What this Site is Not
Social networking sites have been receiving a lot of negative press lately. Many of these sites provide users with web logs (blogs) so that they can provide "friends" with personal information about their lives in journal form. As a result, many people now equate blogs with social networking sites like MySpace.com. This is unfortunate as blogs are just a small piece of what you will find there.
This site is a blogging community. It consists of a main portal blog and many member blogs. The main portal blog is run by the site adminstrator, me. I control everything that takes place here. Just like MySpace, there will be many interactions that take place between the members of this community. However, unlike MySpace, the purpose of those interactions will be strictly educational; there will be no interactions taking place for social reasons. This is not a place for students to meet new people, though I hope that they will learn more about their classmates from using it.
Personal Information
This site is an online community created exclusively for my classes. However, it is different from a social networking site like MySpace in that it does not require a published profile. When students register, they are required to submit an email address, their full name, a username, and a password. With the exception of the username, none of this is available to anyone but me. After the blog is created, the only identifying information that will appear on it is their first name.
Though students will be publishing lots of digital images, at no time will students be asked to publish photos of themselves.
Contact Information
As I said above, no contact information (like an email address) is published on the site. The only way to interact with members of the community is to comment on a post. However, this is impossible unless you are a member of the community. The only way to become a member is to register and be confirmed by me. Of course, I only allow students, teachers, or other members of the school community to do this. As a result, there is no chance of students ever being contacted by someone who has randomly come across the site.
WMS
Blog-List
- Contact
- Email Mr.Tubbs
- Links for Parents
- Wyoming City Schools
- ProgressBook
- Science Links
- Exploratorium
- FOSSWeb
- Energy Rules
- Count the Stars
- Social Studies Links
- Harcourt Horizons
Big debates
Safety Information
How to use this site
This site has several features that are meant to help students and parents.
Links: On the sidebar are links to the following:
Sign up now!: In order to comment on entries in this blog and student blogs, parents & students must sign up. This will require the creation of a username and password. Once an account has been created, it must be approved by me before becoming active. This preserves the security of the community meaning that no one outside of parents/teachers/students will be able to contribute to it.
Homework: Here I will provide a link to any homework assignments. I will also provide links to helpful Internet resources that will enhance the learning experience of each child. Often, I will also link to downloadable documents.
My email: Click the link to open your email client and send me a message.
Links for parents: Important resources for parents.
Classroom links: These links are divided by subject and are meant for students & parents. These resources will help with homework and other questions that students or parents may have about classroom materials.
Classroom links: These links are divided by subject and are meant for students & parents. These resources will help with homework and other questions that students or parents may have about classroom materials.
Blog List: Early in the school year, students will register for their own blogs. Here they will keep an "electronic" portfolio of selected work. When students have created their own blogs, they will appear in this menu.
Sign up now!: In order to comment on entries in this blog and student blogs, parents & students must sign up. This will require the creation of a username and password. Once an account has been created, it must be approved by me before becoming active. This preserves the security of the community meaning that no one outside of parents/teachers/students will be able to contribute to it.
Homework: Here I will provide a link to any homework assignments. I will also provide links to helpful Internet resources that will enhance the learning experience of each child. Often, I will also link to downloadable documents.
