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Blogging Basics presented by Tiffaney Lavoie, Instructional Technology Consultant, KEDC
What is a blog? The word comes from two words – web and log = blog! Blogs can be used in a variety of ways and can be created in about five minutes!! So, how do you get started?
1. Create a Google account or Gmail accounta. You can use an existing email to create your Google account –
www.google.com/accountsb. You can use your Gmail account
2. Create your bloga. Go to: www.blogger.comb. Sign in using your Google accountc. Click the “Create Your Blog Now” arrow or the “Create a Blog” link at the top-
right corner of the paged. Enter a blog titlee. 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 arrowg. Choose a template that you like and click continue (you can change it later)h. Click the “start blogging” arrow
3. Post to your Blog on www.blogger.coma. After clicking the “start blogging” arrow, you are ready to enter your first postb. Enter a Title; ie: Welcomec. In the body area, enter your messaged. Choose publish – you have just entered your first blog!
4. Post by emailing from your computera. On your blog page, choose the customize buttonb. Click the Settings tab and then the email linkc. 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 addressd. 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!
5. 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, take a picture and click the share link and choose the email option
c. Enter the address you created as the mail-to-blogger addressd. Add a subject, type a message, and sende. Within a few minutes or even seconds, the image, title, and message will
appear as a 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 WorkShare student work including drawings, writing, voice recordings, and even pictures of the students in the classroom through a blog
Spelling ListsUse a blog to post your spelling lists, vocab lists, etc each week
Teaching TipsCreate 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 ParentsPost effective websites, movies, hands-on manipulatives, at-home activities, etc that would help to extend the classroom to the family room
Feedback from ParentsPost 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 PlansPost 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 BlogsThese blogs are set up by the teacher and do not require student Google accounts
Daily JournalPost a prompt or question each day to your blog and students can comment to answer or respond
Online DebateAsk a challenging question or post a thought-provoking prompt and then let students add comments, arguments, and/or justifications
Reading Response JournalPost questions regarding a book you are currently reading and allow students to respond
Photo EssaysCreate 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
SlideshareAllows 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
VocarooAllows 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 PickerCreate 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
VozMeThis 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
WordleAllows 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
Resources
http://tiffaneystechnologyblog.blogspot.com Tiffaney’s blog
http://www.techtrekers.com/PP/
www.todaysmeet.com
www.odosketch.com
www.imaginationcubed.com
www.online-stopwatch.com
www.spellingcity.com
www.wallwisher.com
www.xtranormal.com
www.primarypad.com
www.google.com
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
1-800-737-0204
