Establishing a School Blogging Policy

Considerations

Blogging can be an excellent way to convey and share information but there are several points to consider as more individuals start to blog at ZIS:

Writing to a blog can mean sharing opinions in a public space, are you comfortable with that?
Blogging may mean adjusting your writing style for publishing online, getting to the point and adding visuals versus just text.
Should the school have an official Blogging Policy that will apply to all groups (admin, teachers, students, clubs and teams) that are blogging on the school network?
What are the most effective methods for Admin, teachers, and students?

Recommendations

1) Audit the ZIS online profile

2) Establish a school-wide Blogging Policy

3) Edublogs for Teacher blogging

4) Learnerblogs for Student blogging

5) Reconsider how the ZIS Portal can incorporate and link announcements, clubs, Moodle & blogs

6) Encourage the use of Creative Commons License on posted materials

Administrators

foster and nurture a culture of responsible risk-taking and advocate policies promoting continuous innovation with technology
facilitate and support collaborative technology-enriched learning environments conducive to innovation for improved learning
identify, communicate, model, and enforce social, legal, and ethical practices to promote responsible use of technology

Further Reading:

CASTLE – Principal’s Blogging Project

Leadertalk – School Leadership blog

Teachers

design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity
advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources
promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information
participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning

Further Reading:

Students

interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media
advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology
exhibit leadership for digital citizenship
transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies

Further Reading:

ZIS Learning