Permission+Letter



Permission Letter
Dear Families:

From now to the end of the year, Ms. Hibbard’s class will be taking part in creating a wiki to help guide parents and others in how to make sure their son/daughter understands what a blog is and how to blog safely. For a little help with the lingo for those of you who are not familiar with the two Web tools we will be using here are a few definitions:

A wiki – “is a website that allows multiple users to create, modify and organize web page content in a collaborative manner” (from: [|www.govst.edu/elearning/default.aspx] ). Some of you have heard of the best known wiki – Wikipedia – an online encyclopedia that is “a growing public encyclopedia of over 4 million articles on subjects on the Internet; registered users may freely edit content of these articles” (from: [|library.louisiana.edu/Bib/glossary.shtml] ).

“A Weblog, or blog as they are commonly called, is a special type of Web page that can be created and easily updated using a Web browser. Each new entry has its own date stamp. Each entry has a comments section where visitors to the blog may leave comments for the author” (  [|from] [| :http://www.budtheteacher.com/wiki/index.php?title=Blogging_letter] ). Students will be discussing internet safety and why it is important. Students will “post” (submit some writing) to the blog about their ideas about internet safety and how to protect themselves online if they are to start a blog (other than the one they will do in class). Students will also learn how to comment responsibly on the blog about other classmate’s writing. After students have tried blogging a few times during class and with supervision, they will be introduced to wikis and how they can create their own resource for others to use that describes what blogging is and how students and others can blog safely. Students will work on their wiki in groups of four in the classroom with each student having a clear idea of what part of the research they will need to perform and write up for the wiki. Once the wiki is completed your son/daughter will have contributed real knowledge to others (including you!) on how students can blog safely.  This wiki project is designed to minimize risk to your child. The identifying information included in the wiki will be their first name. Someone viewing the wiki will not be able to know what school, teacher or students created this wiki. The blog they will create that will help them understand the advantages to using this web tool will be visible only to the students and myself and will monitored daily by me. Please refer to the Internet/Computer Use Policy you signed at the beginning of the school year  as well as read this letter before signing the following form and having your child sign as well. Please return the form to Ms. Hibbard.  
 * <span style="font-size: 12.5pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">How it Works **<span style="font-size: 12.5pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">
 * <span style="font-size: 12.5pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Security ****<span style="font-size: 12.5pt; color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> and Permission to Participate **

I have read and understood the above information including what a wiki is and what a blog is and I agree to allow my child to participate in this class project under the supervision of Ms. Hibbard. Student’s signature:_ Date: _ __Parent’s signature:__ _ __ Date:__ _