Thanks for taking time to work through the new USM Net training portal. There are many, many interesting features associated with the program and like anything that is new, it takes some time to gain familiarity with the many different pieces. Hopefully everyone is comfortable with the process of adding nightly homework assignments at a minimum. There are obviously many other things that can be done, but the homework assignment feature is what we are starting with.
Please post a comment about today's training. What did you learn, what suggestions you have for the training sessions with the other grade levels, what would you like to know more about, etc.
Thank you,
Matt
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Monday, November 27, 2006
5th Grade Writing Prompt #2-Computer Skills
Hi gang-
I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving! Today's writing prompt really doesn't have anything to do with computers or technology, but that is OK. See the writing prompt below.
Without mentioning real names, tell about a time when someone you know did something real funny.
I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving! Today's writing prompt really doesn't have anything to do with computers or technology, but that is OK. See the writing prompt below.
Without mentioning real names, tell about a time when someone you know did something real funny.
Monday, November 13, 2006
5th Grade Computer Skills Journal Entry
What do you like about computers? List a few things that you like to do and some of the reasons you like to use computers. Please sign with your class day and your initials.
~Mr. Montagne
~Mr. Montagne
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Wildcat Mountain Bike Club-November 2006 Turkey Chase and Scramble Mountain Bike Ride
8 hearty souls braved the chilly temps and the snow covered trails of New Fane to join us on our 6th Annual Turkey Chase and Scramble Mountain Bike Outing in the Northern Kettle Moraine State Forest this past weekend. The snow from a few nights ago provided a completely new challenge for the young Wildcat Mountain Bike Club members. While we didn't actually see or chase any wild turkeys, we did have a great time getting out to take in some of the super vistas that the Northern Kettles have to offer (and Blake spotted at least 5 hawks). After attempting to ride our bikes on the Brown Trail at New Fane, we quickly shifted into a different gear and went for a ride along the Kettle Moraine Scenic Roadway. As we were riding along the road we noticed a cool bridge over a branch of the Milwaukee river. We road our bikes over to the bridge and threw a few snowballs into the cold and fast moving waters. After this fun diversion we saddled up and stopped by the YMCA's Camp Matawa where I was a mountain bike instructor back in the late 90s. We then returned back to the New Fane parking lot and packed up the cars and headed back to USM. A special thank you goes out to teacher Brian Markwald and parent David Meisinger for giving up their day to help out on the ride. Our next ride, the "Spring Picnic Outing," will take place on a Friday after school in late May. Until then, get out and ride and ride on!
Matt Montagne
Wildcat Mountain Bike Club Advisor
Matt Montagne
Wildcat Mountain Bike Club Advisor
English Period 1...7th Grade Digital Citizenship-Meeting #1 Reflection Activity
As a follow up to our meeting in advising today, I would like you to do a short little reflection activity by leaving a comment regarding the two points in bold below.
#1 Create an account at blogger.com. Follow the tips and suggestions for setting up your blogger.com account. Your username will be your email address that you use when creating a Google account. Your display name is what is used to sing your posts and comments. It is critical that you pick a display name that is nebulous in nature and does not reveal any personal information about you. After you pick a display name, please email it to Mr. Montagne at mmontagne@usmk12.org. For more tips and suggestions on setting up your blogger.com account, visit Mr. Montagne's post on this subject from last week.
#2 Please write your own dictionary definition for the term, "Netiquette." The definition should be 2-3 sentences and should follow the basic format of a dictionary entry (see dictionary.com for an example).
For the second response activity, answer the following question.
#3 What advice would you give to a fifth grader who is starting up an IM account for the first time? Please include a topic sentence in your response with 2-3 points that support your position. Round out your response to this question with a concluding statement.
Your responses should be posted no later than 4:30 PM on Friday, November 17th.
#1 Create an account at blogger.com. Follow the tips and suggestions for setting up your blogger.com account. Your username will be your email address that you use when creating a Google account. Your display name is what is used to sing your posts and comments. It is critical that you pick a display name that is nebulous in nature and does not reveal any personal information about you. After you pick a display name, please email it to Mr. Montagne at mmontagne@usmk12.org. For more tips and suggestions on setting up your blogger.com account, visit Mr. Montagne's post on this subject from last week.
#2 Please write your own dictionary definition for the term, "Netiquette." The definition should be 2-3 sentences and should follow the basic format of a dictionary entry (see dictionary.com for an example).
For the second response activity, answer the following question.
#3 What advice would you give to a fifth grader who is starting up an IM account for the first time? Please include a topic sentence in your response with 2-3 points that support your position. Round out your response to this question with a concluding statement.
Your responses should be posted no later than 4:30 PM on Friday, November 17th.
English Period 2...7th Grade Digital Citizenship-Meeting #1 Reflection Activity
As a follow up to our meeting in advising today, I would like you to do a short little reflection activity by leaving a comment regarding the two points in bold below.
#1 Create an account at blogger.com. Follow the tips and suggestions for setting up your blogger.com account. Your username will be your email address that you use when creating a Google account. Your display name is what is used to sing your posts and comments. It is critical that you pick a display name that is nebulous in nature and does not reveal any personal information about you. After you pick a display name, please email it to Mr. Montagne at mmontagne@usmk12.org. For more tips and suggestions on setting up your blogger.com account, visit Mr. Montagne's post on this subject from last week.
#2 Please write your own dictionary definition for the term, "Netiquette." The definition should be 2-3 sentences and should follow the basic format of a dictionary entry (see dictionary.com for an example).
For the second response activity, answer the following question.
#3 What advice would you give to a fifth grader who is starting up an IM account for the first time? Please include a topic sentence in your response with 2-3 points that support your position. Round out your response to this question with a concluding statement.
Your responses should be posted no later than 4:30 PM on Friday, November 17th.
#1 Create an account at blogger.com. Follow the tips and suggestions for setting up your blogger.com account. Your username will be your email address that you use when creating a Google account. Your display name is what is used to sing your posts and comments. It is critical that you pick a display name that is nebulous in nature and does not reveal any personal information about you. After you pick a display name, please email it to Mr. Montagne at mmontagne@usmk12.org. For more tips and suggestions on setting up your blogger.com account, visit Mr. Montagne's post on this subject from last week.
#2 Please write your own dictionary definition for the term, "Netiquette." The definition should be 2-3 sentences and should follow the basic format of a dictionary entry (see dictionary.com for an example).
For the second response activity, answer the following question.
#3 What advice would you give to a fifth grader who is starting up an IM account for the first time? Please include a topic sentence in your response with 2-3 points that support your position. Round out your response to this question with a concluding statement.
Your responses should be posted no later than 4:30 PM on Friday, November 17th.
English Period 4...7th Grade Digital Citizenship-Meeting #1 Reflection Activity
As a follow up to our meeting in advising today, I would like you to do a short little reflection activity by leaving a comment regarding the two points in bold below.
#1 Create an account at blogger.com. Follow the tips and suggestions for setting up your blogger.com account. Your username will be your email address that you use when creating a Google account. Your display name is what is used to sing your posts and comments. It is critical that you pick a display name that is nebulous in nature and does not reveal any personal information about you. After you pick a display name, please email it to Mr. Montagne at mmontagne@usmk12.org. For more tips and suggestions on setting up your blogger.com account, visit Mr. Montagne's post on this subject from last week.
#2 Please write your own dictionary definition for the term, "Netiquette." The definition should be 2-3 sentences and should follow the basic format of a dictionary entry (see dictionary.com for an example).
For the second response activity, answer the following question.
#3 What advice would you give to a fifth grader who is starting up an IM account for the first time? Please include a topic sentence in your response with 2-3 points that support your position. Round out your response to this question with a concluding statement.
Your responses should be posted no later than 4:30 PM on Friday, November 17th.
#1 Create an account at blogger.com. Follow the tips and suggestions for setting up your blogger.com account. Your username will be your email address that you use when creating a Google account. Your display name is what is used to sing your posts and comments. It is critical that you pick a display name that is nebulous in nature and does not reveal any personal information about you. After you pick a display name, please email it to Mr. Montagne at mmontagne@usmk12.org. For more tips and suggestions on setting up your blogger.com account, visit Mr. Montagne's post on this subject from last week.
#2 Please write your own dictionary definition for the term, "Netiquette." The definition should be 2-3 sentences and should follow the basic format of a dictionary entry (see dictionary.com for an example).
For the second response activity, answer the following question.
#3 What advice would you give to a fifth grader who is starting up an IM account for the first time? Please include a topic sentence in your response with 2-3 points that support your position. Round out your response to this question with a concluding statement.
Your responses should be posted no later than 4:30 PM on Friday, November 17th.
English Period 6...7th Grade Digital Citizenship-Meeting #1 Reflection Activity
As a follow up to our meeting in advising today, I would like you to do a short little reflection activity by leaving a comment regarding the two points in bold below.
#1 Create an account at blogger.com. Follow the tips and suggestions for setting up your blogger.com account. Your username will be your email address that you use when creating a Google account. Your display name is what is used to sing your posts and comments. It is critical that you pick a display name that is nebulous in nature and does not reveal any personal information about you. After you pick a display name, please email it to Mr. Montagne at mmontagne@usmk12.org. For more tips and suggestions on setting up your blogger.com account, visit Mr. Montagne's post on this subject from last week.
#2 Please write your own dictionary definition for the term, "Netiquette." The definition should be 2-3 sentences and should follow the basic format of a dictionary entry (see dictionary.com for an example).
For the second response activity, answer the following question.
#3 What advice would you give to a fifth grader who is starting up an IM account for the first time? Please include a topic sentence in your response with 2-3 points that support your position. Round out your response to this question with a concluding statement.
Your responses should be posted no later than 4:30 PM on Friday, November 17th.
#1 Create an account at blogger.com. Follow the tips and suggestions for setting up your blogger.com account. Your username will be your email address that you use when creating a Google account. Your display name is what is used to sing your posts and comments. It is critical that you pick a display name that is nebulous in nature and does not reveal any personal information about you. After you pick a display name, please email it to Mr. Montagne at mmontagne@usmk12.org. For more tips and suggestions on setting up your blogger.com account, visit Mr. Montagne's post on this subject from last week.
#2 Please write your own dictionary definition for the term, "Netiquette." The definition should be 2-3 sentences and should follow the basic format of a dictionary entry (see dictionary.com for an example).
For the second response activity, answer the following question.
#3 What advice would you give to a fifth grader who is starting up an IM account for the first time? Please include a topic sentence in your response with 2-3 points that support your position. Round out your response to this question with a concluding statement.
Your responses should be posted no later than 4:30 PM on Friday, November 17th.
English Period 7...7th Grade Digital Citizenship-Meeting #1 Reflection Activity
As a follow up to our meeting in advising today, I would like you to do a short little reflection activity by leaving a comment regarding the two points in bold below.
#1 Create an account at blogger.com. Follow the tips and suggestions for setting up your blogger.com account. Your username will be your email address that you use when creating a Google account. Your display name is what is used to sing your posts and comments. It is critical that you pick a display name that is nebulous in nature and does not reveal any personal information about you. After you pick a display name, please email it to Mr. Montagne at mmontagne@usmk12.org. For more tips and suggestions on setting up your blogger.com account, visit Mr. Montagne's post on this subject from last week.
#2 Please write your own dictionary definition for the term, "Netiquette." The definition should be 2-3 sentences and should follow the basic format of a dictionary entry (see dictionary.com for an example).
For the second response activity, answer the following question.
#3 What advice would you give to a fifth grader who is starting up an IM account for the first time? Please include a topic sentence in your response with 2-3 points that support your position. Round out your response to this question with a concluding statement.
Your responses should be posted no later than 4:30 PM on Friday, November 17th.
#1 Create an account at blogger.com. Follow the tips and suggestions for setting up your blogger.com account. Your username will be your email address that you use when creating a Google account. Your display name is what is used to sing your posts and comments. It is critical that you pick a display name that is nebulous in nature and does not reveal any personal information about you. After you pick a display name, please email it to Mr. Montagne at mmontagne@usmk12.org. For more tips and suggestions on setting up your blogger.com account, visit Mr. Montagne's post on this subject from last week.
#2 Please write your own dictionary definition for the term, "Netiquette." The definition should be 2-3 sentences and should follow the basic format of a dictionary entry (see dictionary.com for an example).
For the second response activity, answer the following question.
#3 What advice would you give to a fifth grader who is starting up an IM account for the first time? Please include a topic sentence in your response with 2-3 points that support your position. Round out your response to this question with a concluding statement.
Your responses should be posted no later than 4:30 PM on Friday, November 17th.
7th Grade Parent response activity
Dear 7th Grade Parents-
During advising sessions in grades 5-8 this year, we are going to focus on "digital citizenship" and what this means. Our essential question in grades 5-8 is, "What does digital citizenship in a global environment look like, feel like, and sound like?" This is a tough question, but an important one to consider as we prepare our students to be leaders in a "Flat" and global environment.
Today in advising we began the first of our three advising sessions that deal with this topic. We talked a little bit about citizenship in the physical world and how it is different and like citizenship in the electronic world. As a way to deepen our discussion, students are required to respond to a blog post just like you are doing now. Students are required to create an account at blogger.com. We spent some time talking about the proper way to create a blogger.com account so that students are not revealing personal information. Learning to communicate effectively in a digital world is a key skill and one we will practice and work on with our students over the course of their Middle School experience here at USM.
Please take a moment and reflect on what digital citizenship looks like, feels like and sounds like. How does it compare/contrast with citizenship in the physical world? Please respond by leaving a comment below.
Peruse the following links on digital citizenship as you reflect on this post. Please include some of your own web links and resources in your comments if you'd like.
http://www.educ.ksu.edu/digitalcitizenship/ : Very nice piece on digital citizenship with links to some nice resources on the web.
http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2006/03/05/digital-citizenship/ : Very short blog write-up on digital citizenship.
http://www.educ.ksu.edu/digitalcitizenship/1stL&L.pdf : Kansas State is even offering a 3 credit class on digital citizenship. This link will take you to an article from Leading and Learning with Technology that speaks to this topic. The article is written by Mike Ribble, who works at K-State and is a leader in this area.
Thank you,
Matt Montagne
Middle School Technology Coordinator
University School of Milwaukee
During advising sessions in grades 5-8 this year, we are going to focus on "digital citizenship" and what this means. Our essential question in grades 5-8 is, "What does digital citizenship in a global environment look like, feel like, and sound like?" This is a tough question, but an important one to consider as we prepare our students to be leaders in a "Flat" and global environment.
Today in advising we began the first of our three advising sessions that deal with this topic. We talked a little bit about citizenship in the physical world and how it is different and like citizenship in the electronic world. As a way to deepen our discussion, students are required to respond to a blog post just like you are doing now. Students are required to create an account at blogger.com. We spent some time talking about the proper way to create a blogger.com account so that students are not revealing personal information. Learning to communicate effectively in a digital world is a key skill and one we will practice and work on with our students over the course of their Middle School experience here at USM.
Please take a moment and reflect on what digital citizenship looks like, feels like and sounds like. How does it compare/contrast with citizenship in the physical world? Please respond by leaving a comment below.
Peruse the following links on digital citizenship as you reflect on this post. Please include some of your own web links and resources in your comments if you'd like.
http://www.educ.ksu.edu/digitalcitizenship/ : Very nice piece on digital citizenship with links to some nice resources on the web.
http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2006/03/05/digital-citizenship/ : Very short blog write-up on digital citizenship.
http://www.educ.ksu.edu/digitalcitizenship/1stL&L.pdf : Kansas State is even offering a 3 credit class on digital citizenship. This link will take you to an article from Leading and Learning with Technology that speaks to this topic. The article is written by Mike Ribble, who works at K-State and is a leader in this area.
Thank you,
Matt Montagne
Middle School Technology Coordinator
University School of Milwaukee
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
First quarter summary of Web Animation/Design Class (7th Graders)
We had an excellent first quarter in web animation/design class. I must say, in all my years of teaching, this is one of the best sections of this class that I’ve ever had the chance to work with. The class is nice because we have a very good mix of students who are interested and engaged in the course material.
During the first quarter we spent a good deal of time working with Paint Shop Pro to create web ready still images. Learning to work with layers is a key component of learning the more sophisticated techniques of Paint Shop Pro. We also spent a good deal of time completing tutorials where the students learned how to drop effects on text and images. Finally, we spent the better part of a class period discussing file types (proprietary file types vs. open file types), files sizes (eg-what is kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte, terabyte, etc), file extensions, folders and file hierarchy/organization when developing materials for the web.
At the start of the second quarter we began working with Macromedia Flash, which is a professional level multimedia authoring tool for the web. Look for some Flash holiday greeting cards in your inboxes in December!
During the first quarter we spent a good deal of time working with Paint Shop Pro to create web ready still images. Learning to work with layers is a key component of learning the more sophisticated techniques of Paint Shop Pro. We also spent a good deal of time completing tutorials where the students learned how to drop effects on text and images. Finally, we spent the better part of a class period discussing file types (proprietary file types vs. open file types), files sizes (eg-what is kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte, terabyte, etc), file extensions, folders and file hierarchy/organization when developing materials for the web.
At the start of the second quarter we began working with Macromedia Flash, which is a professional level multimedia authoring tool for the web. Look for some Flash holiday greeting cards in your inboxes in December!
Bike Commuting
I’ve enjoyed getting back into the world of bike commuting over the last few months. Since the start of the school year in late August I’m estimating that I have close to 25 days of commuting under my belt. This number would be a little higher, but the fall has been rainier than is typical. Lately the weather has been a little mild which has made the rides to and from work much more enjoyable. Another thing that has made the rides more enjoyable is the fact that I’ve been commuting with a few other co-workers. Todd Schlenker, Mike Snyder and myself all live within a few miles of each other and have been meeting up along the way and riding in together. Todd teaches Spanish in the Middle School and Mike teaches math in the Upper School. Unfortunately we’ve lost Mike due to his coaching responsibilities with the varsity basketball team, but Todd and I have continued to ride in as much as the weather and schedules have allowed.
We’re quietly trying to recruit others to join us on our rides into work. Hopefully we'll have a small train of bicycles riding up to USM every day!!
Below is a little list of recommended items to carry along if you’re considering taking up bike commuting:
Bike commuting essentials:
Helmet
Good clothing
Good shoes
A headlamp and a taillight. I use the Niterider Digital Pro 12E with their LED tail light...this makes me quite visible on the road. http://www.niterider.com/
Spare tube and pump to change out a flat
A small little notepad and a pencil-unfortunately, many motorists are not bike friendly. In the event that you are involved in a hit and run (which happens quite a bit to cyclists), it is important to have something to jot down license plate number, description of the vehicle, etc.
Bike commuting links:
Corey the Bike Fixer: http://www.corythebikefixer.com/ Corey has an awesome little shop on the east side of Milwaukee with some really cool bikes.
Bike Commuting Blog http://bikecommutetips.blogspot.com/ The "Bike Commute Tips Blog."
Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips: http://www.runmuki.com/commute/
The ultimate commuting machine
http://www.kinetics.org.uk/html/853_commuter.shtml
We’re quietly trying to recruit others to join us on our rides into work. Hopefully we'll have a small train of bicycles riding up to USM every day!!
Below is a little list of recommended items to carry along if you’re considering taking up bike commuting:
Bike commuting essentials:
Helmet
Good clothing
Good shoes
A headlamp and a taillight. I use the Niterider Digital Pro 12E with their LED tail light...this makes me quite visible on the road. http://www.niterider.com/
Spare tube and pump to change out a flat
A small little notepad and a pencil-unfortunately, many motorists are not bike friendly. In the event that you are involved in a hit and run (which happens quite a bit to cyclists), it is important to have something to jot down license plate number, description of the vehicle, etc.
Bike commuting links:
Corey the Bike Fixer: http://www.corythebikefixer.com/ Corey has an awesome little shop on the east side of Milwaukee with some really cool bikes.
Bike Commuting Blog http://bikecommutetips.blogspot.com/ The "Bike Commute Tips Blog."
Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips: http://www.runmuki.com/commute/
The ultimate commuting machine
http://www.kinetics.org.uk/html/853_commuter.shtml
ISACS Fall Conference Follow Up
All-in-all, this conference went quite well. I traveled down on Thursday, Nov. 2nd and made it to the Gateway City in time to join Ward and the crew for a nice dinner in town. The drive surprised me a bit in that it took me much longer than I anticipated (this is probably due more to the fact that I took the wrong turn on I-90 toward Chicago!) Next time I’ll be sure to fly!
Unfortunately I presented at the 1:30-2:45 time slot and did a repeat at the 3:00-4:15 slot. After anticipating 40 participants in the first section and 35 in the second, I was a little disappointed that only 9 showed up during the first session and 5 in the second. Even though attendance was lower than I had hoped, I thought the sessions were lively and the participants seemed to be appreciative of the offering. We had a nice talk about the pros/cons of contemporary communication technologies such as myspace, IM, blogging, etc. We moved into cyber bullying and finished with the story of Ryan Halligan. This story strikes me in an incredibly powerful way each time I see it (and I must have seen it over 10 times now).
Now I’m back at USM and ready to start discussing the topic of “Digital Citizenship” with our students during advising sessions.
Unfortunately I presented at the 1:30-2:45 time slot and did a repeat at the 3:00-4:15 slot. After anticipating 40 participants in the first section and 35 in the second, I was a little disappointed that only 9 showed up during the first session and 5 in the second. Even though attendance was lower than I had hoped, I thought the sessions were lively and the participants seemed to be appreciative of the offering. We had a nice talk about the pros/cons of contemporary communication technologies such as myspace, IM, blogging, etc. We moved into cyber bullying and finished with the story of Ryan Halligan. This story strikes me in an incredibly powerful way each time I see it (and I must have seen it over 10 times now).
Now I’m back at USM and ready to start discussing the topic of “Digital Citizenship” with our students during advising sessions.
Digital Citizenship...what does this look like?
During advising sessions in grades 5-8 this year, we are going to focus on "digital citizenship" and what this means. Our essential question in grades 5-8 is, "What does digital citizenship in a global environment look like, feel like, and sound like?" This is a tough question, but an important one to consider as we prepare our students to be leaders in a "Flat" and global environment.
Please take a moment and reflect on what digital citizenship looks like, feels like and sounds like. How does it compare/contrast with citizenship in the physical world? Please respond by leaving a comment below. Your responses and comments will certainly help us as we prepare for our advising sessions on "digital citizenship" during the year.
Nice article on digital citizenship: http://www.educ.ksu.edu/digitalcitizenship/1stL&L.pdf
Please take a moment and reflect on what digital citizenship looks like, feels like and sounds like. How does it compare/contrast with citizenship in the physical world? Please respond by leaving a comment below. Your responses and comments will certainly help us as we prepare for our advising sessions on "digital citizenship" during the year.
Nice article on digital citizenship: http://www.educ.ksu.edu/digitalcitizenship/1stL&L.pdf
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Advice for students who are setting up an account at blogger.com
Step 1: Create an Account
User name-create one that is nebulous and doesn’t reveal personal info such as age, sex, location or other personal info. Tell your user name to your parents/teachers
Password-should be a “strong” password and should never be shared with anyone
Display name-this is the name used to “sign” blog posts. I would recommend using their user name
Email address-this is fine to reveal (as a matter of fact, an email is required) but make sure it isn’t revealed in the profile and don’t give permission to blogger to share this
Step 2: Name your blog
Students will have to come up with a name for their blog page. Something simple that might reflect the nature of the blog would do…for example, “A View from a Historian,” for a blog dealing with a little history. Or “My Little Corner of the Web,” for a blog that is going to deal with a wide range of topics. Or “Thoughts on World Events” for a blog dealing with the topic of current world news events.
Again, you'll need to come up with a name for your blog...but you don't need to write any posts (what you are reading now is a post).
Step 3: Pick a template
After the blog is created, here is what I suggest the students do:
After the account is created, students should then work through some of the settings and controls of the blog. See below:
Go to the settings portion after logging in.
In the basic tab:
Add your blog to our listings: choose no.
Take the rest of the default settings
In the formatting tab:
Change the time zone to central
Comments tab:
Under who can comment, take the default setting of only registered users. If there is a problem later on with offensive and/or unsolicited comments, this can be set to “only members of this blog” which would allow the blog owner to better control who can comment.
Consider turning on comment moderation. This allows you to read the comments and approve them before their posted. This might be useful for a post on a very spirited and lively topic. The comments will be emailed to you and they you'll have the option to approve them or not approve them. More on comment moderation at: http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=42537
Take the defaults for the rest of the tabs.
Profiles:
Be certain that you do not fill out any information in the profile section of your account. This is extremely important-you do not want to fill anything out about your favorite movies, location where you live, etc.
Click the Edit your profile link and do the following:
Share my profile: leave unchecked
Show my real name: leave unchecked
Show my email: leave unchecked
Identity: your username, email address, and display name should appear here...you may leave this alone.
First name/last name: leave blank
Leave everything else blank...do not specify your gender, city where you live, state where you live, etc.
Leave the fields empty that ask about your favorite music, books, movies, about me, etc.
Revealing this kind of information in the profile section of blogger.com, your IM service, your myspace page, etc raises your risk for being contacted by strangers who may want to harm you.
Addendum for new features at blogger.com as of 11-12-2006:
Google Accounts:
Blogger.com now has a partnership with google...when you create an account at blogger, you'll need to create a Google account. Everything is pretty much the same. Google actually has some really cool features like "Writely," which is a really awesome word processing program that is free and allows you to access your files from any web based computer in the world via your google account.
Permissions:
This is now a new tab that appears once you login with a google account...this is totally a cool and useful feature of blogger. Permissions allow you to let other people author or create posts to your blog. In the past, blogger only allowed the account holder to create a blog post. This might come in handy for a group presenation or project for a class. In order to add authors to your blog, click the add authors button and enter their email address. They'll be sent an email that they have to respond to in order to begin writing posts to your blog. You can also define who may read this blog by setting it to Anybody, Only People I Choose, or Only Blog Authors. If you want or need more privacy for your blog, set this to "Only People I choose," or "Only Blog Authors."
User name-create one that is nebulous and doesn’t reveal personal info such as age, sex, location or other personal info. Tell your user name to your parents/teachers
Password-should be a “strong” password and should never be shared with anyone
Display name-this is the name used to “sign” blog posts. I would recommend using their user name
Email address-this is fine to reveal (as a matter of fact, an email is required) but make sure it isn’t revealed in the profile and don’t give permission to blogger to share this
Step 2: Name your blog
Students will have to come up with a name for their blog page. Something simple that might reflect the nature of the blog would do…for example, “A View from a Historian,” for a blog dealing with a little history. Or “My Little Corner of the Web,” for a blog that is going to deal with a wide range of topics. Or “Thoughts on World Events” for a blog dealing with the topic of current world news events.
Again, you'll need to come up with a name for your blog...but you don't need to write any posts (what you are reading now is a post).
Step 3: Pick a template
After the blog is created, here is what I suggest the students do:
After the account is created, students should then work through some of the settings and controls of the blog. See below:
Go to the settings portion after logging in.
In the basic tab:
Add your blog to our listings: choose no.
Take the rest of the default settings
In the formatting tab:
Change the time zone to central
Comments tab:
Under who can comment, take the default setting of only registered users. If there is a problem later on with offensive and/or unsolicited comments, this can be set to “only members of this blog” which would allow the blog owner to better control who can comment.
Consider turning on comment moderation. This allows you to read the comments and approve them before their posted. This might be useful for a post on a very spirited and lively topic. The comments will be emailed to you and they you'll have the option to approve them or not approve them. More on comment moderation at: http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=42537
Take the defaults for the rest of the tabs.
Profiles:
Be certain that you do not fill out any information in the profile section of your account. This is extremely important-you do not want to fill anything out about your favorite movies, location where you live, etc.
Click the Edit your profile link and do the following:
Share my profile: leave unchecked
Show my real name: leave unchecked
Show my email: leave unchecked
Identity: your username, email address, and display name should appear here...you may leave this alone.
First name/last name: leave blank
Leave everything else blank...do not specify your gender, city where you live, state where you live, etc.
Leave the fields empty that ask about your favorite music, books, movies, about me, etc.
Revealing this kind of information in the profile section of blogger.com, your IM service, your myspace page, etc raises your risk for being contacted by strangers who may want to harm you.
Addendum for new features at blogger.com as of 11-12-2006:
Google Accounts:
Blogger.com now has a partnership with google...when you create an account at blogger, you'll need to create a Google account. Everything is pretty much the same. Google actually has some really cool features like "Writely," which is a really awesome word processing program that is free and allows you to access your files from any web based computer in the world via your google account.
Permissions:
This is now a new tab that appears once you login with a google account...this is totally a cool and useful feature of blogger. Permissions allow you to let other people author or create posts to your blog. In the past, blogger only allowed the account holder to create a blog post. This might come in handy for a group presenation or project for a class. In order to add authors to your blog, click the add authors button and enter their email address. They'll be sent an email that they have to respond to in order to begin writing posts to your blog. You can also define who may read this blog by setting it to Anybody, Only People I Choose, or Only Blog Authors. If you want or need more privacy for your blog, set this to "Only People I choose," or "Only Blog Authors."
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
ISACS Presentation on Internet Safety/Ethics
On Friday, November 3rd I'll be presenting on the topic of Internet Safety/Ethics at the ISACS annual conference down in St. Louis. This entire presentation is currenlty online at the following web address:
http://2006isacstalk.wikispaces.com/
http://2006isacstalk.wikispaces.com/
Cybersafety with 6th graders...October note to parents
The following is an email that I sent to the entire sixth grade parent body after we did our first cybersafety session in advising for the 06-07 academic year. I typically will send a note home like this after each advising session.
Dear 6th Grade Parents-
We began the first of our three part series on Internet Safety in advising this morning. We discussed the importance of protecting our personal information and potential consequences of our online actions. We’ll be meeting again on January 5th and April 3rd to continue our discussions on this topic.
Students were given a “homework” assignment in advising today—the assignment involves reading through an Internet safety pledge with you. Students should return the signed bottom portion of this slip to his/her advisor by Friday, October 13th. I’m also attaching a copy of the safety pledge to this email.
Also, please be aware that the students will be designing bumper stickers to raise community awareness about this important issue. We’ll take the 1-2 most effective bumper sticker designs in each advising section and send them off to a printer. The bumper stickers will then be passed out to parents at the January Internet safety presentation for parents.
Thank you,
Matt Montagne
Academic Technology Coordinator
University School of Milwaukee
Dear 6th Grade Parents-
We began the first of our three part series on Internet Safety in advising this morning. We discussed the importance of protecting our personal information and potential consequences of our online actions. We’ll be meeting again on January 5th and April 3rd to continue our discussions on this topic.
Students were given a “homework” assignment in advising today—the assignment involves reading through an Internet safety pledge with you. Students should return the signed bottom portion of this slip to his/her advisor by Friday, October 13th. I’m also attaching a copy of the safety pledge to this email.
Also, please be aware that the students will be designing bumper stickers to raise community awareness about this important issue. We’ll take the 1-2 most effective bumper sticker designs in each advising section and send them off to a printer. The bumper stickers will then be passed out to parents at the January Internet safety presentation for parents.
Thank you,
Matt Montagne
Academic Technology Coordinator
University School of Milwaukee
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