Netiquette Guidlines

Netiquette Guidelines 10th Grade Algebra

Netiquette is a set of guidelines to keep in mind while involved in any online environment. Students should use these guidelines and good judgement when making decisions about the content they are engaged in.

Respect: Be respectful to others and respect yourself. Remember to treat others the way you wish to be treated and behave online as you would in real life. You are entitled to your opinion but so are others, respect others opinions and expect them to do the same. The characteristics you display online reflect on the characteristics you hold in real life so respect yourself and show good character.

Safety: Take the better safe then sorry approach. If you think there could be a possible threat to yourself or the school network then don't take the chance. Keep in mind that, while there are many security measures present on the school network, the best security measure is common sense. Don't give out your password, only give information that is necessary, and know where you are in cyberspace.

Professional: Using proper grammar, spelling and mechanics, when you write, shows you take pride in your work and you take pride in what you have to say. Review your work before you post anything and if possible have someone else look it over before posting. The school network and the Internet are public environments so be professional and confident that your work is appropriate.

Courtesy: Using all capital letters portrays shouting in the online world and there are other more productive ways of communicating. Be considerate of others time, work, effort and opinions. Do not send or forward chain letters, they waste others time and bleed resources.

Credit: Give credit where credit is due. Make sure when using others work that you correctly cite that work. Plagiarizing is very serious and it doesn't take much effort to avoid serious problems.

Responsible: As young adults, I'm holding each one of you responsible for using good judgement and making sound decisions on the content you pursue. If you have any questions or concerns about content, please don't hesitate to get me involved.

Cooperative Learning

Although there are many teaching strategies in our educational system, one of the best researched is cooperative learning like the jigsaw method. Research has shown students who work collaboratively, learn quicker, have greater retention, and have a more positive feeling about their learning experience. Students also learn essential interpersonal life-skills and develop skills to work collaboratively. Cooperative learning creates more positive relationships between students, and strengthens students’ psychological health and self-esteem. Success of the group depends on each member and each member must participate in order for the group to realize that success (New Horizons for Learning, 2005). Other research has shown that cooperative learning is particularly beneficial for students learning a second language. The activities used in cooperative learning promote peer interaction, which is very helpful in language development (Colorin Colorado, 2007). Furthermore, with budget issues in our classrooms today, cooperative learning strategies are inexpensive and easy to implement.
There are, however, some drawbacks with improper guidance and supervision. Moreover, teachers cannot look at the strategy as time to correct papers and not be involved (New Horizons for Learning, 2005). Cooperative learning requires that a group leader be appointed which can lead to dominant students taking over the group. Teachers must monitor this and make sure each student gets the opportunity to take on each role required. Slow students can also pose potential drawbacks but with techniques like the “expert” group these issues can be minimized. On the other hand, bright students could have boredom problems but if those students are encouraged to develop the mind set of “teacher” the issues can again be minimized (Jigsaw Classroom, 2009).
Using the following steps cooperative learning strategies can be beneficial for the entire class. First, select a topic and break it into parts. Second, place 4 – 6 students in expert groups. Third, assign each group a part of the topic. Finally, send individual “experts” into mixed groups to form a whole topic discussion (Jigsaw Classroom, 2009). Cooperative learning, if done properly, can be a very useful tool and can be a positive experience for everyone.

References: Jigsaw Classroom. 2009. 7 Feb. 2009 http://www.jigsaw.org/.
New Horizons for Learnin. 2005. 7 Feb. 2009 http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/cooperative/front_cooperative.htm.
Colorin Colorado. 2008. 7 Feb. 2009 http://www.colorincolorado.org/educators/content/cooperative.