What does it mean to blog responsibly?

This posting is an assignment to be completed IN CLASS on Monday, May 14

As we get started using our class blogs for posting our writing and ideas, it is important to fully understand the medium we are using. Many of you may be familiar with such technology if you've used sites such as MySpace or Facebook. Those, typically, are geared towards social networking and meeting friends. Our purpose here is to use a blog as a learning tool first, not a place to socialize.

With that in mind, your first task today should be to make sure there is no personal information on your blog or blog profile. Make sure you do not show your e-mail address on your profile. I would recommend also that you name your blog and give it a description that easily identifies it as a school assignment blog.

Once you do that, you are ready for today's lesson. By the end of class today, students should recognize the potential dangers of irresponsible blogging, and contribute to an "acceptable blog use" policy for English 10.

Your assignment is to read the following texts:
Schools grapple with policing students' online journals from USA Today.
"More on Safety" from teacher Mr. Hunt in Colorado
"Student blogging handbook" from Mr. Hunt's class
After reading them, write a post on your blog that explores the following questions:

What are some of the potential dangers of blogging discussed in these texts? Which of these concerns are legitimate? Why or why not? What other dangers are there in blogging that were not discussed in the texts? What should students keep in mind in order to practice responsible blogging? Suggest 2-3 rules you think would be appropriate for the class to follow as part of a blog policy.

Start your own post by linking back to this posting via a hyperlink like this.

When you are done, I will compile your responses from your posts.