1. Kidblog Date and Time Presenter Name
Click the microphone icon at the top of the Audio & Video window to enter the Setup Wizard and configure your speakers and microphone.
Welcome! The workshop will begin soon. Please take some time right now to configure your speakers and mic.
Feel free to test your microphone by using the Talk button. Remember to turn your mic off after testing!
Click the Talk button to activate your mic. Notice a mic will appear on the button when active. Be sure to click the button again when done speaking.
This session will be recorded!

2. Please use your microphone!
The Blackboard Collaborate Interface
Audio
Please use your microphone!
Click the Talk button to activate your mic. Notice a mic will appear on the button when active. Be sure to click the button again when done speaking.

3. Participants The Blackboard Collaborate Interface Polling
Away & Raise Hand
Feedback

4. The Blackboard Collaborate Interface
Chat
Main Room or Breakout Room
Private
Menu
Type to Chat
Note: Moderators can see all private chats!
Please type your FULL name and School in the Chat area now for attendance and payroll purposes.

5. Whiteboard The Blackboard Collaborate Interface
Select the text tool and click anywhere on the whiteboard to type.
When you are finished, or if you need to move something, use the select tool at the top of the toolbar.

6. Managing Multiple Applications
You will need to switch between this webinar and your Internet browser.
Internet Browser (Kidblog)
Blackboard Collaborate (Webinar)
Limit your multi-tasking… if possible, close all other programs.
Be sure to enable all content in your browser.

7. Any Questions?

8. DLU Workshop Module: Kidblog
Objective: Participants will explore the ways in which Kidblog can be used by students to express a point of view on a subject and support it with evidence in a safe and supervised online environment.
Find helpful resources at:
bcpsODL.pbworks.com

9. Why Blogging?
Blogs in Plain English:

10. Read and Reflect What resonated most with you?
12 Reasons to Blog with your Students: your-students.html
What resonated most with you?

11. Each Student’s Portfolio and Blog Posts
Reading Class
Math Class
Mrs. Weaver
Your Kidblog Account
Kidblog’s Structure
Reading Class
Teacher
Johnny
Megan
Kyle
Your Class Blog Site
Kyle
Post 9/23/13
Each Student’s Portfolio and Blog Posts
Each class blog site can have up to 200 students
Teachers can have unlimited class blogs
Students can be members of many different class blogs and all their posts can be accessed in their own portfolio

12. Code:
******
Instructor- put your workshop blog code here….
Create a fake “student” account for the purposes of this workshop.

15. Show the dashboard from a teacher’s perspective

16. Live to site
Review posts
Approve posts
Delete posts
Demonstrate this

17. Follow the BCPS Kidblog Migration Directions to set up your account
Participants must follow the Kidblog Migration Directions.
When you are creating an account, you are setting up your “file cabinet”

18. Create Your First Class

19. Essential Settings General
Change class name, description, and URL if needed
Choose a class Avatar
Themes/Sidebar
Choose a graphic theme for the class blog site
Choose to hide certain widgets from the sidebar
Users
View/Add/Edit user information
Privacy
Set who sees student created blog posts
Set who can comment on student posts
Suggested: Require post approval at first, but eventually turn it off
Categories
Create categories to organize your posts (by topic, unit, content area, etc.)
Connections
Connect with other Kidblog classes to view and comment on their posts (if they allow)

22. Students’ individual post permissions can be changed (limited by the global options you made available to them).
“Pinning” a post will keep it at the top of the blog list (teachers only).

23. Student View

24. Student Profile

25. Adding Users Option 1- One at a Time
The student display name should be their first name and the first letter of their last name
Their password should be their BCPS external password

26. Adding Users Option 2- Bulk Upload
Get students’ BCPS external passwords from your tech liaison.
Create one Excel spreadsheet for each class with the students’ display names in the first column (first name and first letter of last name) and their BCPS external passwords in the second column
Save each spreadsheet as a “CSV (Comma Delimited) (*.csv)” file
Follow the directions on Kidblog to upload and bulk-create the users for each class

27. Option 3- Student Set-up
Adding Users
Option 3- Student Set-up
Access your Join-Codes and enable the student join-code.
Direct students to go to kidblog.org and choose “Enter your Class Code”
After entering the code you provide, they are prompted to create their account (and should use their first name, first letter of their last name, and BCPS external password).
******

28. Student Access to Kidblog
Students need the URL or a shortcut
to their class blog site (
Once at the class blog site, click “Log In” in the upper right of the screen, choose the correct name from a drop-down menu, and enter the
password.
Page 2

29. For Further Reading Available on the bcpsODL workshop wiki:
Paper Blog Lesson
Two sample parent introduction letters:
Kidblog_Parent_Intro_Letter.doc 
blogging-letter-to-parents.doc
How to Write a Quality Comment
Comment Starters
Blogging Rubric
Blog Terms Crossword

30. Identify one concrete way that you plan to use Kidblog in your instructional practice.

31. Thank you! Please type your full name in the chat box once again
Please complete the workshop survey (which will be ed to you) in the next 24 hours
If you are enrolled in DLU, you have 10 days to complete your reflection and mail to
me any time with questions!