Online+Safety

As you work on this wiki, you will need to follow these basic guidelines to stay safe online:
 * Never give out personal information--such as your full name (first names only or nicknames are best), home phone number or home address. Do not post or give out your family name, password, user name, email address, home address, school name, city, country or other information that could help someone locate or contact you in person. You may share your interests, ideas and preferences.
 * Never share your user name or password with anyone besides your teachers and parents. Never log in as another student.
 * Treat wikispaces as classroom spaces. Speech that is inappropriate for class is not appropriate for this wiki--unless it's your character's speech. You are expected to conduct yourself in a manner reflective of a representative of your school.
 * Be cautious about email messages from anyone, asking you for detailed personal information or attempting to arrange secret meetings. Talk with your teacher immediately if this kind of situation arises.


 * Think Before You Post**
 * Before you post anything online, think about: What would others //see//? What would others //think//? What would others //wonder//?
 * Once something is posted, it can be copied an unlimited amount of times - you can't control that item (pictures or words)
 * You have a responsibility to yourself to not post anything that could be misinterpreted
 * Things to share are your thoughts, your ideas, your opinions, your learnings
 * Never, ever use inappropriate language
 * Remember! When you try to do something for attention, it might backfire (have the opposite effect of what you want)
 * If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all
 * If you wouldn't say or share it (a picture, or your writing) in front of the class, you shouldn't say it or post it online

Also make sure to follow these rules of "Netiquette" to make sure your work is the best it can be:
 * Give credit in your works cited list to anyone whose work you use. Never use other people's work and call it your own. In other words, don't cut, copy, or plagiarize Internet content!
 * Be forgiving of other user's mistakes online; you were once (or maybe you still are) an Internet newbie, too!
 * Treat other online users as you would like to be treated. Treat school computers like you'd treat your own--with respect.
 * Share your knowledge with others; when you learn something new, pass it along to someone else who can benefit.
 * While online, stay focused on your work. The Internet is an excellent educational resource--but can cause you to lose focus.
 * Ask for help from your teacher or library media specialist, if you're having problems. Write down any error messages that appear when you try to do something.
 * Carefully proofread your online work before you post, just like you would a regular letter. Use good form, spelling and grammar.
 * Never use a computer to harm other people. Never snoop around in other people's files. Never use a computer to steal.
 * Online work is NOT private. Never say anything via email that you wouldn't mind seeing on the school bulletin board, or in the local newspaper.
 * Capital letters are regarded as "SHOUTING." Be careful with them. Don't publicly criticize (or "flame") others. Don't be offensive, and don't ever use bad language.

These "Rules of Netiquette" were adapted from the following publication: John, El Paso, TX Internet Driver's License: Internet Guide and Workbook,Classroom Connect: Lancaster, 1997