Over the summer I read quite a few professional development books, and one of the most interesting I found is Will Richardson’s Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, 2nd Edition. I started a new job teaching at a small Missouri high school, and I am excited at the prospect of integrating writing for the web into my English curriculum. I have already created a Classroom Wiki page that is ready to go live as soon as I get the go-ahead from my administration. I have a very supportive administration that seems happy to see me grab this bull by the horns. The Wiki site I created is set to private viewing so that only my kiddos can see it. It seems that Missouri (or maybe just the district I am in) is VERY Privacy/Security conscious, and doesn’t want any personal info/details floating around the wild, wild net. I really want to get my kids writing and critiquing in a way that is relevant to them, and blogging seems like a good outlet for this. I did some informal polling of my students (9th graders for the most part), and I don’t think they have really been exposed to the web in a structured way, nor are they familiar with blogging or Wikis. I find that exciting, being able to expose them to it. Perhaps I’ll let my administration get used to the private Wiki site, and if that takes off like I think it will, then gradually introduce them to the idea of letting the kids publish their writing for the world to review. Anyone familiar enough with Missouri school privacy laws to let me know how school blogging can coexist with these concerns?
