to read.

6. Blog safely. NEVER post personal information on the web (including, but not limited to, last names, personal details including address or phone numbers, or photographs). (Note: The advice to not use your last name is for your protection. Teachers may choose to use their last names for their posts/comments.) Do not, under any circumstances, agree to meet someone you have met over the Internet.

7. Because your login to the blogging site (e.g., Blogger) is typically linked to your profile, any personal blog you create in class is directly linked to your class blog and must follow these blogging guidelines. In addition to following the information above about not sharing too much personal information (in your profile or in any posts/comments you make), you need to realize that anywhere you use that login links back to your class blog. Therefore, anywhere that you use that login (posting to a separate personal blog, commenting on someone else’s blog, etc.), you need to treat the same as a school blog and follow these guidelines. You should also monitor any comments you receive on your personal blog and – if they are inappropriate – delete them. If you would like to post or comment somewhere and not follow these guidelines, you need to create a separate login to the blogging site so that it does not connect back to your class blog. You may not use that login from school computers. We would still recommend you follow the portion of these guidelines that address your personal safety (e.g., not posting personal information, etc.)

8. Linking to web sites from your blog or blog comments in support of your argument is an excellent idea. But never link to something without reading the entire article to make sure it is appropriate for a school setting.

9. Use of quotations in a blog is acceptable. Make sure that you follow the proper formatting and cite the source of the quote.

10. Pictures may be inserted into a blog. Make sure that the image is appropriate for use in a school document and copyright laws are followed. Do not post any images that can identify yourself or others.

Successful Bloggers

The following are some traits of successful bloggers:

1. Their posts (or comments) are well written. This includes not only good content, but – because these are school-related blogs – also follows writing conventions including spelling, grammar and punctuation.
2. Their posts (or comments) are responsive. They respond to other people’s ideas – whether it is a post by a teacher, a comment by a student, or an idea elsewhere on the Internet. The power of blogs is in their connectedness – they are connected to a larger community of ideas. Participate in that community.
3. Their posts (or comments) include textual references to support their opinions. Adding quotes or links to other works strengthens their response.
4. They participate frequently. To be part of the dialogue, you have to participate fully and consistently.
5. They are respectful of others. It’s okay to disagree; it’s not okay to be disagreeable. Be respectful of others and their opinions, and be civil when you disagree.

Adapted from http://mathmusings.blogspot.com/2006/01/safe-blogging.html

and http://arapahoe.littletonpublicschools.net/

Rye High School Blogging Policy

To use the Rye High School classroom blogs, you must agree to the following statements:

1. I will not use any curse words or inappropriate language or subject matter.

2. I will not use fighting words or provoke anyone.

3. I will avoid the use of chat language.

4. I will try to spell everything correctly.

5. I will give only constructive criticism.

6. I will use only my first name.

7. I will not post pictures of myself.

8. I will not give out any personal information about myself or anyone else.

9. I am responsible for anything posted in my name.

10. I will not plagiarize.

11. I will use common sense.

I recognize that breaking any of these rules could lead to any of the following consequences depending on the severity and repetition:

1. Warning
2. Deletion of some of all of the post
3. Temporary loss of blogging privileges
4. Permanent loss of blogging privileges
5. Permanent loss of network account privileges

I further recognize that the blog is considered a virtual extension of our classroom and, therefore, all Rye High School, District 70, Colorado Department of Education, and US federal rules and regulations apply. I am aware that violation of any of these rules may be referred to the school administration.

(Print Name)

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(Student Signature)

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(Parent Signature)

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(Date) ___________________________________________________