Will has written the safety message that every teacher considering blogs in the classroom should read and share with their students. His concluding remarks are down right inspirational:
Blogs can be wonderful places of learning and connection. They can be places to think, to reflect, to dream and to plan. But like anything else, we all need to learn how to use them effectively, appropriately and safely. We think many of our teachers’ and administrators’ personal blogs provide some great models, and we’d urge you to check some of them out. But we also understand that ultimately, you decide what you do and don’t do in your spaces. We hope you learn to use them well, and if there is anything you think we can do to help accomplish that and to help keep you safe, we hope you let us know.
He concludes by asking what should we tell the parents about safety. I say we tell them just what we tell the students. Head on over to his place, though, and tell him what you think.
“We think many of our teachers’ and administrators’ personal blogs provide some great models, and we’d urge you to check some of them out.”
From experience, be very careful about letting students know about personal blogs. My students knew of my The Daily Grind blog where I had a post on student attire at prom and the perception that myself, students, and chaperones had about that attire. My comments were misconstrued and the result was a sensationalized story in the news. Be absolutely certain that nothing on your personal or professional blog can be misconstrued, especially if you often post about classroom experience.