1. This was meant to be the second class students had to present their powerpoints and narrate their writing. They had saved the powerpoint in their student files on the server, but they weren’t accessible, for some reason, in the last class.
2. While we waited for computers to work and load again, I talked to the students to clarify some concerns that have come up about the blogs they are working on. To make it clear, there are a few points I wanted to explain:
   1. Their blogs can be 100% private, if they are uneasy about their writing and content being visable by anyone on the internet. This blog site has been created for educators and their students specifically with their security and safety in mind. There are no advertisements on the sides of the blogs or pop-ups which are common with other common sites used by students, such as facebook or hotmail. If they are really nervous about writing their content online, I will absolutely compromise and allow them to put their content into a Word document instead where connection to the internet is not even necessary. I will, however, require them to complete the same portions of the assignment.
   2. I did send out permission forms to parents to inform them of my homework blog when I first arrived and received several back. A few of the forms chose not to give permission for their students’s images or assignments being put on my blog, but the majority of the forms returned were positive and granted that permission. I haven’t, however, taken that opportunity. I haven’t put pictures or projects on the blog, so concerns about vulnerability of students on the net should be calmed, hopefully. This website is intended for teachers and students with great security features in place. It is safer than many of the places your children may or may not be using online.
3. Students spent the rest of the class working on their blogs, to use their time wisely.

Here’s a great quote that I came across in looking for encouragement of online content in the classroom:

“The Internet is rapidly changing from a “read only” resource to a “read and write” environment where anyone can create content, collaborate with others and respond to a global audience. Every person with access will have the ability to contribute ideas and experiences to a larger body of knowledge that is the Internet. The ability to easily publish content online will encourage [students] to rethink the way they communicate…”