The document outlines terms and conditions for students participating in a class blog/podcast. It describes the purpose of encouraging writing skills and sharing classroom events. Safety measures are in place, such as teacher approval of all content and no personal student information. Students must agree to only post appropriate, fact-checked content and respect others. Successful student bloggers will write well, respond to others respectfully, and participate frequently and consistently.

1. 4 Terry’s Blogging/Podcasting Contract
Purpose of the Blog/Podcast
The students of Ms. Terry’s class at ISB will be participating in a class blog/podcast for the
purposes of:
• Encouraging the process of writing for an audience
• Practising narrative, poetic, transactional and persuasive writing
• Sharing and evolving ideas that facilitate interaction and collaboration
• Engaging students in conversation and learning
• Sharing opinions, points of view on a topic
• Sharing classroom events and happenings with families and the wider community
• Fostering an understanding of Global Awareness, communication and collaboration
• Connecting with others both inside and outside the classroom and encouraging global
communication previously not possible
• Reflection, expression and evaluation of own learning
Safety
In the interest of students’ safety, the following restrictions have been configured on the blog.
• Only the teacher can enter registrations and control permissions
• All blog content is subject to teacher approval and/or deletion
• The teacher will be notified of any posts/comments to the blog
• All comments to any posts are subject to moderation and will not be approved if the
teacher/student deems them inappropriate
• No individual or identifiable profiles are available on the blog
Class Blog/Podcast Terms and Conditions
All students contributing to the Class Blog must agree to the following Blogging/Podcasting Terms
& Conditions.
• The use of blogs/podcasts is considered an extension of our classroom. Therefore, any
speech that is considered inappropriate in the classroom is inappropriate on a blog or
podcast. This includes, but is not limited to, swearing; racist, sexist or discriminatory
remarks; and personal attacks. We expect you to conduct yourself in a manner reflective of a
representative of our school.
• 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 (stored)
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.
• Students using blogs and podcasts are expected to act safely by keeping personal
information out of their posts. You agree to not post or give out your family name,
password, email address, home address, or other information that could help someone locate
or contact you in person. You may share your interests, ideas and opinions.
• 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. Photos should not be labeled with names.
• Always make sure you check over your post for spelling errors, grammar errors, and your
use of words.

2. • The class blog is to be a vehicle for sharing student writing with real audiences. Most
visitors to your blog who leave comments will write respectful, helpful messages. All
comments are moderated so any inappropriate comments will not be published. Students
should not delete comments, but show them to Ms. T so that IP addresses can be traced.
Students who do not abide by these terms and conditions may lose their opportunity to take part in
this classroom activity.
Successful Bloggers
The following are some traits of successful bloggers:
• 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.
• 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.
• Their posts (or comments) include textual references to support their opinions. Adding
quotes or links to other works strengthens their response.
• They participate frequently. To be part of the dialogue, you have to participate fully and
consistently.
• 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.
Guideline material adapted from:
http://supportblogging.wikispaces.com/Educational+Blogging
http://ahsblogpolicy.pbwiki.com/
http://anne.teachesme.com/2007/01/17/rationale-for-educational-blogging/
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Permission
Signature
(Please
return
this
portion
only
to
Ms.
Terry)
I
have
read
and
understood
the
Terms
and
Conditions
of
the
Blog/Podcast
Contract.
I
agree
to
uphold
the
Terms
and
Conditions
of
the
Blog/Podcast
Contract.
________________________
_____/____
/______
_________________________
_____/____
/______
Student
name
Date
Parent
signature
Date
________________________
Student
signature