HOW TO CREATE A GOOD BLOGGER/ BLOG (part 1)

1.Go to www.blogger.com
2.Sign in using your Google account.
3.Click the “Create Your Blog Now” arrow or the “Create a Blog” link at the top right corner of the page.
4.Enter a blog title. The title will appear at the top of your blog.
5.Choose and enter a blog address. This is the address that visitors will use to get to your blog.
6.Complete the word verification and then click Continue.
7.Select a template and then click Continue. (You can always change the template later.)
8.Click the “Start Blogging” arrow.
 How to Post to Your Blog 1.In the title field, enter the name of your first blog entry.
2.In the body area, enter a message. 3.Click the “Publish Post” button at the bottom of the screen.
4.Click the “View Blog” link to see your creation.

Blogger Views/Modes
There are three main areas for viewing/editing your blogs—The Published Blog, The Edit Mode, and the Dashboard.
The Published Blog
To get to the published blog, do one of the following:
•Enter the URL
•While in the Edit Mode, click the “View Blog” link at the top of the page.
The Edit Mode This is where you will change the settings and layout options for your blog. To get to the edit mode, do one of the following:
•From the Published Blog view, click the “Customize” link at the top-right corner, or click the pencil icon beside a blog post.
•From the Dashboard view, click the “Settings” link below your blog title.

The Dashboard
This is where you can see and access all of the blogs you have created using Blogger.
To get to the Dashboard, do one of the following:
•Enter the URL:www.blogger.com
•From the Edit view, click the “Dashboard” link in the upper-right corner.
 Customizing/Editing Your Blog
There are hundreds of options for customizing your blog. Click through the tabs and links in the Edit mode and explore what is there.
  Editing Posts      To delete a post:
1.Click the “Posting “tab, then the “Edit Posts” link.
2.Find the post you want to delete.
3.Click the “Delete” button at the right of your post title.
To change the date/time of a post: 1.Click the “Posting” tab, then the “Edit Posts” link.
2.Find the desired post and click the “Edit” button.
3.Click the “Post Options” link at the bottom of the screen.
4.Enter the desired date and time.

To publish or save as a draft:
1.Click the “Publish Post” button to publish a post.
2.Click the “Save as Draft” button if you wish to publish later.
Note-If your post is already published, the “Save as Draft” button will un- publish it and turn it into a draft.

Custom Settings
Make sure you are in the Edit mode, and then click the Settings Tab.
To change the number of posts that will show on your main page blog:
1.Click the “Formatting” link at the top of the page.
2.In the “Show” field, enter the desired number of posts.

                 To customize comments:
If allowed, viewers can add comments to each blog post.
1.Click the “Comments” link at the top of the page.
2.In the “Who Can Comment?” area, click to determine who can comment to posts on your blog.
3.In the “Comment Form Placement” area, click to determine where you want the comment window to appear.

To moderate comments:
The “Moderate Comments” option gives you the opportunity to view and approve viewer’s comments before they are published to your blog. Probably a very good idea for a classroom blog!
1.Click the “Comments” link at the top of the page.  If you choose “Always”, enter your email address. Now when a viewer adds a comment, you will receive an email. Within the email message, you can read the comment and then choose whether to publish or reject the comment.
2.In the “Comment Moderation” area, click to choose “Always” if you want to moderate comments, or click “Never if you don’t want to moderate comments.

  Custom Layout
Make sure you are in the Edit mode and then click the Layout Tab.
Add and/or arrange page elements:
1.Click the “Page Elements” link at the top of the page.
2.Click and drag the elements to rearrange t hem
3.Click the “Edit” link on any page element to change or remove its.
4.Click the “Preview” button at the top right of the screen to view your changes. Click the “Save” button when finished.

  To add gadgets:
1.Click the “Page Elements” link at the top of the p age.
2.Click one of the “Add a Gadget” links.
3.In the “Add a Gadget” window, click the categories at the left and browse the gadgets at the right.
4.Click the blue “plus sign” button to add the desired gadget.
To edit blog post options:
1.Click the “Page Elements” link at the top of the page.
2.Click the “Edit” link in the “Blog Posts”area.
3.Click the check boxes to select the items you want to be displayed on each blog post.
4.At the bottom of the window, click and drag the items to arrange them in the desired positions.

  To change to a different template:
1.Click the “Pick New Template” link.
2.Click to choose the template style you want then click the “Save” button.

  To change fonts and colors:
1.Click the “Fonts and Colors” link at the top of the page.
2.In the window at the left, scroll to see the color for each element in your blog. Click to choose the element you want to change.
3.Use the color palette or font palette at the right to select a new color or font.
4.Repeat for each element you want to customize.
5.View the changes in the preview screen at the bottom of the page.
6.Click the “Save” button when you are finished.

  Posting to Your Blog
Once you have set up your blog using Google’s Blogger tool, you will want to add posts.
1.Go to www.blogger.com and click the “New Post” button under your blog title.
Or
2.Go to your blog’s address (http://manortraining.blogspot.com) and click the “New Post” link in the top right corner of the screen.
3.Use the formatting toolbar to edit fonts, add images, etc. This works just like the toolbar in Word.

 Adding Widgets to Your Blog
Google Forms
1.Go to docs.google.com
2.Create a form
3.In the upper right hand corner, click the “More Actions” link and choose “Embed.”
4.Copy the HTML embed code.
5.Paste the code into a new blog post and then Publish the Post.
6.Now viewers can complete and submit the form right on your blog. The results will show in your spreadsheet at docs.google.com.
   Calendar 1.Go to www.google.com/calenader 2.Create a calendar.
3.At the left side of the calendar, in the “My Calendar” area, click the pull-down arrow beside the calendar name.
4.From the pull-down menu, choose “Calendar Settings.”
5.Locate the “Embed This Calendar” options. 6.Click the “Customize…”link to change the color, size and other options. Change the size to 300 height and 300 width in order to fit best on screen.
7.Copy the provided HTML embed code. 8.Past the code into a new blog post and publish the post.

 How to Embed a video from TeacherTube or YouTube
You  can easily embed a video to your blog that is posted on YouTube or TeacherTube.
1.Go to www.teachertube.com or www.youtube.com
2.Find the desired video.
3.Copy the provided embed code and paste it into your blog post.
  Other Widgets to Explore and Embed You need to set up accounts to use these tools:
•SlideShare (http://www.slideshare.net) Allows you to share a PowerPoint presentation on your blog.
•ISSUU (http://www.issuu.com) Create your own eBook from any PDF file that can be easily accessed from your blog. This can be used for teacher handouts.
•Poll Daddy (http://www.polldaddy.com) Create a poll or gather responses from students, parents or other viewers and immediately see the results.

 Teacher Blogs Classroom Blog Ideas

•Weekly Newsletter
Instead of, or in addition to, sending home a paper newsletter, do it as a blog. Just let parents know the URL and they can check it regularly. They can also add comments.
•Sharing Student Work
Share student drawings, writing, voice recordings and pictures of students in the classroom.
**Make sure you get permission from parents before posting student work or photos online.
•Spelling Lists
Use a blog to post your spelling or vocabulary lists for the week.
•Teaching Tips
Create a blog to share teaching tips and ideas with other teachers.
•Resources for Parents
Post lists of websites, books, hands-on manipulative and other resources that would help to expand learning beyond the classroom.
Teacher Blog--Come up with your own ideas!

 Teacher/Student Blogs
These blogs are set up by the teacher, so they do not require student Google accounts.
•Daily Journal
Post a prompt or question each day to your blog. Students can add a comment to answer the question or to respond to the prompt.
•Reading Response Journal
Post questions for a book or story you are reading as a class and let students add comments to respond.
•Online Debate
Ask a challenging question or post a provocative prompt and let students add comments with their arguments or justifications.

•Gathering Data
Use a Google Form within your blog to gather data from students during or after a science experiment. Then go to the spreadsheet to analyze the data.
Teacher/Student Blog--Come up with your own ideas!

  Google Calendar Google Calendar is a way to keep students and parents informed of what is happening in your classroom.
1.Go to www.google.com/calendar
2.Sign in using your Google account.
3.Follow the onscreen prompts to set up your calendar.

Exploring the Screen
1.Click the left/right triangles to move forward or backward through the calendar.
Click the ‘Today” button to select the current date on the calendar.
2.Click the “Print” button to print the current view of the calendar.
3.Toggle through different calendar views by clicking the “Day”, “Week”, and “Month” buttons.
4.View a mini calendar of the entire month. Use the double arrows at either side of the title to move to the previous or next month.
5.View and edit calendars you have already created and add or create new ones.
Adding Events
1.Click the desired date box on the calendar.
A pop-up window will appear.
2.Enter the event and time.
3.Click the “Create Event” button.

 Edit an Event
1.Click the desired event on the calendar.
2.Make the desired changes.
3.Click the “Save” button at the top of the window.

Delete an Event
1Click the desired event on the calendar.
2.Click the “Delete” button at the top of the window.

  How to Set a Reminder for an Event:
1.Click the desired event on the calendar.
2.Locate the “Options” area at the right side of the window.
3.Use the pull-down menus and fields to get a reminder a certain number of minutes, days, or weeks before the appointment.
NOTE: An email reminder will be sent to the email account associated with your calendar. A pop-up reminder will appear in your browser.

            Create Additional Calendars
You may want to maintain separate calendars for your school events and your personal events.
1.Locate the “My Calendars” area at the left side of the screen.
2.Click the “Create” link.
3.Enter the name of your new calendar.
4.Click the “Create Calendar” button.
Settings Click on the down arrow beside the calendar and change any settings (calendar color, notifications, calendar sharing, etc.).Google Calendar Idea for Teachers

 •Lesson Plans
1.Create a calendar for each subject you teach.
2.Add an event for each subject for each day of the week.
3.In the “What” field, enter the subject name and a brief overview of the task for the day.
4.In the “Description” field, enter details about the lesson plan.
5.In the “Month” view, click an event to read the detailed description.
6.For a brief overview, switch to the “Agenda” view.
7.Embed your lesson plan in your blog or webpage.
8.Add your calendar to your iGoogle page.

Google Docs Google Docs allows you to create and share word processing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Since the documents are stored online, you can access and edit them from any computer with an Internet connection.

  4Kinds of Google Docs:
Document – a document is a word processor similar to Microsoft Word.
Presentation – a presentation is a slideshow program similar to PowerPoint.
Spreadsheet – a spreadsheet is a program similar to Excel.
Forms – a form is a way to collect data from students, parents, other teachers.