Blogging

Blogger

http://www.blogger.com

Blogs are personal digital spaces that are easy set up and maintain and can contain a variety of multimedia content that allow people to share comments on the content of the blog.

Pros:

  • Improves students' writing skills by having students publish their own blog posts or comment on blogs of others.
  • Scaffolds strategies to support your students' contribution before going public with a blog.
  • Supports reflective thinking and personal writing. Blog writers (bloggers) share their ideas with the community at large, and the understanding that their work is available to the public, can give them a sense of responsibility that their contributions are meaningful.
  • Are a number of highly ranked blogs in any professional field. Institutions set up and manage blogs around a variety of topics. Students can consult these blogs and maintain updated professional knowledge and skills by reading and commenting on blogs on a regular basis.
  • Contains a variety of multimedia elements, including images, links, specific widgets and audio and video tools.

Cons:

  • Is time consuming so plan accordingly.
  • Can be daunting to write publicly. Learners who have never written blogs or published or commented on others' blogs may find the task daunting at first.
  • Ensure learners have support and feel ready to create a personal blog to share with each other.
  • Feels overwhelming to students whose writing skills are just beginning to evolve. Consider asking students to publish personal blogs as an option rather than a mandatory course task.
  • Writes personal blogs that are not publicly shared.
  • Use respectful language and never be too personal. Even if set as personal and private, blogs will have content that is published online. Caution students.

How To:

  • Click on image for larger view.

    To begin to use Blogger, go to: Blogger.com

  • Watch this short video about setting up a blog on Blogger.

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    If you hold a Gmail account you can begin to blog right away. By default you hold a Blogger account and the sign in coordinates (your email and password) are exactly the same.

  • Watch this short video to take the Blogger Tour. You will learn the simple steps to setting up a blog on Blogger.

  • Watch this video to set up an account on Blogger. Remember that if you hold a Gmail account you already own a blog account on Blogger.

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    The first thing you want to think of is a name for your blog. Like naming a wiki page, you want to consider a title that reflects the content of the blog.

  • Watch this short video to learn how to create a new blog and begin to post new text.

  • Watch this short video to learn how to place images inside your blog posts. Use images to support your content and create new interactive ideas.

  • Watch this short video to learn how to place links inside blog posts.

  • Watch this short video to learn how to place videos (embedded or link to) inside blog posts.

  • Watch this short video to learn how to add and manage comments in your blog.

  • Watch this short video to learn how to set up a simple lesson through a blog.

  • Watch this short video to learn how to place links inside blog posts.

  • Watch this short video to learn how to use your blog dash board and set up the blog to work best for your teaching plans.

  • Watch this short video to learn some additional teaching ideas using blogs.

Relevant Literature: