How to use the blog

What is it?

The idea behind the blog is simple – to share our work and learning with friends, parents and the world! We would like to get as many comments as possible, it really motivates the children and helps their learning. Sharing our learning means that it is very important that we understand how to use the blog and the internet in a secure way.

I can’t find it!

There are lots of posts for you to read. The main page always shows only the latest entries on our blog, you can search for older posts in a number of ways.

Tag Cloud – is on the left and you click on a word to see all of the posts with that tag. The more posts with the tag, the bigger the word appears.

Categories – on the right there is a drop down menu, select a category to see all the blog posts. These are generally by subject.

Archive – Further down the screen, blog posts are also archived by WHEN they were posted – click on the month that you want to find.

We are all working hard to make sure work from every child appears on the blog, if you want to write something at home you can Email Mr Brown and he will post it.

Guidelines

The following guidelines have been established to ensure the safety of our pupils when blogging. The guidelines are also reminders of how to use the blog to improve writing and keyboarding skills. This ties in with National Curriculum objectives and ICT Key Skills that the children are expected to learn and apply.

• Pupil work will only be identified by first names. All comments should have first names only.

• Parents who leave comments are asked not to use last names either. (Please post comments as “Jim’s mum” or “Megan’s granddad”, etc.)

• Please see your child’s reading diary for more information on our school photo and media policy.

• All comments submitted have to be approved by Mr Brown before they are included on the blog. Inappropriate comments or writing will not be approved.

• Proof-read your comments carefully. Pupils should have a family member check for spelling mistakes before submitting a comment.

• Always write in full sentences and words – no “text talk” please!

If you have any comments about our blog please Email Mr Brown

How to write a good quality comment…

1. Write your comment like a letter starting off with “Dear Year 3/4” or “Dear Mr. Brown” and end it with a closing with your first name only.

2.  Write your comment about the post. There are often ideas at the bottom of the post about what you could comment about. Rather than just saying “that’s good!” say what you like about it and why. Try to start a conversation by asking a question, or adding new information to the post.

3. Do not leave comments as a means of communicating with friends in the style of a chatroom or instant messenger. Please post positively and always remember that the blog is an extension of our school, that the rest of the world is able to see.

4. Check your comment for correct spelling, layout and punctuation before you submit it. Remember – the whole world is reading it!

5. Don’t reveal any personal information about yourself on the internet. Be sure to use your first name only, no last names please.

6. Remember to check your posts, to see if you’ve had any comments.

7. Be nice and have fun!

Thanks to Mrs Critchley and Mr Saslich for ideas with the guidelines. The esafety committe will be writing Moorfield’s own guidelines soon.