Welcome to our blog

Kia ora A big welcome to all our new students and families for 2017!
Introducing our blog

Our class has their very own website (blog). You might be wondering ‘what is a blog?’ Well a blog is essentially a website or an on-line space where children can access, display and share learning/information with an authentic audience.

We can use our Blog to:

• Create an online community for our students and their parents
• Share resources and notices
• Share students work and learning (providing a real authentic audience world-wide)
• Provide up to date information on what is happening at our school.
• Integrate multimedia of all descriptions (videos, photo stories, podcasts)
• Receive feedback (we love receiving your comments and suggestions)
• Provide opportunities for students to read (posts) and write (posts and comments)
• Post homework and extra learning experiences 

As you can see the blog is an amazing tool that has huge potential to enhance children's learning. We will use our blog to share information about what is happening in our class.

Navigating the blog

The latest posts will appear at the top of the blog. Posts will have attached labels of the first names of the students that wrote the post and those that were featured in the content of the post. As more posts are written, a list of these labels will grow in the sidebar next to the posts. Clicking on one of these labels will filter the visible posts so that they only show the posts that use that label.

Cybersafety

Keeping our students’ safe on the Internet is of importance to us. Students will be expected to follow the ICT Essential Agreement in our school. Only students whose parents have signed the ICT  have parental permission (the “Online Publication of Students Images/Work” form) are allowed to have their work, name or photo posted online.

Room 11’s Blogging Guidelines 

We will:

• only ever use our FIRST name on the blog
• get all posts on the blog CHECKED by Ms Wilson and/ or a responsible peer before publishing (save as Draft until checked).
• never put any of our PERSONAL DETAILS online - this includes phone numbers, addresses, personal email addresses or family information.
• only display nice PHOTOS of other people (check with them first - we don't want them to feel embarrassed).
• be RESPONSIBLE when writing and using our class blog.

We also ask that parents and adults commenting only use their FIRST name or describe themselves as "John's Mum" (for example) so they don't identify their child.

We love comments!! Please visit us online and leave us some comments on our learning. We would love to have you involved and sharing in your child’s education on a regular basis.

If you have any questions or concerns about the use of our class blog, please do not hesitate to contact Louise at louise@mtpleasant.school.nz

Kindest regards

Room 11 & Louise