This is the second post in the Creating a Class Blog challenge – an open and free professional development series for educators.
In this challenge, you will:
- Learn how to change your blog’s theme
- See how you can add widgets to sidebars
- Customize your blog’s header
- Create a custom menu
- Change your blog’s background
Changing your blog’s look and feel is the ultimate way to personalize your blog.
You may have already completed some of the steps below – and you won’t really need to do everything outlined. Your theme and look is something you can constantly change and improve over time.
Here is a complete overview of the main things you can do to customize your blog:
Changing your theme
Every newly created blog has the same default theme (as shown below). This is what visitors to your blog see.
We already have several good resources on choosing and changing theme.
- What to consider when choosing your blog’s theme
- Here is a complete overview of all themes available which makes it easier to find one that meets your needs
- Here is step-by-step directions on how to change themes
Adding widgets to sidebars
When you first create a blog, several of the most common widgets are already on your blog.
Widgets are tools that you can use to add, arrange and display content in your blog sidebars. Common content displayed in blog sidebars include blogroll, tag clouds, categories and monthly archives.
But there are a bunch of additional widgets available – and many plugins also add specific widgets as well.
Check out this help document on how to change widgets.
Video
Changing header image
In many themes, you will see a “Header” link which lets you add an image at the top of your blog.
You can add your own image header in 4 quick steps:
1. Create you image using your favorite image editor. You can find the image size (length and width in pixels) at the “Header” link on your current theme, or on the theme overview post here.
2. Go to Appearance > Header
3.Click on Choose file, browse for the image on your computer and then click on Open.
- Only .jpeg, .gif, and .png files can be used for image headers.
- For best results we recommend you resize the image to the exact dimensions recommended for that theme before uploading by using an image editing program.
4. Your image will upload and if it isn’t the exact dimensions you’ll need to select the area you want to crop and then click Crop and Publish.
5. Your new image header should appear immediately on your blog. However if it doesn’t try clearing your web browser cache by holding the Ctrl key and pressing F5.
NEW! Creating a custom menu
Custom menus are a new feature of Edublogs – they allow you to really take control of the top navigation bar of your blog.
You may not need to make a custom menu, as in most themes, pages are automatically added to your menu – but they are great if you want to add categories to your menu, or outside links to places away from your blog.
Video
Here are some important links for custom menus:
NEW! Changing the background
Custom background images are also new to Edublogs.
On many themes, much like custom header images, you can add images to your blog’s dashboard.
We even have some great pre-loaded images you can choose from under Appearance > Preset Background
Or you can upload your own by going to Appearance > Background
Next steps…
From here you should start really using your blog before making many major additional changes to your theme.
As you get more familiar with your blog, you will discover things you want to change over time.
Leave a comment with a link to your blog or with any questions you may have!
August 21, 2011 at 12:48 pm
I’m still torn about whether to use my wordpress site or my weebly site to host the blog. I still have a couple of weeks before school starts to decide.
I like that there is no advertising on weebly, but I really love how the blog looks on wordpress: http://www.tinyurl.com/mms-tech-times (I tried using edublogs but, without a premium account, I don’t have as much control over settings).
If anyone has experience hosting their class blog on wordpress, please let me know whether or not the ads are always appropriate. Thanks.
August 22, 2011 at 12:56 am
I am not sure I will be doing all of the challenges with this program, but I do have my site set up for my students at http://drschultz.edublogs.org/
I haven’t shared the link with my students or their families yet, so this is still really set up mode.
I would love to partner with another teacher who is having students write and post and teaches kids in the range of 4th through 6th grades.
August 22, 2011 at 9:43 am
This helped me to customize my menu. Thanks! And after consulting with a friend who uses WordPress, I have decided to use it for my class blog: tinyurl.com/mms-tech-times
August 23, 2011 at 12:46 am
Hello Ronnie,
It’s great to see that the Teacher Challenges are continuing. I’m going to be sharing your information with beginner blogging teachers this week and want to be sure they are getting the latest information. On the main Teacher Challenge page, are these new posts linked as a category? Will they replace the “Kick Start your Blogging” series?
August 23, 2011 at 8:04 pm
Marie,
The ‘Kick start your blogging’ was more for teachers to set up their own personal blog. Then we ran ‘Blogging with your students’ which was more about looking at internet safety, blogging guidelines and so on as well as setting up students as authors on your class blog. This set of challenges now ‘Class blog activities’ are more to get your class blog ready to take part in the “Student Blogging Challenge” which begins in September. To find out more about the Student Blogging Challenge, which had over 1400 students and 120 classes taking part in March, visit this link.
August 24, 2011 at 2:50 am
My son KamauT has just joined the student challenge for September. He is enthusiastic about it and is constantly tinkering on his blog: http://kamauthompson.weebly.com
It’s been nice exchanging ideas with him as we learn together!
August 24, 2011 at 7:04 pm
Faraja,
I left a comment for Kamau about joining the student blogging challenge but I don’t think he has approved it yet. Hope he enjoys the challenges I will write about.
August 26, 2011 at 5:00 am
Okay, I will let him know.
Thank you!
August 23, 2011 at 1:36 am
I had a harder time with this challenge because I haven’t really posted too much. School isn’t set to start for 2 weeks, so I don’t have pictures or a clear idea of what I want to use this blog for. I know I want my students to be able to learn to use a blog as well as to write about things that are important to them. I guess I will just learn along with them. I think they will find navigating the dashboard to be fairly simple, as long as they have a purpose. That’s what I’m looking for- a purpose for this blog.
August 24, 2011 at 2:44 am
I have a similar concern. I’m starting in a new position and have not yet received the new curriculum (it has to be board approved), so I am not sure exactly what topics or approach to take. Meanwhile,to get practice and to begin making connections, I am posting topics of interest to me as a teacher.
I am thinking of creating a professional blog for myself and once my students and I have a purpose for the class blog, I will make a special post inviting current readers to continue reading my teacher-related posts with a link to the new blog.
August 30, 2011 at 7:32 am
Now that I have received my curriculum, I have a clearer picture of how we can use this blog. I’d like the students to post their own happenings, but they may not have the time–we only have 22 days per session! If they cannot make posts, I will, to showcase their learning.
August 23, 2011 at 4:27 am
When I go to “Appearance”, I only can see “Themes”, “Widgets” and “Menus”; I can’t see “Header” or “Background”
August 23, 2011 at 7:10 pm
http://ecolenouvelleenglish.edublogs.org/
I’m just back from vacation and still need to finish up the PLN Challenge so I’ve only just briefly started on my class blog but like some of the comments above I still have 2 weeks before school starts. I can’t wait to blog from my class this year!
August 25, 2011 at 12:07 pm
Preset background looks pretty cool. Header was a picture of my classroom and the books we read last year.
http://mrscrowell.edublogs.org/
August 29, 2011 at 2:38 am
I think I’ve changed the appearance a couple dozen times and it will probably change some more, but it is ready for the next step!
http://tolen.edublogs.org/
August 30, 2011 at 1:40 am
I love the look of your class blog!
August 30, 2011 at 10:02 am
How do I change the font size and color on my pages? This is really exciting to use the technology!
August 30, 2011 at 1:33 pm
Hi Ms. Griffin,
So glad you are enjoying this! To select font sizes and colors, you’ll need to be writing a new post/page or editing your post/page. From here, to change the font size and boldness, there are several different Headings to choose from. It’s under where you’d choose Bold or Italics. It might currently say, “Format.”
To change the color, choose the color you’d like from the selection under the “A”.
Does that help?
Kind regards,
Tracy
August 30, 2011 at 2:35 pm
G’day Ms Griffin,
When you go into your post dashboard you will normally have one line of icons at the top. You actually have a second row that is hidden. Hover over the first row, and the icon at the right hand end is called ‘The Kitchen SInk’. Click on this and you will then be able to change font colours as well as upload Word documents etc.
August 30, 2011 at 10:03 am
I like the simple look of my blog. Later I might choose to customize it with a header and different background, but for now I think it makes it easier for my students to navigate when they don’t have too much to look at!
August 30, 2011 at 10:05 am
I think your blog looks fabulous! I can’t believe you’ve already done a video conference!
August 30, 2011 at 10:05 am
I am so excited for this year’s blogging challenge! I have changed my blog theme several times and am finally happy with it. I also went through and added widgits that I didn’t have.
August 30, 2011 at 10:07 am
Because I placed control of the blog in my students hands, I am a bit unsure about how to proceed into this new school year. Do I remove the students names as authors from last year, or leave them so that if they choose to come back and make a post they have the ability to do so? I haven’t really had the new class start blogging yet, but soon….
visit our blog: http://rollefstadap.edublogs.org/
August 30, 2011 at 1:52 pm
Hi Rollefstad,
This is a great question, and I’m curious what they will suggest.
If, this year you choose to have them use their first name as the category, here are some instructions on how it can be “cleaned up” for the following year.
Kind regards,
Tracy
August 30, 2011 at 2:49 pm
G’day Rollefstad,
I just checked out your blog and noticed some of the comments that have been approved are actually spam. For example women’s handbags or shoes or Nike shoes or researchpapers or financial deals – these comments are often there for students to click on a link which takes them to a page where they are asked to buy something. If a comment doesn’t relate to the topic in the post, then it could be spam or trash.
September 9, 2011 at 9:37 am
I am enjoying the videos and pictures with step by step instructions. I feel like my page is starting to Look like I want it. Now I am ready to start adding content.
September 9, 2011 at 12:55 pm
Hi Mrs. Saggio,
I agree, it is starting to come along and look like your unique blog. I love the picture of the Superstitions.
Kind regards,
Tracy
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