Welcome to our first Teacher Challenge!

This post is part of the beginners series for 30 Days to Kick Start Your Blogging.  You don’t have to have ever published a “post” before, or maybe you’ve started to blog once or twice but haven’t quite yet stuck with it.

Wherever you’re at — we’ll step you through the weekly tasks to increase your skills while providing mentors who’ll support your learning.

But most importantly ‘don’t stress, have fun’ — work through it at your own pace and remember to ask for help any time you need assistance!

In this first activity you will:

1. Create a brand new blog if you don’t already have one!
2. Optimize your theme and appearance.
3. Write a comment on this post with a link to your blog.
4. Complete the extension activity (if you have time).

Please feel free to skip Step 1: Sign up for a blog and Step 2: Optimize your theme and appearance if you have already set up your blog prior to this first activity.  Instead we suggest you start by completing the extension activity and then leave a comment on this post with a link to your post so we can read it.

Step 1: Sign up for a blog

Your first step if you don’t currently have your own blog, or you would like to use a new blog for this challenge, is to sign up for a blog.

You can use any blogging platform you would like including Edublogs, WordPress, Blogger and TypePad however when we write detailed instructions they will refer to Edublogs.  You will be able to adapt this information to the blogging platform you are using. Here are some questions to consider when choosing a blog platform.

Here’s some things to consider before creating your blog:

#1 Username and Display Name

Your username is what you use to sign into your blog dashboard and is displayed on posts and comments you write. While you can’t change your username, most blog platforms do allow you to change how your name is displayed.

In most cases it’s better to choose a username that makes it easier for others to relate to you as a real person. For example, compare spwat3 with suewaters — which is easier to relate to?

And if you would rather not use your full first and last name online — then use a display name like Miss W or  Mrs Waters.

#2 Blog URL

During the creation of your blog you’ll have to select a URL for it.  When you want others to visit your blog you give them the URL link of your blog.   For example, the URL for the Teacher Challenge blog is http://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/

Think carefully about your blog URL.

Once your blog has an established audience you’re less likely to want to change your blog URL as it means you’ll need to re-build your readership.

Ideally you want to keep your blog URL short, easy to remember and suitable to be reused for several years.

A simple option is to use your name in the blog URL or use something that has meaning:

1. http://suewaters.com/
2. http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/
3. http://theedublogger.com/
4. http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

#3 Blog Title

Your blog title is one of the first things a first time reader sees when visiting your blog.  Ideally you want your blog title to relate to what your blog is about while capturing your readers attention.

But don’t stress too much!  You can always change your blog title any time via Settings > General in your dashboard.

Check out the Edublog Awards nomination lists for ideas of blog titles other educators have used.

Create Your Blog

Now you’ve done all the research it’s time to create your blog.

Here are the instructions to follow if you would like to set up your blog on Edublogs:

1. Signing up for your blog
2. Logging into your blog dashboard
3. Using your blog dashboard

Step 2:  Optimize your theme and appearance

Your theme is what controls the look and appearance of your blog.   This is the template or look of the blog that people see when they visit your blog.

This is what gives it your personal touch.

Like most things in life first impressions count.

Great blog themes make good impressions on readers so that visitors are more likely to read your posts and subscribe to your blog.  Overwhelming themes detract from your blog content, and visitors will be less likely to read your posts and subscribe to your blog.

Every newly created blog on a blogging platform normally has the same default theme.  The last thing you want is to look like all the other blogs.

New bloggers often spend considerable time changing their blog theme to work out which theme works best for them. While you do have a limited time to make the right impression for first time readers….Don’t spend too much time initially on your blog theme because you will find that you change it as your tastes change.

Ready to change your theme?

Great!  Start by first reading What to consider when choosing your blog theme and then follow these instructions to Change your blog’s theme.

And check out the following if you would like more information on blog themes:

1. The Edublogger’s Introduction to blogging
2. The 137 Edublogs Themes Separated Into Categories To Make Choosing Your Next Theme Easier

Step 3: Write a comment on this post

Blogging isn’t just about writing posts – it’s about sharing your learning and reflecting on what you have learned.

Important parts of the blogging process include:

1. Reading other people’s blog posts
2. Interacting and commenting on other people’s blog posts to challenge each others thoughts and views
3. Writing posts in response to other bloggers’ posts

Comments are an important part of blogging.  This is where the reader can share their thoughts, connect with the blogger, and interact with other readers.

To fully appreciate how bloggigng changes your learning we need to encourage interacting in comments as much as getting you to write blog posts.

So your final step in this first activity is to come back and leave a comment on this post.

Here’s the type information we’d like you to share when writing your comment:

1. What part of this first activity did you find easy?  Or the most enjoyable?  Did you find any tasks easier than you expected?
2. What parts of this activity did you find hard and why?  And if you are stuck with a step(s) — tell us in your comment so we can give you some help!
3. Make sure you leave your blog URL in your comment so we can drop by and visit your blog.

Leaving a comment is as simple as this…

1. Click on the heading of the post you wish to comment on or the “comment” link at the top or at the bottom of the post.
2. Scroll down until you can see the “Leave a Comment” section
3. You will be asked for your name (you can use a nickname) and email address (this is not published)
4. You will also need to write the “spam word”
5. Click “submit comment”

Step 4 – Extension Activity – Optional

Congratulations!  If you’ve done all those steps — well done.

And we’ve included this extension activity for those who are wanting for extra work and for those beginners who have already set up their blog.

For the extension activity we would like you to write a post on your blog to tell us more about you such as:

• Why did you join the Teacher Challenge’s 30 Days to Kick Starting your Blogging?
• Why do you want to learn more about blogging?
• What aspects of blogging have you struggled with?

Don’t forget to leave a comment on this post with a link to your blog and new post to share with others.