I've created a class blog for two of my PE classes in 2012 (reception class and 1/2 class). The purpose of this blog is to provide a window on the classroom for parents. It will be private and show images and video of students as they participate in my PE class through the year. It will include my program and curriculum outcomes (SACSA Framework). I am still yet to run it past parents at a meeting at the start of next year and hope that no one has reservations about their child being put on a private blog and probably on YouTube, also private. I see it as an excellent way to connect parents with their child's classroom and what happens at school.
What I'd like to know from others who have created class blogs is how you go about having a class blog that is not private yet still put student images on it. How do you convince/get this past parents and the school? I view class blogs that are open to anyone on the net and wonder what type of processes the teacher and school has used to allow this to occur. I ask this question because in the future I'd like to have blogs that are not private and that enable collaboration for example with another class somewhere in the world. I would love to hear others opinions and thoughts.
Tell you what... I'm happy to have this discussion, but I don't want to have to do it from the point of view of having to convince anyone why we SHOULD be able to use student images on a public blog. Instead, I'll enter into the discussion once I hear from you why we SHOULDN'T do this. I'm yet to hear a convincing argument as to why students should not have a public presence. Let's start from there, and see what develops...
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris, I appreciate you taking the time to comment and share your experience, I have only been using blogs since middle 2011 and am still very much learning. So..."Why shouldn't we post images of students". I'll give you some reasons as if I'm a negative parent towards the idea.
ReplyDelete1. Schools run programs explaining to children how to be cyber safe including the use of images and personal information. Why would you then deliberately go and post images of children on the net?
2. Don't some cameras allow for information to be connected to the photos, like time and location?
3. I don't want my child's photo on the net where it can be taken by anyone and then used in anyway they want to.
Please remember I am for having student images on a class blog. I say this as a teacher and parent as I will have my 5 year old son in one of the classes using the blog I described in my post. I also have a year 12 PE blog which is not private and with other PE teachers I know will allow communication between our PE students from different schools.