More Than Paris

What is a blog?

A blog is simply a web-site with dated entries, like a diary or journal. Each entry is usually a short article, in French they are called articles, in English the dated entries are normally called posts.

The home page of this blog contains a series of posts, arranged in date order. As new posts are added, they will appear at the top of the page, and everything else will move down.

Obviously once there are a lot of posts, they won’t all fit on one page, but you can find older posts using the links on the sidebar at the right of the page (look for archives or categories). There is also a search box at the top of the page and a link to older posts at the bottom of the page.

Some blogs also have separate pages for important information – like this one.

How do I use this blog?

News and information about the Paris trip will be posted on the home page. Obviously I will still be sending letters home with all the relevant information as well – the blog is an extra source of information, not a replacement.

We will also be giving students the chance to contribute to the blog. Hopefully we will be able to use the Paris blog to send back some news and photos whilst we are actually on the trip.

You can keep checking the home page to see if anything has been added, or you can subscribe to the blog. If you are wondering what that means, you might like to watch this video from the Commoncraft Show. (It’s not the best quality video, but it is a good introduction to the idea of subscribing):

Blogs in Plain English – by Commoncraft on Vimeo.

(This video is also available here on TeacherTube)

Is it safe?

Yes. We are working within strict guidelines to make sure that the students who use this blog will be able to do so without compromising their privacy or safety:

• Students will not be allowed to publish anything that includes their personal details. This includes their full names. Obviously students will want to be identified as the authors of their own work, so they will be given a user name that is recognisable to their parents and friends. I am planning to offer students the choice of using either their first name or their initials with their form group, so they would appear as Fred 9Y or FB 9Y.
• Photos of students will only be allowed if parents give permission for this. We will control any comments very carefully so that user names cannot be matched to photos.
• Nothing will be published until it has been checked by a member of staff. Students can write articles and leave comments, but the software that we are using doesn’t allow them to publish anything until it has been checked. Visitors to the blog, including parents and other students, can leave comments, but these will not be published until they have been checked by a member of staff.
• The content of the blog will be carefully controlled. There is no advertising on the blog. Some links to other sites, such as the Eiffel Tower’s web site, will be allowed, but this type of link is very safe.

Any more questions?

Leave a comment (use the comment box below) or feel free to get in touch. I’m happy to help or to discuss any ideas, questions or concerns.