Blogs and Calendars on UTIPS
A Utah State Office of Education (USOE) Utah Item Pool System (UTIPS) Training Module
Introduction
This module builds on the Basic or Intermediate UTIPS module. Teachers should be able to confidently create and publish folders and tests, as well as manage students in their accounts, before they are introduced to the features in this module.
Contents of this module
Create and manage blogs and calendars
What is Blogging?
Blogging is like a journal posted to the web. When a blog is open for comment, anyone can post a message.
Blogging at UTIPS
It is important to experience a blog in order to understand the process. Go to the blog the instructor indicates. The address is in the format of XXXX.utips.davis.k12.ut.us (or XXXX.utips.org for the state server) where the XXXX is the username of the teacher. Enter your comment.
Viewing Comments of Others Click on the Comments link. The comments are displayed below the entry. To return to the main window, click on the up arrow in front of the name of the blog.
Posting a Comment Click on the name of the entry to comment on. In the Name: box, enter your name. In the Email: box, enter your email address. o An email address is required in this box or the comment will not be posted. In the Comments: box, enter comments to the question or statement of the entry. Click on the Post button.
1 Blogs and Calendars on UTIPS
A Utah State Office of Education Training Module
Based on the training materials developed by Paul Waite and Davis District
Updated September 7, 2006
Navigating a Blog Entries Note: Entries appear in the main window in reverse chronological order, with the newest entry at the top. Click on the name of the entry. The posted comments appear in the Comment section below the entry. Notice the Post a Comment window at the bottom where a comment can be posted. To return to the main page, click on the up arrow at the top of the window in front of the name of the blog. Categories Click on the name of the category. Click on the right arrow after the word Read at the bottom of the entry. Read the comments as desired. Notice the Post a Comment window at the bottom where a comment can be posted. To return to the main page, click on the up arrow at the top of the window in front of the name of the blog. Comments Click on the comments link in bottom right corner of the desired entry. Read the comments as desired. Notice the Post a Comment window at the bottom where a comment can be posted. To return to the main page, click on the up arrow at the top of the window in front of the name of the blog.
Blogging Basics
Terms Blogger - The person who the runs the blog. Blog site – The web address (URL) of the blog. Moderator – The person who runs the blog and edits comments on the blog as needed.
Basic Blogging Process Open the Internet browser. Enter the blog site on the address line and press the Enter key. Click the button of the blog to be commented on. Enter the message. Click on the Port button.
Moderating a Blog The moderator of the blog should view it regularly in order to comment on the postings. In the educational setting, the moderator is responsible for the content of the blogs.
Educational Blogging
Students might be asked to: o reflect on their learning. o comment on text the class is reading. o use the blog as a way to collaborate on a group project. Teachers might use the blog to review of material covered in class.
2 Blogs and Calendars on UTIPS
A Utah State Office of Education Training Module
Based on the training materials developed by Paul Waite and Davis District
Updated September 7, 2006
Planning a Blog
Plan 1. Planning the blog gives the best results.
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Define the purpose of the blog. o What’s the blog supposed to do for the students? o Blogging should call for thoughtful response. o Invite students to think about what they have learned and connect to previous learning. Define the structure of the blog. o Structure facilitates learning. Knowledge must be structured. o Structure the information into discrete units, moving from the simple to the complex or from the general to the specific. Define the timeline of the blog. o Blogging takes place over a period of time, allowing those involved in the blog to think and to participate. o A timeline helps keep the blog focused, rather than an endless, wandering experience. Create the writing prompts and questions. o Thoughtful questions help students focus on the learning.
Creating the Blog
Creating a Blog Click on the folder the blog is to be in. On the Menu Bar, click on Blog New. In the Name: box, enter the name of the blog. In the Description: box, enter a description of the blog if desired. Click on the Submit button.
Categories
Creating a Category Categories give structure to the blog. Note: The entries appear in the main window in reverse chronological order, regardless of the category they are in. In the Categories: section on the right, click on the New button. In the Category Name box, enter the name of the name of the category. In the Category Description box, enter a description of the category if desired. Click on the Add button.
3 Blogs and Calendars on UTIPS
A Utah State Office of Education Training Module
Based on the training materials developed by Paul Waite and Davis District
Updated September 7, 2006
Editing a Category Click in the box in front of the category to be edited. Click on the Edit button. Edit the Category Name and the Category Description as desired. Click on the Update button.
Deleting a Category Click in the box in front of the category to be deleted. Click on the Delete button. The category is deleted.
Entries
Creating an Entry An entry is the question or comment the blogger posts for comment. Click on the name of the blog. In the Manage Entries section, click on the New button. In the Entry Title box, enter the name of the entry. In the Entry Body box, enter the question or comment for comment. Format the comment or question as desired with the Formatting toolbar at the top of the box. To allow comments on the entry, leave the check mark in front of Allow Comments. Click on the down arrow of the Category box and choose the desired category. The Authored Date box and the Authored Time box show the date and time the entry was created. Correct it as needed. Click on the Add button.
Editing an Entry Click to place a check mark in the box of the entry. In the Manage Entries: section, click on the Edit button. Make the desired changes to the entry. Note: An entry can be closed to more comments by removing the check mark in front of Allow Comments. Click on the Update button at the bottom of the window.
Deleting an Entry Click to place a check mark in the box of the entry. In the Manage Entries: section, click on the Delete button. The entry is deleted.
Publishing the Blog
Click on the blog to be published. On the Menu Bar, click on Blog Publish. Published blogs are displayed on the public page on the right.
4 Blogs and Calendars on UTIPS
A Utah State Office of Education Training Module
Based on the training materials developed by Paul Waite and Davis District
Updated September 7, 2006
Unpublishing a Blog Click on the published blog. On the Menu Bar, click on Blog Publish.
The Blog on the Public Page
Published blogs are displayed on the public page on the right.
Sharing a Blog
Sharing a blog makes it available for another teacher who is identified as a buddy. The blog can be shared at three different levels: o View – Rights to see the blog but not to add entries or delete content. o View/Add – Rights to see the blog and to add entries or categories. o View/Add/Delete – Tight to see the blog, add to the blog, and/or delete from the blog.
Sharing a Blog Click on the blog to be shared. On the Menu Bar, click on Blog Share. In the Share Folder section, click on the down arrow of the Buddy box and choose the group or buddy to share the folder, test, or calendar with. Click to select the desired level of Permission the buddy will have. o View – View the contents of the folder. o View/Add – View and/or add to the contents of the folder. o View/Add/Delete – View and/or add to and/or delete from the contents of the folder. Click on the Share button. The blog which has been shared is marked in the tree in light blue with a red line at the bottom of the icon.
Viewing the Shared Blog The person with whom the blog has been shared sees it in their tree marked with a pink color.
Updating Permissions of a Group Click on the blog that has been shared. On the Menu Bar, click on Blog Share. In the Existing Group Shares section, click to select the desired level of Permission the group will have. Click on the Update Group button.
Updating Permissions of a User Click on the blog that has been shared. On the Menu Bar, click on Blog Share. In the Existing User Shares section, click to select the desired level of Permission the group will have.
5 Blogs and Calendars on UTIPS
A Utah State Office of Education Training Module
Based on the training materials developed by Paul Waite and Davis District
Updated September 7, 2006
Click on the Update button.
Unsharing a Group Click on the blog to be unshared. On the Menu Bar, click on Blog Share. In the Existing Group Shares section, click on the Unshare button of the group that will no longer be allowed to share the blog.
Unsharing a User Click on the blog to be unshared. On the Menu Bar, click on Blog Share. In the Existing User Shares section, click on the Unshare button of the User that will no longer be allowed to share the blog.
Emailing a Blog
Click on the blog to be emailed. On the Menu Bar, click on Blog Email. In the Email the following blog link to: box, enter the email address of the recipient. The from: box has the name of the person sending the email. This can be changed if desired. Under the from: box is the name of the blog. In the bottom box, enter a message of explanation as desired. Click on the Email button.
Maintaining the Blog Regularly moderate the postings on the blog. This includes reading the comments and making needed
corrections to the entries and/or categories.
Adding a Comment Comments can be added by the moderator from the Teacher Access page in UTIPS. Click on the desired blog. Click on the Comment link of the desired entry. In the Name: box, enter your name. In the Email: box, enter your email address. o An email address is required in this box or the comment will not be posted. In the Comments: box, enter comments to the question or statement of the entry. Click on the Post button.
6 Blogs and Calendars on UTIPS
A Utah State Office of Education Training Module
Based on the training materials developed by Paul Waite and Davis District
Updated September 7, 2006
Editing Comments Click on the desired blog. Click on the Comment link of the desired entry. Click in the box in front of the comment to be edited. Click on the Edit button at the bottom of the Comments. Edit the information in each of the boxes as needed. Click on the Update button.
Deleting Comments Click on the desired blog. Click on the Comment link of the desired entry. Click in the box in front of the comment to be edited. Click on the Delete button at the bottom of the Comments. The comment is deleted.
Close (Archive)
Close the blog to comments when finished. Unpublish the blog to make it unavailable to the students when the project is completed.
Ponderings
How do you encourage the blog and facilitate learning with a blog? Can you grade or quantify blogging? Should you? Where do you put instructions or are they needed? What are the strengths and the weaknesses of a blog?
Calendar
Calendars allow you to display the schedule for events. Creating a Calendar On the left, click on the folder the calendar is to be in or click on your name to place the calendar directly under your name. On the Menu Bar, click on Calendar New. Enter a name for the calendar in the Calendar Name box. Click on the Submit button. The calendar is now in the list.
7 Blogs and Calendars on UTIPS
A Utah State Office of Education Training Module
Based on the training materials developed by Paul Waite and Davis District
Updated September 7, 2006
Viewing a Calendar On the left, click on the calendar to be viewed. Changing the View Click on the desired view: o Day – Displays the current day. o Week – Displays the current week. o Month – Displays the current month. o Year – Displays the current year. Use the arrows at the top to move to the next or previous Day/Week/Month/Year.
Editing a Calendar On the left, click on the calendar to be edited. On the Menu Bar, click on Calendar Edit. Click on the down arrow and choose a Theme:, Groovy, Desert Sand, Ocean Blue, or Forest Green. Click on the Update button.
Creating a Category Categories allow the user to see groups of events distinguished by color. On the left, click on the calendar to be edited. On the Menu Bar, click on Calendar Edit. Click on the Categories tab. In the Add Category box, enter the name of the category. Click on the Add button. Click on the Update button.
Editing a Category On the left, click on the calendar to be edited. On the Menu Bar, click on Calendar Edit. Click on the Categories tab. Click on the Edit link for the category to be edited. Make the desired changes to the name. To change the color, click on the Pick Color link and choose the desired color. Click on the Save button. Click on the Update button.
Deleting a Category On the left, click on the calendar to be edited. On the Menu Bar, click on Calendar Edit. Click on the Categories tab. Click on the Delete link for the category to be deleted. Warning – The delete takes place immediately; the computer does not ask if you are sure you want to delete the category. Deleting a category does not delete the events in the category.
8 Blogs and Calendars on UTIPS
A Utah State Office of Education Training Module
Based on the training materials developed by Paul Waite and Davis District
Updated September 7, 2006
Adding an Event Use the arrows above the three month block on the left to locate the desired month OR click on Year to display the year calendar. Click on the day the event is for. Click on the desired start time for the event or click on Add No Time Event. Enter the name of the event in the Event box. Click on the down arrow of the Category box and choose the desired category. Enter a description in the Description box. Click on the Starting tab. Click on the down arrows and adjust the date and time as desired. Note – Click on the date in the small calendar to choose the date. Click on the Ending tab. Click on the down arrows and adjust the date and time as desired. To designate a beginning date for this event to show, click on the Show After tab and choose the desired date and time. Click on the Save button.
Editing an Event In the Year view, click on the date of the event. Note – Dates with events are in bold type. In the Month or the Week view, click on the event. Click on the Edit this event icon (the pencil) in the gray box of the event to be edited. Edit the event as desired. Click on the Save button.
Sharing a Calendar On the left, click on the calendar to be shared. On the Menu Bar, click on Calendar Edit. Click to place a checkmark in front of Make this calendar available for sharing. Click on the Update button.
Publishing a Calendar On the left, click on the calendar to be published. On the Menu Bar, click on Calendar Publish. The calendar is now published to your public page. Note – More than one calendar can be published on your public page. One will be displayed as a calendar of the month and the others will be displayed as links below. Unpublishing a Calendar On the left, click on the calendar to be unpublished. On the Menu Bar, click on Calendar Publish. The calendar is now unpublished from your public page.
9 Blogs and Calendars on UTIPS
A Utah State Office of Education Training Module
Based on the training materials developed by Paul Waite and Davis District
Updated September 7, 2006
Printing a Calendar On the left, click on the calendar to be printed. On the Menu Bar, click on Calendar Print. This creates an Adobe PDF document formatted for printing. Click on the Print button. Click on OK.
Subscribing to a Calendar You can enter the email address of those who want to be made aware of changes to the calendar such as parents, students, or administrators. Click on the desired calendar. Click on the Subscribe link at the bottom of the three month block or on the top of the Year view. Enter the email address of the person who wants to subscribe to your calendar in the email address box. Click on the Submit button. Notifying Subscribers In the Year view, click on the date of the event. Note – Dates with events are in bold type. In the Month or the Week view, click on the event. Click on the Edit this event icon (the pencil) in the gray box of the event to be edited. Edit the event as desired. Click on the Save button.
Deleting a Calendar On the left, click on the calendar to be deleted. On the Menu Bar, click on Calendar Delete. Click on the Submit button. Using a Calendar on the Public Page Click on the UTIPS logo at the top to go to the public page. The calendar is displayed below the name of the teacher. Click on the calendar to view it on the screen. On the top right, use the Day, Week, Month, or Year links to change the view of the calendar. Click on the name of the teacher in the tree to return to the original view of the site.
10 Blogs and Calendars on UTIPS
A Utah State Office of Education Training Module
Based on the training materials developed by Paul Waite and Davis District
Updated September 7, 2006