Day+4+Create+a+Blog

toc =Introduction= Blogs offer a way to initiate a thought, and comments provide a means to open doors to other possibilities. In the past, the educational system was very strict. It was an authority driven environment, not very conducive to constructivist thinking. With blogs we can take a single thought and expand on its meaning in a mutual setting. You can use Blogger to quickly create your own blog, all you need is a Google email account, and the best part is it’s free. There are a number of different templates that are very eye catching to choose from, and Gadgets such as: Followers, Pictures, Slideshow, Video Bar, Polls, etc. You can control who can “see” the blog, and provide permissions for contributors to the blog. Once you setup the contributor information, you will be able to automatically “invite” contributors to post to the blog. =Audience= The audience for this topic is any teacher who would like to create a blog.

Prerequisite
Participants should general computer skills and be familiar with the Internet. =Objective= Create a blog to promote interaction between students, parents, or both.

**Activity 1**
View the following video media type="custom" key="13943976" (BloggerHelp, 2011)

Questions

 * 1) How can you use a blog to promote learning both inside and outside of the classroom?
 * 2) Can you think of a way to use a blog to keep parents informed about what is going on in the classroom? When are major projects due? How is the class doing as a whole? How can parents contact you with concerns?
 * 3) What types of information would you like to add to your blog?
 * 4) What security settings would you like to implement for your blog?
 * 5) How can you measure the effectiveness of the blog?
 * 6) How often will you update your blog?

**Activity 2**

 * 1) If you did not setup a Google email account in the workshop, click here to setup and account.
 * 2) Setup a blog for your students by clicking the **Continue** button and type a name for your blog.
 * 3) Follow the onscreen instructions and click **Continue**.
 * 4) Choose a **Template** for your blog and click the **Continue** button.
 * 5) Your blog is created, click the **Start Posting** button.
 * 6) Use the **Dashboard** and **Settings** link for specific options.

Follow-up Practice

 * 1) Create a blog for the parents of your students.
 * 2) List information that will be helpful based on the Question section of this page.
 * 3) Include helpful hints for parents that are not familiar with a blog.
 * 4) Add an email link for private messages.
 * 5) Add parameters for acceptable posts, i.e. no profanity, no references to other parents and/or students, no personal questions, etc.
 * Hint**: View this link to see a blog from a previous graduate class.