Let’s Blog!
State CATESOL Conference, April 11, 2007
Kristi Reyes kreyes@miracosta.edu Eli Clarke eclarke@miracosta.edu, MiraCosta College What is a blog, anyway? A blog is a weblog – an online journal for ideas and commentary. Blogs are considered Web 2.0 tools, meaning that they are not static websites but rather a medium for online collaboration and sharing.
Here’s an example of an Adult ESOL blog, used with permission from Beth Bogage, San Diego Community College District: http://ecc6.blogspot.com/ Presenters’ blogs: http://elidinamarca.blogspot.com/, http://mcc.digitalstory.blogspot.com, http://mccvesl.blogspot.com,
Let’s get started! For today’s workshop, we are going to use blogger.com, which is affiliated with Google, and is one of the most popular and easiest-to-use free blog sites. Sign in here if you have a g-mail account
Step 1: Go to www.blogger.com.
Already have an email account with Google (Gmail)? If so, you can sign in here with your Gmail username and password.
Click “Create your blog now.”
If you don’t use g-mail, click “Create your blog now”
Enter your information. If you have a memory problem, try gingko, but you may also want to write down the information you entered and store it in a secure place.
Note: You can enter an email address for an account you already have here. Email address I used: ________________________ Password or password clue: __________________ Display name: ______________________________
Be sure to click in the box to agree to the terms of service. Then click Continue.
Step 2: Now name your blog and give it a URL. Use something catchy but memorable. For example, I named my blog “VESL @ MiraCosta College” and chose the URL of mccvesl, so the complete blog address is http://mccvesl.blogspot.com/. Click continue once the availability of the URL you choose is confirmed.
Step 3: Now choose a template for your blog. Scroll down to see all the options. Click on the template you prefer. Click Continue. Voilá! Your blog is set up!!! Click Start Posting to set up your personal profile, add posts, and alter the look of your blog.
How to:
Add a post: Click the Posting tab. Click the Compose Tab. Give your post a title. For text, the tool bar is standard for changing font, point size, colors, and other formatting. You can add a picture or a video file to your posts by clicking here.
Embed video, slide shows, etc., from other internet sites: Copy the html code. Example from YouTube:
Select and copy [Ctrl] + [C] the html code in the “Embed” area.
Select the html code in the Embed area. Copy (Press and hold down the Control key and the C key at the same time). On your blog post, click on the Edit html tab. Paste the html code (Press and hold down the Control key and the V key at the same time). After you add your post, you can preview it. The last step is to click the Publish Post button.
Paste [Ctrl] + [V] the html code here to embed.
You will see this:
Edit or remove posts: Click the Edit Posts tab. You can then edit, view, or delete your posts that are published or only drafts.
Other tabs / options:
Settings tab: Make changes to your blog content. Choose options for publishing (change URL), formatting (number of posts per page), comments (who and how), archiving, permissions (add authors, select who can view), feeds, email. You can even delete your blog with the Basic tab. Template tab: Customize the look of your blog. Add page elements, change fonts and colors, edit the html of your page, and change the blog’s template.
Dashboard: Your blogger start page. Here you can edit your profile, post a photo, get help, select a language, get blogger news, and more.
How to do get back to my blog to make changes and add posts after I sign out?
Go to www.blogger.com. Sign in with your Username and password. You will then see your dashboard. From there, you can manage your blog (view, add a post, delete a post, change settings and layout).
Let’s post a personalized welcome to your blog with an avatar: a digital representation of you!
An avatar is an internet representation of oneself, often used on blogs, in instant m essaging, in online gaming, websites, and more. Voki.com is a website where you can create an avatar with a short message (recording of your own voice or text-to-speech). Step 1: Go to www.voki.com. There you can see a demonstration movie. Register for an account. Click Register.
Fill out this simple form and Click Register. Close the dialog box:
You will be sent a confirmation email. Login to your email account and click on the Voki Activation link. You can now log in and create your voki.
Step 2: Now log in. You will need to agree to the terms of use and click Continue. Create your Voki!
Step 3: Customize your voki. Choose Create a New Voki.
Choose character, clothing, accessories.
Record a message by phone, text to speech, computer microphone, or upload a sound file. Choose background and a player (frame).
Change coloring and dimensions.
Save your voki.
From here you can view your voki, email it, edit it, or delete it. You can also make another voki.
Click View. Here is where you will get the html code to add your voki to your site.
For the destination, choose Blooger. Choose the size (large or small). Click Get Code. Choose to agree to terms. Now, copy the html code in the box. (Select. [Ctrl] + [C]):
Step 4: Last, to embed your voki, go to your blog (login at www.blogger.com).
Click New Post on the dashboard. Make sure that you have selected the Edit html tab. Give your post a title. Paste the html code that you copied from voki.com here. [Ctrl] + [V]
Paste the html code for your voki here.
Finally, click Publish Post. That’s it! Your blog now has a personalized (though digitized) welcome from you!
So now what? How can I use blogs? Create a discussion forum for your class Embed various multimedia (this means you can use the html editor to post online video, slideshows, sound files, and more) Give students a chance to communicate openly with each other and with you Give students opportunities to work on team projects and collaborate Have students make their own blogs or make small group blogs Network with colleagues Post class assignments, lectures, study guides, notes, writing prompts, homework, readings, website URLs you want students to visit, class photos, students’ work (with their written permission), assignment samples/models, student / class / school news Share lesson plans and materials Use as an instructional evaluation tool. Give students a chance to comment on their progress, the class, your teaching, what they like / don’t like / understand / don’t understand. Use your blog for self-reflection, as a professional development tool
Other free blog websites:
classblogmeister.com/ edublogs.org wordpress.org/ www.blog.com www.blogsome.com/ www.livejournal.com www.myblog.com www.typepad.com/ www.xanga.com
Other resources: Blogger Will Richardson’s blog Weblogg-ed on using weblogs in education http://www.weblogg-ed.com/ Online Education Database’s list of Top 100 Education Blogs http://oedb.org/library/features/top-100education-blogs Blogs in Education http://awd.cl.uh.edu/blog/ list of blog uses and related links