Response to Blog Saftey.

I love doing blog assignments. It is really helpful to read other's thoughts and ideas. However, I do agree with saftey rules. It is a little scary that millions of random strangers can read my thoughts. I think that blogs used in school should be used only for school work. If a teacher is letting his/her students use a blog in class, then there should be restrictions. You should'nt be able to post full names or e-mail addresses or any personal information. It also should not be treated like AIM. You should'nt be talking to your friends about who Joe dumped at lunch on your 1984 blog. If the students dont abuse the priviledge of using a blog and if the teacher checks his/her student's blogs regularly to make sure the restrictions are being obeyed, then I dont see how using blogs could be a bad thing. I think they are exremely helpful and fun to work with. I like posting new ideas on my blog. It helps me get my thoughts together and figure out more. If there is bullying being written back and forth or obsene language being used, it should be noticed. These are potential dangers, along with exposing too much information about your personal life and saying racial or hurtful things about other people. I think if the students are warned about the dangers of blogging and if they are taught how to use them properly then there should'nt be any problems. I like how Mr.Hunt had the handbook for his class. It just restates the rules for his students. These rules should also apply to any other students using thier blogs for class work. You can't control what kids are doing at home from thier computers on thier personal blogs, but in school the blogs should be watched closely and kept school related.
I don't think our class would have a problem with misusing the blog postings but our rules should be similar to Mr. Hunt's. This way there are restrictions on what you can and can not say and how much personal information you post.