As is understandable in this day and age, parents tend to stay on the cautious side when it comes to allowing their children. This also means that when you decide to start a blog for your students that they are mature enough to handle the responsiblity; if they are not mature enough then you can require that a parent, teacher, or other school official be present when the student is blogging. It is also necessary to have a permission slip to send home because some parent may not want their child on the internet. When this is the case then teachers should have an alternative activity available. I know that the link I am about to post has been used more than by other students in this class but it is by far a better website when it comes to ideas for permission slips.
http://arnoldespta.com/blogrules.aspx
Here is a rough draft of a proposed permission slip:
Name ___________________________________
Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),
I am sending this letter home today, because our class blog is about to start and I need to know if you would like your child to participate. Each year we start a class blog usually about two weeks into the school year. The purpose of this blog is to show friends and family what our class is up to and to introduce your child to computers or expand on their knowledge. Below are a set of questions that I need you to answer and then please return this letter back to me the following day. Thank you for your time.
Signed,
Ms. Maurer
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Please detach and return to school
Would you like your child to participate in the class blog?
_______ Yes, I would like my child to participate.
_______ No, I do not want my child to participate.
(If you answer no to the above question, then ignore the question below.)
Would you like your child’s first name be shown in the blog?
_______ Yes, my child’s first name may be shown.
_______ No, my child’s first name may not be shown.
