1. Blogging What – Why - How 1 Dr. Howie DiBlasi “Emerging Technologies Evangelist” Digital Journey

2. Learning outcomes After this WEBINAR your should be able to: search for blogs to read open a blog account and set up their personal blog use a variety of techniques and skills to manage a blog edit and post their own and other students blog entries add images, audio files, podcasts and websites to their blog write suitable blog entries read and analyze other authors’ blogs delegate responsibilities, manage sub-groups and work within a team present their blog to a peer group and the lecturer 2

3. Objective What is Blogging? Why you should be blogging? Should students/educators blog? How can you use blogging in your library/classroom?

4. What is a blog ? Blog - -blä ɡ / noun - noun: blog; plural noun: blogs 1. a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style. verb verb: blog; 3rd person present: blogs; past tense: blogged; past participle: blogged; gerund or present participle: blogging 1. add new material to or regularly update a blog. "it's about a week since I last blogged" 4

5. What is a blog? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjwUHXoi8lM 5 What is a Blog? - YouTube ▶ 3:41 Uploaded by WPMU DEV Blogging on platforms like WordPress has become very popular over the past 10 years. This video is an introduction to blogging in plain english and was designed to give viewers a brief overview of what blogging is and how to participate.

6. What is a blog? A blog (short for weblog) is a personal online journal that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. Blogs are defined by their format: a series of entries posted to a single page in reverse-chronological order. Blogs generally represent the personality of the author or reflect the purpose of the Web site> that hosts the blog. Topics sometimes include brief philosophical musings, commentary on Internet and other social issues, and links to other sites the author favors, especially those that support a point being made on a post. 6

7. What is a blog? Have you read any blogs? How did you find the blog? Did you comment in the comment section? What are you interested it or passionate about? 7

8. Why You Should Be Blogging Should You Be Blogging?

9. Blogging = Content Creation Blogging is not a dirty word! It actually serves a great purpose for educators teachers and librarians.

10. Why a Blog? Module on creative writing – why not collaborative writing? Enthusiastic response from students Pilot project – students and lecturer learn from each other – lone learner vs. team learner Blog as a source of information for other students 10

11. Why You Should Be Blogging Teach collaboration Improve writing skills Dialogue on common topics Immediate, real-time feedback Easy way to have a web presence

12. Why you should be blogging? Build trust Builds authority Adds a human aspect to your website. Allows you to share your point of view Excellent writing tool Allows input and comments

13. Aims and Objectives introduce students to the concept of writing blogs familiarize students with techniques and skills necessary to format, write, post and add to blogs encourage students/educators to read blogs written by fellow students, educators, lecturers and other authors assist students to research websites, podcasts, wikis and additional materials which can be used for the class blog encourage students to add regular posts to the blog 13

14. Aims and Objectives Encourage teamwork Open discussion on the subject of validity of blogs, students’ own posts and other authors’ blogs Support learning through collaborative writing, peer review and comparing own work with fellow students work complete a class blog which can be read by other students and the wider net community 14

15. Blog leverage tips Linking within your website Newsletter Social network channels, fan page, groups) Youtube Guest blogging

16. Pitfalls & Stumbling Blocks User experience Facilities, equipment and technical hiccups Organization and time management Encouragement and motivation Assessment 16

17. Getting Started 10 Ways to Find Blogs You'll Love - Mashable10 Ways to Find Blogs You'll Love - Mashable http://mashable.com/2011/04/11/blog-discovery/ Whether your feeds need a refresh, you're delving into a new topic, or you're just new to this whole "blog reading" thing, we've got you covered. 17

18. Blog Directories 1. AlltopAlltop Alltop is the granddaddy of all blog discovery tools. The site is known for its tight, topic-based groupings of the creme de la creme of blogs and a handful of other informative sites. 18

19. 1. AlltopAlltop 19

20. 2. TechnoratiTechnorati Technorati's blog directory allows you to search by keyword for specific posts on a topic Search for by name for entire blogs devoted to that topic, which makes the site a great tool for both discovering experts and drilling down on specifics. 20

21. 21 2. TechnoratiTechnorati

22. 3. Blog CatalogBlog Catalog A catalog o' blogs is a modern take on the concept of discovery and curation. Features fascinating and esoteric blogs you might never have looked at otherwise. The onsite search leaves something to be desired, but try browsing blogs by topic or plugging into the active BC community instead. 22

23. 3. Blog CatalogBlog Catalog 23

24. Getting Started Disney food blog 37,000,000 results Or blog Disney food 38,400,000 results blog Disney food dinner 5,740,000 results blog Disney food dinner crystal palace 87,250 results Finding a blog to read

25. Search results

26. RSS Feed A Simple, Efficient Flow to Make Processing New Articles Quick and Painless RSS allows you to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest content from the sites you are interested in. Save time by not needing to visit each site individually. 26

27. Reading a blog

30. Navigating a blog Categories Posts Pages Subscribing

31. Blog comments Comments

32. Navigating a blog Categories Archives Get Information

33. Your Turn------Ideas for starting and using a blog Topic discussions Book reports Historical reports Starter question Online Portfolios

34. Why a Blog? Successful bloggers are active, take initiative, experiment and are always trying new things. - Darren Rowse problogger.net / @problogger 34

35. Why a Blog? If you want to continually grow your blog, you need to learn to blog on a consistent basis. - Neil Patel quicksprout.com / @neilpatel 35

36. 36

37. Tips for Choosing a Classroom Blog

38. https://medium.com/@wfryer/tips-for-choosing-a-classroom-blog- f83a441f621 Naomi Harm @naomiharm @naomiharm Tips 4 choosing a classroom blog- thanks @wfryer for sharing! @wfryer https://medium.com/@wfryer/tips-for- choosing-a-classroom-blog-f83a441f621https://medium.com/@wfryer/tips-for- choosing-a-classroom-blog-f83a441f621

39. https://medium.com/@wfryer/tips-for-choosing-a-classroom-blog-f83a441f621 The blogging platform which is the best “fit” for your class or classes, and your teaching situation, will vary depending on a variety of factors. The past two years I’ve taught 4th and 5th grade STEM, and I used KidBlog.org websites for all 22 of my classes each year. I’ve taught 4th and 5th grade STEMI used KidBlog.org websites for all 22 of my classes each year Wesley Fryer, Ph.D. blogging platform

40. I think most classroom teachers are better off using a blogging platform with students like these four which are specifically geared to the unique demands and needs of educational users.

41. Which platform? Blogger.com KidBlog WriteAbout.com EduBlogs.org EasyBlog.org WordPress.com 41

42. http://kidblog.org/home/

44. Teacher Premium $29 per teacher / year http://kidblog.org/home/#pricing http://kidblog.org/home/#pricing Safe Privacy options, post & comment moderation, user management Simple Student-friendly publishing experience Standards-Aligned Meet Common Core Anchor Standards for Writing Class Connections Connect with an authentic global audience Unlimited Classes Organize your students in multiple class sections Google Drive Integration One-click embed tool easily integrates Google Documents, Presentations, Drawings, Videos

45. Ten Ways To Use Your Edublog http://edublogs.org/10-ways-to-use-your- edublog-to-teach/ http://edublogs.org/10-ways-to-use-your- edublog-to-teach/

46. Ten Ways To Use Your Edublog http://edublogs.org/10-ways-to-use-your-edublog-to-teach/ http://edublogs.org/10-ways-to-use-your-edublog-to-teach/

47. TEN WAYS TO USE YOUR EDUBLOG HTTP://EDUBLOGS.ORG/10-WAYS-TO-USE-YOUR-EDUBLOG-TO-TEACH/ HTTP://EDUBLOGS.ORG/10-WAYS-TO-USE-YOUR-EDUBLOG-TO-TEACH/

48. Why blogger for blogging? Free Easy to learn (lots of different ways to learn it) Easy to blog on the fly, even from your mobile phone Always up-to-date with latest technology Ready out-of-box

49. Types of Content Text Images Audio Video

50. How to Start a Blog on Blogger http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Blog-on-Blogger Navigate to www.blogger.com using your web browser of choice

51. using your Google Account to get started. Sign in

52. If you do not have a Google Account, click “Get Started” to create one. Enter a “Display Name” to be used to sign your blog posts and click “Continue”. “Get Started”

53. Click “Create Your Blog Now” Select a “Blog title” and an available URL for your blog. You can check if the URL you are considering is available by clicking "Check Availability"(if it is unavailable try adding more letters and don't use things like hyphens,under scores, colons etc). Enter the word verification and click continue.

54. Choose a starter template Choose a starter template, which will act as the basic design/layout of your blog.

55. “Posting” tab. You can create new blog posts, edit posts, and edit pages from under the “Posting” tab.

56. “Start Blogging” The title of your post goes in the text box next to “Title”.

57. Body of your post YOU WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO ACCESS BASIC TEXT EDITOR FUNCTIONS SUCH AS FONT SIZE, TEXT COLOR, THE ABILITY TO INSERT LINKS.

58. The “Post Options” section Underneath the “Compose” text editor allows you to enable reader comments, HTML settings, and post the time and date.

59. “Settings” tab> “Permissions” You can add new authors that are able to contribute to and edit your blog by clicking the “Settings” tab> “Permissions” sub-tab, and selecting “Add Authors”.

60. Other settings from within the sub-tabs located under the main “Settings” tab.

61. If you wish to change the design of your blog from the starter template you selected when initially creating your blog, you can do so under the “Design” tab. Change the design

62. “Design Tab” From within the “Design Tab” you will be able to edit Page Elements, HTML, and change your template with Temple Designer.

63. Blogger guide If you want to adjust other settings or learn more Look under Blogger guide

64. Commerce/German Class Blog 64 http://www.bwl08.blogspot. com/

65. 65

66. The sunny side….. (students’ feedback) surprised with their own achievement improved group dynamics increased self-confidence great sense of achievement practicing language skills while having fun sense of great accomplishment closer bond to peers and lecturer acquired additional skills 66

67. Why a Blog? 67 Now… what will you do with a blog?

68. Blog Ideas for Schools Case Studies How Your School Runs District News News in your school/class Related Projects to your area Related STEM/STEAM MakerSpace Related PBL Special Interest articles

69. Happy Blogging! 69

70. The Blogging Team 70

72. Why a Blog? 72