LL9 - Open Letter to Parents

Dear parents:

In Ms. McKinney's class this year, we are going to be spending lots of time on the classroom computers. The students will be working on various projects using Weblogs, Microsoft Office, and various other online resources.

In order to keep you abreast of projects in the classroom, I will be posting everything we are doing on the class web page. This letter will explain most of the resources that we will be using, but if you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at my classroom phone or by e-mail.

Wikis
One resource we will be using throughout the entire year will be a class wiki. I'm sure most of you are familiar with Wikipedia, and this will work in a similar fashion. I will create a home page, from which there will be sub pages with assignments, readings, and extra information. Students will be expected to check the wiki daily after school. The wiki is unique in that students can edit it themselves, so that they can post assignments to it. I will monitor the students' posts, and inappropriate information will be removed.

Web logs
Web logs are also referred to as blogs. They are essentially online journals. We will be using these as reflection tools in the classroom. After we complete a unit, students will be required to write a blog entry detailing what they've learned. This will be a way of monitoring how effective the teaching methods are.

Podcasts
Podcasts are commonly used in the media. They are recorded sound bites about a specific subject. We will be addressing the media's use of them and then recording some of our own. These will then be posted to the wiki.

Online Security
The school computers have the highest level of security. Sites with inappropriate content are not accessible. Proxies will also be blocked to the best of our ability, to avoid a different way of reaching those sites. Personal information posted online will be limited to first names. Not even the school name will be posted on the wiki, so as to prevent any problems.

Assessment
Students will receive individual grades on each assignment. Blogs will be 10% of students' grades. The wiki itself will not be graded, but the individual work on it will be.

I am looking forward to spending this year with your children in my class. Please contact me at any time with any questions or concerns.

Ms. McKinney