Help Your Child Get Started Blogging - HOW TO

bestlaptopbattery.co.uk
17/08/2011 09:19
Help Your Child Get Started Blogging -
HOW TO
Help Your Child Get Started Blogging - HOW TO
It doesn't need to be daunting. To help their children
get started blogging, she suggests parents follow
these five simple guidelines.
1. Learn About Blogging Yourself
The best way to learn is by doing, and parents who
want to help their children set up a blog should set
up their own blogs first in order to educate them-
selves and model good online behavior.
"I know that might sound time consuming and silly
Yet all three covered Apple's press conference this
or pointless," Fioriello says. "But through action and
September. Benno Kass and Max Iger of TechNews-
modeling, your child is going to get the benefit of
Kids watched the live-stream of the announcement
your learning."
online so that they could "live blog" its contents as
soon as possible.
Even if you have no intention of having anyone
read your blog, try setting one up on a simple site
Simplified blogging platforms and increased access
like WordPress, Tumblr or Blogger. In some cases,
to online information -- even breaking stories like
your child might already know a lot more about this
the Apple announcement -- make it easier than
process than you do. That's OK, says Karl Meinhardt,
ever for Kass, Iger and other young bloggers to inde-
who helped develop a pilot social media program in
pendently post to the web. And as they post, they're
a Portland, Oregon middle school last year.
also learning how to research, write and use a web
publishing platform.
"I would argue the kids can help the parents in
terms of setting up the blogs," he says. "But where
Parents should be thrilled by this educational op-
the parents come in is helping students identify...
portunity, says Dr. Patricia Fioriello, the author of-
different things they're passionate about or help
kidslearntoblog.com. Unfortunately, they're more
them understand how to express themselves in that
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joli often unsure of how they can help their children
actual space."
take advantage of it.
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17/08/2011 09:19
Help Your Child Get Started Blogging - HOW TO
2. Choose an Appropriate Blogging
3. Teach Your Child About Safety
Platform for Your Child
and Citizenship
For many parents, the idea of their child posting
information to an anonymous audience on the In-
"Some people do not like to hear this, but I really
ternet is frightening. These concerns are justified,
feel very strongly that a child's interest in blogging
but there are ways to reduce the risks without ban-
and social media should be encouraged as young
ning a blog.
as they're interested," Fioriello says.
Kass' parents, for instance, have some boundaries:
But that doesn't mean that every type of blog is ap-
He doesn't post photos of himself on the blog (even
propriate for every child.
when it makes sense for a story), he doesn't use his
last name, and the only way to contact him is via
There are a number of blogging sites specifically
an e-mail address his parents monitor.
designed for children that provide some modera-
tion and exclusivity. Teachers can use platforms-
For the most part, they don't consider the blog to be
like Edmodo or Kidblog.org to organize and monitor
much of a risk. "I don't think that's any different on
classroom blogs. At home, children can sign up for
the online world than if you're out meeting some-
blogs on monitored sites like kidzworld or Kidswirl.
body in the not-online world," Ron says. "I think
you just have to instill in your kids kind of a radar."
Kass and his parents, Ron and Terry, decided to use
Make sure they know that if something feels wrong,
an unmonitored platform that would allow everyone
they should immediately try to remove themselves
on the web to read the blog. This was decided for
and talk to a parent about it.
various reasons: Kass' parents trust his maturity and
discretion at age 11, the technical aspects of putting
Blogging can also be an excellent opportunity to
a blog up were something Kass wanted to learn, and
teach children the appropriate way to interact on-
Kass was blogging about technology, not his life.
line. Liz Delmatoff, a 7th and 8th grade teacher
who started using blogs in her Portland, Oregon
Fioriello, who has worked in education for more
classroom last year, added "citizenship and safety
than 25 years, says there's no magic age when a child
lessons" to her curriculum.
is better suited for a particular blogging platform.
She taught kids why her safety rules were impor-
"Keep a focus," she tells parents. "What is your goal,
tant by showing them a YouTube video about how
print
joli what is your objective, what do you want [your child
easy it is to find where someone lives using only
to learn from the blog]? And then take into consi-
the information they post on their profile. She also
deration the age of your child and research things
discussed what was appropriate for students to put
that would be appropriate."
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bestlaptopbattery.co.uk
17/08/2011 09:19
Help Your Child Get Started Blogging - HOW TO
in the comments on each other's blogs, and other
Put some sort of supervision in place. This doesn't
guidelines for posting to community spaces.
necessarily mean that every post needs to be pre-
approved or that parents should watch over their
4. Enhance the Educational
child's shoulder every moment he or she is working
Experience
on a blog. Some parents are more comfortable if they
keep the computer in an open space, make sure any
e-mail associated with the blog is delivered to an
account that they have access to, and check the blog
daily. The amount of monitoring that is appropriate
depends on your child.
"[Blogging] became something that Benno [Kass]
could do and get a little help from his parents, and
"You know best the maturity and how much inte-
it didn't really feel like homework, but it's still buil-
raction your child can handle," explains Fioriello.
ding a lot of skills and a lot of education for him at
"Supervise them or monitor them or check their
the same time," says Ron, Kass' father and the sole
browsing history. Do whatever you need to do as
investor in TechNewsKids.
a parent, but still allow them to grow and learn."
There are a number of ways parents can add to the
Other Business News:
inherent educational value of blogging.

Kass' mother, Terry, helps Kass edit each post for
grammar and punctuation. His father helped him
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design the site's logo. And the family often discusses
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story ideas and current tech news together.
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Aside from the obvious benefits of working with
children on their writing, parents can add value to

the experience by pushing their children to explore
a particular passion, discussing content and the re-

search process, or by exploring the global reach of
Internet communities.
5. Monitor What Your Child Posts
Online
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