Blogging Basics

presented by Tiffaney Lavoie, Instructional Technology Consultant, KEDC

tiffaney.lavoie@kedc.org 859-552-5399

What is a blog? The word comes from two words web and log = blog! Blogs are a chronological collection of commentaries. They have many instructional uses and are an excellent way to extend classroom content and discussion beyond the school building. There are many different blogging websites, but we are going to use Blogger (a Google app) as our blogging tool. So, how do you get started?

Step 1: Create a Google account or Gmail account

a. You can use an existing email to create your Google account www.google.com/accounts b. You can also use your Gmail account as your Google account

Step 2: Create your blog

a. b. c. d. e. Go to: www.blogger.com Sign in using your Google account Click the Create Your Blog Now arrow or the Create a Blog link Enter a blog title Choose and enter a blog address. This is the address visitors will use to get to your blog. Consider creating a sandbox blog to practice before launching one to use long-term f. Complete the word verification and then click the Continue arrow g. Choose a template that you like and click continue (you can change it later) h. Click the start blogging arrow

Step 3: Different Ways to Post to Your Blog

1. Post to your blog from www.blogger.com a. After clicking the start blogging arrow, you are ready to enter your first post b. Enter a Title; ie: Welcome c. In the body area, enter your message d. Choose publish you have just entered your first blog!

2. Post by emailing from your computer a. On your blog page, choose the customize button b. Click the Settings tab and then the email link c. Enter the desired Email Posting Address this is the email you will give students if they want to post to your blog via their email address d. Go to your email client and compose your email. Please note that the email subject will become the title of the post, and the email message will become the body of the post e. If you attach a photo to your email, it will be posted in your blog message!

3. Post by emailing from a cell phone or mobile device a. If your cell phone has email capabilities, you can easily add posts to your blog from your phone b. On an iPhone or other smart phone, take a picture and click the share link and choose the email option c. Enter the address you created as the mail-to-blogger address d. Add a subject, type a message, and send e. Within a few minutes or even seconds, the image, title, and message will appear as a post

Customizing Your Blog

Designing Your Blog Template
a. Customize the look of your blog. In the design tab, select the Template Designer link:

b. Create custom backgrounds, change fonts and colors, and re-arrange blog gadgets

c. Search and download Blog templates: 1. http://btemplates.com 2. http://theblogtemplates.com 3. www.bloggertemplatesfree.com

Modifying Your Settings

a. Moderate your comments by previewing them before posting: Settings > Comments

b. Add authors to your blog to allow for multiple author posts: Settings > Permissions

c. Change your blog title or delete your blog: Settings > Basic

Adding Gadgets to Your Blog

a. Gadgets provide additional ways to more easily navigate your blog. Some useful gadgets include: links, pages, profile, picture, and text

Adding Static Pages

a. Increase organization and usability within your blog with additional pages. For example, create a page with your embedded class calendar using Google Calendars.

Google Calendar
a. To embed your custom Google Calendar on a new static page, first go to www.google.com/calendar b. Sign in using your Google account, or if you are already signed in, your email address should be displayed in the top right corner of the page. c. Find your email listed under the My Calendars heading:

d. Click the down arrow beside your email address and select > Calendar Settings >Embed this Calendar:

e. Highlight and copy the embed code provided in the box f. Open up your new blog page and select edit pages. Be sure the Edit HTML tab is selected.

g. h. i. j.

Paste the embed code in the Edit HTML window. Within the embed code, change the width to 400 and the height to 800 Click the preview button to see if your calendar correctly embedded to the page If the preview is correct, close the preview window and post your page. Whenever you need to add or remove events on your calendar, just visit Google Calendars and make your changes. They will automatically be reflected in your blog calendar.

Adding Content to Your Blog

Using Scribd to Upload Documents
a. Scribd is a free Web 2.0 tool that allows you to upload your documents and share them in different ways, including embedding the document directly into your Blog. b. To sign up for Scribd, go to www.scribd.com and register as a new user c. Select the Upload button and browse to your computer to locate and upload the documents you wish to post to your blog. d. After they have been uploaded and saved, you can locate them under the My Shelf link. e. Select the file you want to embed in your blog. Once it is open in a new window, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the share button and choose the embed option:

f. In the pop-up window, select the copy button under the Embed This Document option:

g. Return to your blog and select > New Post > Edit HTML. Paste the embed code in the Edit HTML window. Preview the post and publish. h. Now your students can have access to your document directly inside your blog. They will also have the ability to download the document as a pdf directly to their mobile device or computer.

Embedding Videos
a. b. c. d. e. Locate the video you want to embed on a site such as www.teachertube.com Look for the embed video code on the same page as the video Copy the embed code Open a New Post in your blog. In the Edit HTML tab, paste the embed code Preview and Post the video will now be embedded as a blog post

Creating Links in Your Blog

f. If there is no embed code, you can provide a link to a video, website, or document within your blog post. g. Copy the URL of the video or website. Open a New Post in your blog. In the Compose tab, type a description of the link. You can also type out the website address. h. Now highlight the portion of the description that you want to be the actual link. Select the link button at the top of the new post window. Paste the URL into the window. i. Select the preview button to ensure your link is now active. You can also make the title of your blog post a hyperlink in the same way.

j. Publish your post

Classroom Blog Ideas

Teacher Blogs Weekly Newsletter Instead of sending home a paper newsletter, do it as a blog. Simply provide parents with the URL and they can check it regularly Sharing Student Work Share student work including drawings, writing, voice recordings, and even pictures of the students in the classroom through a blog Spelling Lists Use a Blog to post your spelling lists, vocabulary lists, etc each week Teaching Tips Create a blog and share your own teaching tips with other teachers collaborate and post comments together to highlight newly found resources A Blog of Widgets Create a Blog to house tools like the random name picker, video resources, etc Resources for Parents Post effective websites, movies, hands-on manipulatives, at-home activities, etc that would help to extend the classroom to the family room Feedback from Parents Post a question or prompt and allow parents to comment to your Blog pos (Consider switching your settings to allow for a preview of the post by you before being published) Lesson Plans Post lesson plans each week for both administrators and parents/students alike Absent Student Info Provide a place for absent students to view PowerPoint presentations they missed in class, post assignments, etc

Teacher/Student Blogs
These blogs are set up by the teacher and do not require student Google accounts

Daily Journal Post a prompt or question each day to your blog and students can comment to answer or respond Online Debate Ask a challenging question or post a thought-provoking prompt and then let students add comments, arguments, and/or justifications Reading Response Journal Post questions regarding a book you are currently reading and allow students to respond Photo Essays Create a blog that provides a theme prompt that students must respond to in the form of a picture (ie: freedom). Provide a mail-to email address to post to the blog. Then students can take pictures with a cell phone or digital camera and email the picture to the blog along with a description of why the photo represents the theme.

Widgets for Your Blog

Slideshare Allows you to create a PowerPoint presentation and upload it to this site so that it can provide embed code to paste into your Blog post. Go to www.slideshare.net Vocaroo Allows you to record yourself and then it provides embed code that you can paste directly into your Blog. This is also a great way to introduce podcasting to your students. www.vocaroo.com Random Word Picker Create name banks of the students in your class and use the fruit machine to draw a name from the bank to see who answers the next question, etc. www.classtools.net VozMe This site will read any text you enter, and will then turn it into an mp3 so that it can be downloaded or saved and emailed. This can help student understanding of complicated text and is also a great proofreading tool. www.vozme.com Wordle Allows you to type in a description of yourself, or any topic and then analyzes that text and creates a word cloud based on how often certain words were used. Other uses include sticking a story in the site to see if there is over use of inappropriate words, or perhaps what the main ideas of the story are. www.wordle.net

My Communities: www.edmodo.com/communities
RMTW Edmodo Group Code: ________________________ ***Download the Edmodo user guide in the RMTW Group > Edmodo resources folder***

Notes __________________________________________________

Resources
http://rmtw.wikispaces.com Workshop wikispace http://tiffaneystechnologyblog.blogspot.com Tiffaneys blog www.polleverywhere.com instant online polling www.pollcode.com instant online polling www.scribd.com upload documents to share online www.sqworl.com organize multiple websites into one page for easy research and browsing www.tagxedo.com interactive word clouds http://technorati.com ranks the top blogs and blog resources http://theedublogger.com provides links to content/grade level specific blog resources www.online-stopwatch.com great for any timed activities in class www.spellingcity.com create spelling lists for practice and testing www.wallwisher.com online bulletin board where students can share ideas http://earth.google.com Google Earth - take virtual fieldtrips, embed videos, add your own pictures http://sketchup.google.com create, share, and modify 3D models must download the program http://picasa.google.com organize, edit and share photos

Tiffaney Lavoie, Instructional Technology Consultant Tiffaney.Lavoie@KEDC.org 859-552-5399