Welcome to the third step in our free professional learning series on class and student blogging!
The aim of this step is to:
- Help you understand how posts are used on class blogs.
- Provide tips on how to write effective posts.
- Teach you how to publish your first posts.
Introduction To Posts
Your posts are where you’ll publish your main content such as:
- showcases of student work
- information about what’s been happening in class
- assignment information or learning resources
They are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order with the most recent post at the top of the page.
By default, your home page is your blog post page and this is where you’ll see your new posts published.
If you look closely at a post you will see it is normally made up of:
- Post title – This tells the reader what the post is about. Be specific. A great post title grabs your reader’s attention and makes them want to read on.
- Date published – You’ll normally see this displayed at the top of the post.
- Written by – Most themes display the name of the post author. Your username is automatically displayed unless you have changed your display name. Even if the teacher is the only one with an account, student work can still be showcased. You could introduce the name(s) of the students at the top of the post.
- Comments – Readers can click on the word ‘comments’ or click on the post title and scroll down to write a comment in response to your post. Comments allow students and other readers, to engage in discussions, share their thoughts, and connect with your class blog. We will be exploring the topic of quality commenting in step four.
- Your post content – This is the main information that you want to share or reflect on. It could be a mixture of text, links, images, videos etc.
- Categories – These are used to help readers locate posts on your blog. Categories are often used like chapters of a book; they provide a general overview of the topics you blog about.
- Tags – These are used to help readers locate posts on your blog. Tags are more like the index at the back of the book and explode the topic into many bits.
Watch the following video to learn more about the difference between pages and posts.
Here’s a quick summary of the difference between posts and pages.
Who Writes Posts On Class Blogs?
If you look closely at class blogs you’ll see on some blogs only the teacher publishes posts. On other blogs, both the teacher and students publish posts — or the students publish posts on their own student blogs. Some class blogs are written entirely by students.
Different Approaches To Publishing On Class Blogs
Here are a few examples to check out of different ways that posts are published on class blogs.
- On blogs like Swoop Into Kindergarten and Room Three @ Auroa Primary School the teacher publishes all the posts, however, student work is showcased in the posts. For example: photos of work, videos, slideshows etc.
- Becky Versteeg also weaves links to student blogs in posts on the Team 2 Eagles class blog. The student blogs are also listed on the sidebar of these two blogs.
- In Blogging with 2/3 Moore, Julie Moore publishes some posts and allows students to guest post as well (student blogs are also earned and these are listed on the sidebar).
- On the Chickering Reports blog, all the posts are by students. They often create audio and video interviews with members of their community. Most of the posts on the Live Learn Blog are written by students.
It’s really up to you which approach you use.
Consider A Progressive Approach
If you do decide you want your students to publish posts we recommend the best approach, regardless of student age, is to introduce blogging slowly in the following order:
- The teacher writes posts on the class blog.
- Students write comments in response to posts (the focus is on teaching students quality commenting skills).
- Students write posts on the class blog or their own student blog.
Many educators with successful blogging programs use the following scaffolded approach:
As Jan Smith says:
The big idea is to go slow to go fast.
If you don’t lay the groundwork by building a community of trust, risk, support with your kids they fail big.
Reading and commenting have to be the core, or else a blog is just a digital bulletin board.
The progressive model Kathleen Morris has used is as follows:
- I establish the class blog and wrote the posts while teaching the students to write quality comments.
- As students became more familiar with blogging, some students started publishing guest posts on the class blog and learned posting skills.
- Depending on student age and computer access, either certain students who have demonstrated enthusiasm, parent support, and blogging skills, earned their own blog or all students had their own blogs as digital portfolios.
Throughout all stages, quality commenting and parent participation is taught and encouraged. Starting initially with more of a teacher-controlled blog is a great way to get comfortable and set expectations.
We’ll show you how to teach quality commenting skills, how to connect parents with your class blog, and how to add students to blogs so they can publish posts later in this professional learning series on class and student blogging.
For now, we’ll focus on teaching you how to write your first posts.
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First Post Examples
What do you publish as posts on your class blog? Pretty much anything you want to share with students, families, or other educators you’ll publish as a post. What’s been happening in class, student work, assignments, homework information, documents — there’s so much you can share!
Here are some examples of first posts, or posts for the new school year, to check out for ideas:
- Mrs. Yollis’ Welcome Back :: 2017-2018. This includes a personal video message from Mrs. Yollis and a screencast showing how to leave a comment.
- Baldock & Grantham Class blog — A Sneak Peak at your new classroom for 2018. The teachers published a few images of the classroom a week prior to school starting.
- Mrs. C Class Connection — Welcome to blogging. High school teacher Kae Cunningham included a video to explain what a blog is. She also included links to the history of blogging and asked students to respond in a comment.
- Welcome to Mrs. Fernandes’ First Grade Class 2018-2019! Mrs. Fernandes has written a welcome post to new students prior to the summer holidays. It includes a list of school supplies.
- Mrs. Moore’s Class Blog — Our First Week. This includes a video overview of what the students have been doing in the first few days of school.
- The Cross Chronicles — Kelly Cross published a series of welcome posts over a week or so.
- The first post was a short welcome video from Kelly.
- The second post included photos and student work from the first day of school.
- The third post has some fun photos of students celebrating their third day of third grade.
Check out The Edublogger’s Class Blog list for more ideas on what the teachers post on their class blogs!
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Integrating Blogging Into Your Day
Integration is key. No teacher has time for add-ons, so it’s a case of considering how can a blog enhance your regular classroom program.
Consider this:
- Can some traditional analog tasks be replaced (and enhanced) with digital tasks in your classroom? For example, well known blogger, Linda Yollis, swapped a traditional pencil and paper history lesson for a blogging task. Students responded to one another in the comment section from the point-of-view of the biography figure they studied. Helen Keller was responding to Louis Braille and President Lincoln. Neil Armstrong had a conversation with astronaut Mae Jemison. Parents got involved as well. Here blogging wasn’t an add-on but a swap for a more effective activity.
- Can certain tasks be done better or more quickly with a blog? For example, can you spend less time on things like publishing assignments or parent newsletters by housing all this information on your blog?
- Where can you slot blogging into the day? Many teachers start the day (or class) with a routine. It might be running around the oval, silent reading, doing a weather report or looking at the news of the day. Are these routines still valuable? Could they be discarded, rescheduled or alternated? Could blogging be slotted into your opening routine?
Also consider:
- Can you add blogging to your literacy block instead of a traditional writing or reading task?
- Could a maths prompt be posted on the blog and students share their explanation through a comment or post?
- Could your inquiry or social studies topic be explored through creating a post or multimedia for the blog?
- Could some physical displays of artwork and other creations become digital displays on the blog with rich reflections?
- Could traditional homework tasks become more meaningful blogging tasks? Eg. working with a family member to share insights in a comment.
Once you get the hang of it, it becomes easier to understand how blogging can be integrated into your classes.
How To Publish A Post
1. Go to Posts > Add New.
2. Give your post a title and add your content.
3. Add your tags and categories (learn about categories and tags here).
4. When finished writing click Publish.
3. Presto! Your post will now display on your blog so others can read!
Below is a quick video tutorial on publishing a new post:
Previewing Your Draft
Before you publish your post it is a good idea to use the Preview option to see what it looks like to your readers.
You preview a post by clicking on Save Draft and then click Preview. This opens up a draft version of your post in a new tab.
Then just go back to your draft and make any changes you want!
Introduction To The Visual Editor
The area where you write your post is by default in Visual Editing mode which uses WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) option for formatting.
It works similar to any word processing software.
Simply write your post, highlight any text you want to format and then click the appropriate button in the toolbar to add formatting such as bold, italics, number list.
The Toolbar toggle icon is used to view the advanced formatting options including heading styles, underlining, font color, custom characters, undo, redo.
You switch between Visual Editing mode and HTML editing mode by clicking on the Visual or Text tab.
Below is a quick video tutorial on the visual editor:
Putting It All Together: PDF Guide
Feel free to print the following PDF guide on how to publish a post, or download it to your computer and then upload it to your blog for your students to refer to.
These instructions explain how you would do that.
Tips For Writing Better Blog Posts
Reading online is different from reading on paper.
Ultimately, you want your content to be read. The easier to read and more engaging your posts are, the more likely they are to be read!
We’ve outlined five tips to help you write better posts on your class blog.
1. Use short paragraphs
Posts with really long paragraphs are harder to read online.
Consider these tips about paragraphs:
- Break your posts up with paragraphs.
- The more paragraphs the better.
- Short paragraphs are better than long (they can even be one or two sentences long).
- Make the first sentence of each paragraph make your readers want to read on.
2. Use Headings
Use headings, and, where appropriate, bullet points and numbered lists, to break up the post into manageable bite-sized chunks.
To create a heading you simply:
- Highlight the text you want to change into a heading
- Select the Heading Style you want to apply from the advanced formatting toolbar (you access the advanced formatting toolbar by clicking on the Toolbar toggle icon). Heading 1 is your post title. Start at Heading 2, then Heading 3 for sub-headings under that and so on.
- Preview your post to make sure that Headings you’ve used have broken your post into manageable chunks
3. Remember to link
When you write about a website you should link to it as your readers often want to check it out in more detail. Refer to Add Links support page to see how to add a link or watch this video below.
4. Consider colored text
While you’re less likely to use colored text in posts on a personal/professional blog, it can engage students and draw attention to specific information on posts on a class blog.
You’ll see examples of it used in posts on Miss Jordan’s Class blog and the Student Challenge blog.
You change the color of text as follows:
- Highlight the text you want to change
- Select the text color you want to apply from the advanced formatting toolbar (you access the advanced formatting toolbar by clicking on the Toolbar Toggle icon)
- Preview your post to make sure the text is readable and you like the color (darker colors are best).
5. Enhance posts with images and media
When you look at class blogs you’ll notice they enhance their posts with images and other types of media including videos and by embedding online tools.
We’ll show you how to add images, add videos, and embed content later in this professional learning series on class and student blogging.
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Read more tips for making your blog posts easier to read.
Commonly Asked Post Questions
Here are the answers to commonly asked questions we receive into Edublogs Support:
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What does the “Not found” message on my homepage mean?
By default, the front page of your blog is set to display your latest posts.
If you delete the default “Hello World’ post before you publish a new post then your front page will display ‘Nothing Found’, ’404 – Not Found Error’ or something similar depending on the theme you are using.
This message is displayed because there is nothing to display on your front page.
All you need to do is go to Posts > Add New and publish a new post.
Once the new post is published you’ll see it displayed on your homepage.
You’ll find more detailed step by step instructions on how to fix a Not Found message here.
How do you delete the Hello World Post?
Every newly created blog is the same default layout with posts displayed on its home page with a ‘Hello World’ post and and ‘Sample’ page.
You can delete this post at any time by going to Posts > All Posts.
Hovering your mouse over the title of the Hello World post brings up four action links.
Now just click on Trash. This sends it to your Trash folder where it is permanently deleted within 30 days of when you trashed it.
Remember if you delete all posts, and your homepage is your blog post page, you will see a “Not Found” message.
To remove that message you just need to publish a new post by going to Posts > Add New.
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Is it possible to publish posts to different pages on my blog?
We’re often asked if it is possible to add posts to other pages, rather than just the front page of the blog. This is commonly asked by educators who want to use one blog for multiple classes or subjects.
And yes you can! But it does involve slightly advanced blogging skills.
You do it by sending posts to different pages on your blog by assigning different categories to posts, based on the class or subject, and using a custom menu to create links to the categories from your top navigation. When students and parents click on their category they’re taken to all the posts for that class or subject. Check out Mr. Cartlidge’s Science Blog to see how it works.
You’ll find step by step instructions on using categories to organize multiple classes or subjects on your blog here.
Remember, it does involve slightly advanced blogging skills — so leave a comment or email us at Edublogs Support if you need our assistance.
Your Task
Blogging is about sharing, collaborating, and learning from each other. Here’s your chance to ask a question, comment, and get involved!
Complete the following tasks:
- Check out the post examples and then publish your first post. Leave a link to your first post in a comment so we can have a look at how you went.
- Or, if you’ve already published a few posts, share an idea on how your introduced blogging to your students or how you’re integrating blogging into your curriculum.
- Read through the most recent comments in reply to this post and leave a response to another person’s comment.
Ah! I got a little distracted looking at the examples of posts, fun, some of them seem very effective and well-done. I am playing around with my posts, I have published them but I plan to deliver them in chronological order for my student cohort. You can have a look here, scroll down for the English version! https://danceplus.edublogs.org
Great start, Liza! I’m sure your students will enjoy.
This activity was a big one! I learned a lot and have many questions. It’s nice to see some progress with this activity.
I create my first post. I’m keeping it very simple right now. Once I am more confident in posting and using a blog I may go back and update. My blog is not going to be read by very many people right now, so I am just learning and hope to make it look and sound fancier before I show it to my students and their parents.
https://mrskisselgeniushour.edublogs.org/2019/01/12/welcome/
Nice start! I think once you get going many teachers will really find your experiences and student reflections about Genius Hour helpful.
Hi,
I loved looking through other blog posts for ideas on how to begin posting. I’d love to follow some of the blogs, especially as they are teaching the same year level but will see how that works in class time.
I wrote this post when I first set up the blog, today I added tags and another link. I haven’t altered too much else. Doesn’t seem any point in writing another post as I don’t want to have many posts when it is time to introduce the blog to students. I do want to write another post about holidays. My plan is to have a comment guideline like the one on Mrs Jordan’s page but I wait until next week or until school is back to publish that.
Michele
I forgot to include the page: http://mrsbucks3s.edublogs.org/
Good idea, Michele. I think it makes sense to have the one welcome post for now. Great plan for your guidelines page too. It’s all coming together.
I stuck with modifying the “Hello World” post and used it as an introduction. I planned to use this blog with students and the product of a language arts/social studies unit of study, but I am beginning to see other possibilities for use with this group of students. It’s my first attempt at blogging and I am a bit apprehensive and excited about it.
My students and I love the Plugin “Supreme Google Webfonts” to add extra customization to our posts. I love how Tracey Kriese links to her students’ work in her blog posts. I am definitely going to be integrating that into my future blog posts next semester. I can’t wait for my students to be able to find each other’s work from a link in our class blog versus going to each classmate’s individual blog. Tracey links to the posts in such a thoughtful, unique way that really helps readers to know what they will be looking at when they click on the link.
Hi Nicole,
I agree about the way Tracy linked to her student work. Such a simple yet effective idea!
I haven’t used Supreme Google Webfonts too much myself but you might recall when Alethea Vazquez set up the Christmas Demo blog for STUBC? I noticed that she used custom fonts in a really effective way to make certain words and phrases stand out. This could be a fun strategy to show you students too http://christmasfun.edublogs.org/
Here is my first post: http://stringhamsapes.edublogs.org/2018/12/12/ap-english-language-and-composition-time-capsule-project/
I am using the course blog for my Media and Politics class this spring. I’ve put up a welcome post http://rackaway.edublogs.org/2018/12/16/media-and-politics-at-university-of-west-georgia/
And an example content post. http://rackaway.edublogs.org/2018/12/17/expanding-details-on-russian-elections-meddling-in-2016/
I want my students to consume news and critically analyze it, so the linking of source articles and discussion of the articles are the core of where I want the students to focus.
Blogging has become our weekly writing practice. In my opinion, blogging is the total package writing curriculum! It gives my students practice with not only writing skills but also typing skills. Add in the real world, authentic aspects of blogging plus the bonus of getting to know my students at a more personal level through their writing. I’m so glad I found this option! Much of my professional blog is about how I use blogging in the classroom and how other teachers, in all grades and subjects, can use it as well.
https://teachmomrepeat.com
I love the clear way you explain why you do this.
I loved looking at your blog! I have not only found extreme inspiration from looking at other’s blogs, but I’ve also gotten some excellent ideas to incorporate into my own classes. Yours was no exception. Thanks for linking.
Hi, I just started to learn how to blog for my Spanish classes. After that, I will encourage the rest of the teachers in the foreign languages department
http://pzbravo87.edublogs.org
You’re off to a great start and it’s great to hear you’re keen to encourage other teachers to get on board! 🙂
Your blog looks good. I like the theme you picked. It will be good practice writing in Spanish. Congrats on taking the first step to blogging. I am right there with you!
http://kwintemute.edublogs.org/2018/09/10/are-you-ready-for-the-40-book-challenge/
My students will be recommending and commenting on books on this blog.
I am looking forward to learning how to get my students blogging.
Nice idea for a blog! I hope your students enjoy it 🙂
Love this idea! Kids recommendations are the best way to get another student to pick up a book!
I just finished my first blog post! http://beckyfleming.edublogs.org/2018/09/15/a-new-endeavor/
Hooray! You’re on your way. I hope the students enjoy the journey.
https://sciencefiction1.edublogs.org/?p=33&preview=true
My class was changed, so I am using another class blog
Hi there Cookie,
Don’t forget when sharing your URL to remove the “preview” part at the end. This is only for your reference when previewing your work. Here is the URL for others to check it out https://sciencefiction1.edublogs.org
What an interesting topic for the blog. I bet the students will love it!
done done and done! check it out! dmss.edublogs.org
Here’s a link to my first post, which is just a general welcome post: http://wheelerme.edublogs.org/
I was thinking about linking my blog to my Bloomz page. Has anyone else done this or think it’s a good idea? Or should I keep their contents separate?
Mrs. Wheeler
What’s a Bloomz page?
Here is my post. http://msives.edublogs.org/2016/09/20/we-are-back/. I am hoping to add pictures as we move throughout the year.
Hi Ms. Ives
Thank you or sharing your post. I look forward to the pictures as they are added.
I really like the widgets you have added t the sidebar. My only suggestion is moving Search to he top of your widget list so it’s more visible and easily accessible.
Hi “ramseykimberly”, and welcome to the Teacher Challenge.
Your blog, http://ramseykimberly.edublogs.org, is coming along nicely.
I suggest you read through the following article on User Roles to see the way forward in allowing student to contribute to your Library Blog – http://help.edublogs.org/what-are-the-different-roles-of-users/
Eugene Brown, Edublogs | CampusPress
@Edublogs_Eugene
Hi,
I went around on your blog and found your Guidelines page. I really love all of the guidelines that you have set up for your students! Thanks for the great idea!
Thanks for all of the help setting this up. First post:
http://mrsenglot.edublogs.org
Wow! That looks great!
http://mrsgollings.edublogs.org/2016/08/30/welcome/
This is the link to my first post
Hi ‘mrsgollings’, and well done on creating your first post. I really enjoyed the video.
I suggest you only have one search box on your right sidebar, and move it to the top of your right sidebar so it is easier to find.
Eugene Brown, Edublogs Support
@Edublogs_Eugene
This looks great! I even took a peek at a few student blogs and I have to say your grade 4 kiddos are doing a great job. Some even better than my grade 8!
Woot woot! First post online complete. http://hellogonzaga.edublogs.org/category/leadership/
It took some time to apply many of the concepts discussed in this step. Great tutorial!
Hi Ms Layne, and thank you for the positive feedback.
I really enjoyed reading your first post. You made great use of the image and YouTube video.
Eugene Brown, Edublogs Support
@Edublogs_Eugene
http://aknovels.edublogs.org/2016/09/06/welcome-to-online-novels/
http://forestdweller.edublogs.org/2016/09/03/welcome-5c/
My first post, just a general welcome really
Here is a link to my first post:
http://desireebeard.edublogs.org/2016/08/08/welcome-to-english-iv/
Hi Mrs. Beard
Thank you for your first post. We suggest you create Post Categories to ad context to your post and make them easy to find.
Eugene Brown, Edublogs Support
@Edublogs_Eugene
Hi! Here are my first two posts. I did the first post before starting this course, so I’ll probably edit it before school starts.
http://almasiscience.edublogs.org/2016/08/28/motion-sickness/
http://almasiscience.edublogs.org/2016/08/22/hello-world/
This is not my first post of the year but it is my first post after participating in Step 3: Publish your first post. http://mrsbaumgard.edublogs.org/2016/08/26/class-dojo-hits-waterford-elementary/
Through my blog I hope to share new technology ideas not being utilized in our building. I want this to be a friendly way to try out these new technologies.
Hi Mrs. Baumgard
Thank you for the information on Class Dojo. I looked into the app, and it loos really good!
Perhaps you could include one or two videso from https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxgOUb7t6VTS0-TPSPInBpg?
Eugene Brown, Edublogs Support
@Edublogs_Eugene
Thanks for sharing the Class Dojo app. I noticed that you shared the website link and used a bold format for some of the post content. I hope your blog will encourage the use of technology in your school.
I’ve been trying different ideas for posts to see how it looks. This is my second post: a gallery with some words that were spelt wrong in Spanish:
http://tiradelalengua.edublogs.org/2016/07/14/cuidado-con-la-ortografia/
I tried other things too, however I had some problems trying to do a post with a power point, I hope I find some help in forthcoming steps! (The file is actually not uploaded). Finally, I found really helpful the instructions to publish posts to different pages and will probably use it when classes start. I can’t wait to learn more!
Hi “sacalalengua”
I really enjoyed your post on spelling. The images really shed some light on the importance of spelling.
Eugene Brown, Edublogs Support
@Edublogs_Eugene
This is actually my second post for this school year. However, it was my first post after completing the challenge on day 3.
http://kbocklage.edublogs.org/2016/08/18/the-countdown-begins/
Hi Ms. Bocklage, and thank you for sharing your post.
Sticky posts can be useful for highlighting announcements and not loosing important posts on your home page. You can read more about sticky posts here – http://help.edublogs.org/sticky-post/
Eugene Brown, Edublogs Support
@Edublogs_Eugene
I really like the subheading you created for your blog: “A long long time ago…” I am sure your student will feel really welcome thanks to your nice welcoming post. It looks all quite interesting!
What a fun start to the year – and I love that you’ve linked twitter comments. Nice blog!
Here is my first post http://jaakre.edublogs.org/ap-environmental-science/ .
Hi Jennifer
A heads up, the link you shared is a page and not a post. Pages are normally static and are not updated often, while posts are more dynamic http://help.edublogs.org/the-differences-between-posts-and-pages/
Eugene Brown, Edublogs Support
@Edublogs_Eugene
My first post https://brownshs142.edublogs.org/2016/08/11/ka-is-a-wheel/
Great beginning to blogging. I taught ELA for 15 years and then switched to Title I Math three years ago. Using blogging to help with writing would have been a great blessing to the classroom. Please keep us posted on your progression.
My school allows edublogs to open but all other blogs are locked out.
You mentioned something that I’ve been thinking about as I go through the Teacher Challenge: will my school allow blogging sites? One of my colleagues said that she had a blogging assignment all ready to go, but when the students tried to logon to the website, it was blocked. She was using Blogger. I told her about edublogs and suggested she try that instead. However, I haven’t even checked with our IT department yet to be sure that students will be able to access our class blog! That’s the first item on my to-do list Monday!
I created a very basic first post for my classroom page at http://missfellows161.edublogs.org/. I also created a blog for my rabbit because my students absolutely love hearing about him, and he also visits school a few times a year. I will post to BB’s blog the same way students will post to their own, and also leave comments on student posts through BB as a user. I thought it would be a humorous addition that still encourages all of the skills and thought. http://bbthebunny.edublogs.org/
Hi Miss Fellows
I love the idea of your Bunny Blog, and that your ‘Bunny’ is blogging alongside your students.
Eugene Brown, Edublogs Support
@Edublogs_Eugene
Left a pretty generic welcome post, but added in our department philosophy. Feels like a good way to go about it
http://mrskurka724.edublogs.org/2016/08/10/welcome-to-life-science/
I like the first post. That’s a good way to start.
It looks good. I may add our school mission statement as well.
I’m in Minnesota too but teach 8th grade Earth Science, plus others.
First post: http://mellywrites.edublogs.org/2016/08/01/its-a-hopeful-time-of-year/
Love the advice above about using categories to post in multiple classes. Maybe later in the year I will be brave enough to use this with my elective courses, too!
Melly – I love how you ended your post with a challenge/question to the students. I might steal that idea!
I like the idea of categories, too, especially for a teacher of multiple subjects. This year, this feature will not be necessary for me, but I will definitely keep it in mind for the future!
Very friendly and inviting and it leaves the reader with something to think about.
Here is a link to my first post, I had written it before starting this. I don’t see this being a classroom blog, but instead a blog for educators since I’m going to be a tech coach.
https://pullittogether.edublogs.org
I created a brief Welcome post. I will be adding to this as the school year approaches. tdominguez/edublogs.org
Thank you to Mrs. Yollis and all of the other great teachers who provide wonderful models for classroom blogs. I have yet to meet my students but this is what I have so far. https://msbabb84.edublogs.org/
Hi Ms Babbs
You blog is coming on well!
Please consider adding Post Categories. This will group your posts and make them easier to find and navigate.
Eugene Brown, Edublogs Support
@Edublogs_Eugene
I ‘m getting there slowly. I have added some files and an image to my first post. I haven’t conquered categorizing and tags yet. http://stdom12.global2.vic.edu.au/
Hi Julie.
You blog is coming along nicely. It’s great to see that you have added Post Categories and the Post Category Widget.
Eugene Brown, Edublogs Support
@Edublogs_Eugene
I really like how you used different color text for your first post! Happy 800 years! I’m excited for you!
First post up! Not much to say since none of my students even know about this blog yet, but when they do…it will be there! https://wilsonparkview.edublogs.org
You are ready to start. The class will learn with you from now on . Good Luck
I am the same way! I am trying to learn now so that I can walk my students through the process when the school year begins.
Have a great first day on Thursday! Can’t wait to hear how the students react and use the blog once the year begins.
I think it looks great. Short and to the point. That seems to be what they recommend!
I decided to create a private class blog where the adult learners created their own private blog where comments were active between student and teacher. This approach was successful since many students were apprehensive about creating a public blog and sharing their learning journal comments. I have since changed the class blog to public and am not sure why the url is not an active url here http://prepareforcomputing2016.blogspot.com.au
Hi Dearne
This is a great approach, and I am sure it was successful.
I also like the idea that you have published course content as Posts.
Eugene Brown, Edublogs Support
I don’t have much to say right now, as it is Spring Break, so I just wrapped up quarter 3 and included reminders for quarter 4.
http://mrsunthank.edublogs.org/2016/03/20/happy-spring-break/
Hi “mrsunthank”
You may want to create post categories by going to Posts > Categories. Assigning Posts to these categories will help your site visitors better find information on your blog.
The categories widget in the sidebar will then come into play.
Eugene Brown, Edublogs Support
I hope you enjoy my piece about having LOUD final exams!
http://nayrbgo.edublogs.org/2015/12/03/loud-final-exams/
Bryan
LOVED IT!! I teach third graders and we give the BIG TEST in April. They all come in terrified of the BIG TEST we have to take in third grade, because IF YOU DON”T PASS THE TEST YOU DON”T PASS TO FOURTH GRADE!!! All year we work on how to work cooperatively, how to find an answer if you don’t know it, how to discuss/argue/give your opinion, and then in April you sit in a cubicle with nothing to use for a reference (not even the ABC chart above the bulletin board), no one to bounce ideas with and take a 50 question test that is supposed to tell the world you are a fit fourth grader. Really? Give me a break!!! Anyway, sorry to rant…..your post was awesome!
Very good! I like how your students responded; especially the one who said they new understand why you teach like you do.
The reason why I started teaching:
http://missadventures.edublogs.org/2016/02/25/hello-world/
I am primarily using the blog as a way for students to think about ideas we will be discussing in a text or a check in on the reading of text. I plan to post some video that I recorded on my ipad but I am having trouble moving it from my ipad to my blog. The edublog app is not easy to use. Do you have any suggestions.
http://rrodgers.edublogs.org/2016/01/07/physical-landscapes/
My first post was an assignment to create a visual representation of each student’s digital footprint. http://mcoultas.edublogs.org/2016/02/04/what-is-your-digital-footprint/
It’s just a start but I’m looking forward to using this as a way to share information with parents instead of the newsletter format I’ve been using. We’ll see how it goes.
http://tamiwilson.edublogs.org/2016/02/16/welcome-to-our-class-blog/
It’s a work in progress, but here we go!
http://krocquin.edublogs.org/
I could get really wrapped up in this. Just have to find some time to let the magic unfold….
Great start! I think I have been spending more time than my students updating the look of my blog! I’m totally getting lost in this! 🙂
https://mrpthescienceg.edublogs.org/
Please check out the file I added to my first published post.
I have managed to write my first post and put link to school website.
I wanted to change the font but couldn’t find where to do this?
http://bowleepark.edublogs.org/
Hi Mrs C A Smith
To change font you need to activate the Supreme Webfonts plugin. Once activated you see the option to change font type and size in the advanced formatting toolbar on the Visual editor.
I’ve activated the plugin on your blog.
Refer to these instructions to use – http://help.edublogs.org/supreme-google-webfonts-plugin/
Sue Waters
Support Manager
Edublogs | CampusPress
I have posted on class blogs before. It was good to learn about the plugin for other fonts. Check out my post at http://epsompsgrade45.global2.vic.edu.au/2016/01/31/working-hard-in-grade-45/
Hi Michelle
Thanks for sharing a link to your new post. You are able to embed the videos from Twitter directly into your post. Would you like me to show you how it is done?
Sue Waters
Support Manager
Edublogs | CampusPress
I like the look of your page. It has interest without being too busy!
I was glad to know how to use different fonts, as well. After seeing how attractive some of the other blogs are, I wanted to know how they were able to achieve the looks they did.
This is my second year utilizing a blog. Having played it safe last year, I’m looking forward to playing around with color, fonts, and images. PJ Liebson (mrsliebson.edublogs.org).
I have managed to write my first post. I used some colour just for the practice!
My blog is at stuartcollings.edublogs.org.
Thanks.
P.S. I am not sure I understand categories and tags just yet.
Hi Mr Collings
The color works really well with your post and the colors in your theme.
Categories and tags can be very confusing initially. Categories and tags are designed to make it easier to find information on your blog. The easiest way to visualize them is to think of categories like the Table of contents at the front of a book and tags as the index at the back of a book.
Examples of categories you might use on your blog could be Class News, Maths, English, Reading, Blogging. If you assigned the category Maths to a post you might add tags specific to the Maths topic such as fractions.
I’ve assigned the category Class News to your Welcome post so you can see how it works. When you click on the category Class News you’ll see all posts assigned the category Class News.
Sue Waters
Support Manager
Edublogs | CampusPress
Okay, thank you. I think I am a bit clearer now. I will experiment with using categories and tags as I continue to post.
Stuart
It’s an easy way for readers to search your blog. Tags help the blog categorize and easily bring up in searches.
Ooops! Forgot to post my link http://stephaniewardrop.edublogs.org/2015/09/11/hello-world/ It’s pretty basic but I look forward to playing with the font and sizes and stuff.
Hi Stephanie
Congratulations of your first post!
As with conventional writing, it is better to keep font and font colours the same throughout the post as this may detract from the message of the post.
We suggest you create Post Categories and assign your posts to categories, to help your blog visitors easily find the information they are looking for.
Eugene Brown, Edublogs Support
So far so good! I really want to set up blogs for each student the way Huzzah! ans some of the other edublogs do. I’m excited to get to it.
I have set up student blogs. I’m hoping to introduce them to the students this week. One student has already discovered his personal blog through playing online at home. He changed his blog by adding yayyyyyy!!!!. I think he is very excited to get started!
http://epsompsgrade45.global2.vic.edu.au/student-blogs/
cheers Michelle
I also wanted to set up a Year group Page with 3 different class blogs. Then if I can do that I can make more pages for other year groups.
I really like the student blogs too, and it would be a great resources for end of the year projects!