Children’sDiscussion ForumForum GuidelinesandHow to use the forum.

Introduction

•We are providing a platform for you, students, to solve your own problems.

•You can contribute to topics such as bullying, climate change and improving society, by offering your positive ideas, new ideas, etc.

•The forum is not just for socialising, but also focusing on and solving problems by creating ideas to help yourself and other people.

Children’sDiscussion ForumForum Guidelines.

Forum Guidelines•Follow these rules and most of all enjoy yourself in the forums and chat.

R.E.A.L. H.O.P.E....

Responsibility: Everyone is responsible for what they say. Please treat everyone politely and with respect.Empathy: If you want to know if what you are saying is helpful or not, ask 'how would I feel if that was said to me'.Awareness: Learn from others. Ask them questions. You will learn and grow.Love: Nonviolence is this Forum. Lead by example and be non-violent in the words you say. Gandhi never used a bad word. He loved and respected everyone.

Honesty: Speak your truth to others.Oneness: We are sharing this site together. Include others in your discussion. Accept differences.Peace: Peacefulness is speaking kind words, patience, letting others talk and making the site fun.Enjoyment: To make it the best site. You might like to add some jokes to your posts, make others laugh but never in a mean way.

Children’sDiscussion ForumProtect yourself and others.Think before you act, be cybersmart.

T.H.I.N.K.Here is a way to remember how to be cybersmart. T.H.I.N.K. will help you to stop and think before you act.

Tell your Mum or Dad if you see something online that upsets you, or if someone makes you feel unhappy. You can also talk to a trusted adult like a teacher: they can help.

Hide your password. Only ever share it with your parents – never with your friends. Someone else could go online pretending to be you and do something that could get you into trouble.

Interesting websites can be fun. Check with Mum or Dad if a site is okay to use before you visit. Sometimes they can set up a good list of sites just for you.

Be Nice to people you talk to on the internet or phone. Name calling or being mean is not cool. Look out for yourself and for others.

Keep your special personal information safe. Never give your real name, real nickname, address or phone number to anyone. Use your computer nickname, in chat rooms and forums or when you play games on the computer.

Forum and Chat Room MonitoringThe forums and chat rooms are watched by administrators and teachers , any negative or unkind comments or bullying will not be accepted on the site and you will be asked to stop.

If negative behaviour continues you will be banned.

We ask students to treat other students in a positive way, even if there are disagreements.

Solving problems and not disliking someone because they don’t agree with you is an important thing to always remember.

You will find the Forum and Chat Rules in every forum.Read them regularly so that you know how to behave online.

It is really very easy,Just treat others the way you would like them to treat you.

Children’sDiscussion ForumGetting started.

Logging in

To start your session enter your Username and Password and click the Login Button.

Do NOT check the, “Log me on automatically each visit”, box because the next person who visits the site on the same computer, will be logged in using your details and if they misbehave, you will be the one blamed for their misconduct.

After you have logged in

•For your security the first time you log in you should change your password. Use a password you know you will remember it has to be at least 6 characters long. Once you have changed your password, don’t tell anyone what your new password is.

•You can choose an avatar you like from the library of avatars, to be displayed on your posts.

How to change your password

1.On the board index click the, “User Control Panel”, button.2.On the user control panel menu click the, “Profile”, button.3.Click the, “Edit account settings”, tab.4.Enter your new password in the, ‘New password”, field and, “Confirm password”, field.5.Enter your old password in the, “Current password”, field.6.Click the, “Submit”, button.

How to choose your avatar

1.In your, “User Control Panel”, under, “Profile”, click the, “Edit avatar”, tab.2.Click the, “Display gallery”, button.3.Use the drop down menu, “Category”, to choose an avatar category library.4.Click the, “Go”, button to display the avatar category library.5.When you find an avatar you like, click in the radio circle under the avatar’s picture.6.Click the, “Submit”, button.You can change your avatar as often as you like.

Children’sDiscussion ForumHow to use the forum.

The forums Your school has three forums you can participate in.

1.A general discussion forum called, “The Playhouse”, where you can meet with students from other schools. (You can add topics and reply to others topics in this forum).

2.A creative ideas forum called, “Peacefull posts questions”, Peacefull invites you to have your say on the topics she creates.(You cannot add topics but you can reply to Peacefull’s topics).

3.Finally your School’s forum, which is a private forum for students from your school only. (You can add topics and reply to others topics in this forum).

How to create a new topic

1.Enter the forum you want to create a topic in by clicking on the title.2.Click the, “Post a new topic”, button.3.Enter the subject title for your topic, you can also choose a topic icon if you wish.4.Write your views on the topic and T.H.I.N.K.5.You can now Save it and finish it later, Preview it to see what it will look like or Submit it to the forum so other members can read it and offer their views on the topic.

Reading and replying to posts

1.A blue icon shows you have read all posts, an orange icon shows there are unread posts.2.This button will list unanswered posts, check them out and consider posting a reply.3.The next three view buttons will list unread posts, new posts and active topics.4.Once you have read a topic you can reply to it by clicking the, “Post a reply”, button.5.There is no need to change the, “Subject title”, or, “Post icon”, simply write your reply.6.When you have finished your reply T.H.I.N.K., then click the, “Submit”, button.

Reporting a mischievous post

If you see something bad in a post , please report it to your teacher, and ;1.Click the, “Report this post”, button.2.The, “Reasons”, dropdown menu contains some common categories for reporting posts choose the one that fits best if none of the reasons fit, choose: “The reported message does not fit into any of the other categories, please use the further information”, option.3.If you want to know the result of your report leave the, “Yes”, radio circle checked, if you don’t want to know the result click in the, “No”, radio circle.4.If you have chosen, “The reported message does not fit into any of the other categories, please use the further information”, option then write your reason for reporting the post.5.Click the, “Submit”, button.

Help, searching and logging out

1.The, “FAQ”, button will take you to the Frequently Asked Questions, they will provide answers to almost anything you need to know about using the forum.2.You can search the forums to see if there is already a topic you might be thinking of adding or just to find something you are interested in.3.The, “Members”, button will list the forum’s members.4.When you have finished using the forum or have to leave the computer for any reason don’t forget to logout or someone might use your open session to cause mischief that you will be blamed for. To log out, simply click the, “Logout”, button.

Children’sDiscussion ForumHow to enter, exit and use the Chat Room.

The forum’s chat room

1.To go to the chat room click on the, “Chat”, button.2.When you enter the chat room the first message reminds you about the rules.3.This is where you type what you want to say, you can add smilies and format the text.4.When you have finished writing T.H.I.N.K., then click the, “Submit”, button or hit the, “Enter”, key to add what you have written to the conversation.5.Your chat control panel contains your nickname, below your nickname your options menu and below your options menu a list of users in the chat room.

The forum’s chat room

1.The, “Channel”, dropdown menu lists the chat rooms you can enter.2.The, “Styles”, dropdown menu lets you change the appearance of the chat room.3.The, “Language”, dropdown menu lets you change the language used in the chat room , you really don’t need to use this menu.4.To return to the forum click the, “Logout”, button or the, Logout”, link in your options menu. WARNING: Logging out of the chat room does NOT log you out of the forum so if you have finished using the site don’t forget to log out of the forum.

Chat room etiquetteEntering and leaving a chat roomSay, Hello”, when you enter a chat room and say, “Goodbye”, when you leave.Don't join the chat room and then leave without saying somethingIt is considered impolite to enter a chat room and then leave without saying something.Don't idle or lurk in a chat roomWhen you are in a chat room, take part in the conversation. If you are going to be away from the computer for a short time, tell the other users. If you are a beginner, be polite and say something like, "I am new to chatting. Can I watch quietly for a few minutes?"Always T.H.I.N.K. before you hit enterCheck that what you have just written is cyber safe and that it will not offend.Don't talk in CAPITAL LETTERSIn a chat a room, using CAPITALS or UPPER CASE is seen as shouting.Be patientTry to be patient and wait if a user is slow to respond to you during a conversation. Remember that this is a person, they may not be able to type quickly and they may have other things they have to do at the same time.Don't use excessive colours/ASCII artDon't use large multi-line ASCII art or excessive colours. In the chat room it is considered a flood and you might be kicked out. (A flood is using to many lines in the conversation window).Be friendly. Be polite. Be considerateRemember that these are real people you are chatting with. They may have different opinions to you and come from very different cultures. Treat them properly and respect their opinions.

Chat short cut textChat shortcut text can save you time when typing your side of the conversation. There are a lot of shortcuts that were created to assist with speeding up the conversations in chat rooms which are now also being used for SMS texting on mobile phones.

However, it is a good idea to keep things fairly low key and use only the basic shortcuts to avoid having to explain what you mean, slowing down your conversation.

Some basic short cuts ---->

Some basic short cutsShort cut

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Short cut

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^5 high five gmta great minds think alike

kwim know what I mean

b4 before gtg got to go l8r later

b4n bye for now gtsy glad to see you l8rg8r later gator

brb be right back hig how’s it going lol laugh out loud

btw by the way iae in any event ltnc long time no see

c see ic I see obtw oh, by the way

cu see you later icwum

I see what you mean

oic oh, I see

dur? do you remember imho in my humble opinion

ppl people

em email imo in my opinion r are

fwiw for what it’s worth jk just kidding ttfn ta ta for now

g grin k ok ttyl talk to you later

Children’sDiscussion ForumThe most important things to do.

Have fun and be kind to your fellow board members.

THE END