CREATING A PERSONAL BLOG

Due no later than Friday, November 3

Purpose: Students will create a personal blog that will demonstrate their understanding and
knowledge in content literacy and technological tools available to communicate to parents and the
community.

Blogging has become very popular in all areas in education. For the next two weeks we will work on
assignments where you will create a blog and a weebly. The first blog you create will be your
personal blog.

Blogs are very popular with teachers, from the elementary level to the secondary level. As you
research different schools you will most likely come across a list of teachers and you will be able to
view several teacher blogs. Teachers use blogs to post their teaching schedule, assignments, and
activities that are happening in the classroom. This is convenient for parents who are interested in
what is going on in their child's classroom or for students who missed a day of school and need to
catch up.

Your blog will have a specific focus this week. This week you will design a simple personal blog on
which you will introduce yourself to your classmates. We will build on this blog later in the course
by adding other features from blogger.com

However, it must be appropriate and not contain any foul language, nudity, sexual references,
alcohol or anything else I deem inappropriate. If you are unsure, please ask me. Because it is a
personal blog the content can be about a hobby of yours, your job, a sports you are a member of, an
organization you enjoy, etc. For me, I have a personal blog and it is about my travels and
grandchildren. Years from now you will enjoy going back and looking at your blog.

Last semester I had an international student. He was able to share his U. S. experiences with his
family and friends back home. Eventually, we will be converting our blog in into language and that
is how the international student was able to share his experiences with his family and friends.

The blog MUST contain:

One (1) post that introduces you to the class. It should have two paragraphs and each paragraph
MUST have at least 5 - 8 sentences. Let us know who you are, what your major is, your future
professional goals, hobbies, for example. The post should not have any spelling errors.

One (1) picture of you. The picture must not have anything inappropriate (see above).

Two (2) comments on other students blogs. In order to do this you must type your blog url in the
Discussion Forum so that your classmates will have the URL to your blog.

Note: This must be a new blog. You cannot submit a URL of a blog you have already
developed. The blog for this assignment must have been created just for this assignment.

Before you go into www.blogger.com you need to clear your cookies:

1. Use Google Chrome

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2. Click on the three horizontal bars at the top right of your computer.

3. Choose More tools and then Clear browsing data.

4. Clear the following items from the last 4 weeks. I usually just do beginning of time but that is my
preference when my computer is acting slow.

5. Make sure Cookies and other site and plugin data and Cached images and files have check marks

6. Click on Clear browsing data. This could take a few minutes. If you are taken to a page that says
Settings just x out and go back in Google Chrome.

7. Go to www.blogger.com

8. Click on "CREATE YOUR BLOG"

9. Log in using your Gmail account (Do not use a U of A account. I think there must be a setting
that doesn't allow you to create blogs with your U of A account. If your Gmail account is
associated with the university then you will need to create a new Gmail account.) In previous
semesters any student who tried to develop a blog using a U of A email account was not
successful.

10. You will be asked to create a profile. You can create a limited profile. Click Continue to
Blogger. Click the orange box Create New Blog. Give your blog a title in the "Create a
new blog" box. I have several blogs. To give you an example of titles, I have used the following
titles: Dr. Orr's Blog, CIED 1003 Technology in Education, My Family, etc. I am creating a new
blog now for Izzy Lee Designs. The title of my blog will be Izzy Lee Designs. The URL in the
address box will be izzyleedesigns.blogspot.com (Thats just an example for you.)

11. Address: Type your blog URL. It should be the title of your blog.blogspot.com or something
similar. Mine would be CIED1003UofA.blogspot.com Look at the example in Step 24. After
type your blog address click the orange box Create blog!

12. Choose a template by clicking on it. (There should be a blue box around it now.) If you dont see
this option thats okay. You will have a choice later. You choose the template that you think will
be perfect for your blog.

13. Click on the orange button "Create blog."

14. Click "No thanks" if asked to find a domain name for your blog.

15. You are taken to a page that shows an Overview. Click on the orange button "New post"
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16. You are now on the page where you will write your first post. You have to give the post a title.
Since you are introducing yourself to class you can give your post a title such as All About Me
or something similar.

17. You are now ready to write your first post.

One (1) post that introduces you to the class. It should have two paragraphs and each paragraph
MUST have at least 5 - 8 sentences. Let us know who you are, what your major is, your future
professional goals, hobbies, for example. The post should not have any spelling errors.
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18. After writing your first post click the orange button Publish.

19. Now, you are ready to add a picture of you.

One (1) picture of you. The picture must not have anything inappropriate (see above).

Save a picture of you on your desktop. Save it as a jpeg.

Go back to the post that you just published. In the post under your two paragraphs insert your
picture. Click on the picture icon. It is next to the word Link. You are taken to the Add Images
page. Click on the box Choose files Find your picture. Click on your picture. Click Open. You
are taken back to the Add Images box. Click on your picture. Click the blue button Add
selected. If you want to make the picture larger or smaller click on the picture and you will see
options to format your picture better.

20. Click Update at the top of the page. If you dont click this your post (picture) will not be
saved.

21. Click Publish to save your posts.

22. At any time you want to see your blog click on the View blog in the gray box at the top of
the page. Now is a good time to view your blog.
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23. Submit your URL in Discussion Board and Comments section in Blackboard. Your URL
was discussed in Step 11.

24. Go to the Discussion Board in Blackboard. Click on Type your blog url here Click on Create
Thread (its located on the red horizontal bar) and on the Subject line type your name. In the
body type the url to your blog. Click Submit.

25.Review two blogs from your classmates. (Two different blogs!). Make a comment in the
Discussion Forum under their post that shows their URL. One idea for a comment would be to
write one thing you found interesting in their blog. If your comment is so general in nature it will
not be counted. Writing great blog is not helpful. It will be disregarded. You need to write
something helpful to the blogger.

Two (2) comments on other students blogs. In order to do this you must type your blog URN in the
Discussion Forum so that your classmates will have the URL to your blog.

Blog links not working at the time of grading will result in a zero grade. To make sure that this
does not happen copy and paste the blog URL that you submit in the Comments box and email
it to someone who is not using your computer. It is important that someone else tries to open
your blog on a computer that your blog was not used to create it on. This step is the most
important step in the assignment. Please do not leave a comment for me like Please let me
know if this works (or is not working). I am unable to do that. I will grade whatever you
submit.
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All assignments are due no later than the time posted. Submitting a URL that is incorrect is not
submitting an assignment correctly, nor is it considered a technical problem. I do not grade any blogs
that are submitted by email.

Creating a Personal Blog Grading Rubric

Step 12. Appropriate template. 2

Step 16. Post title 1
Step 17. Post about you. Two paragraphs. Each paragraph 6
MUST have at least 5 8 sentences. No spelling
errors
Step 19. One picture of you. Picture must not have anything 5
inappropriate.
Steps 23 & 24. Your blog URL is submitted in the Discussion 3
Forum in the Type your blog url here forum. Your
URL is ALSO submitted in the Submission Link in
Blackboard.
Step 25. Review two blogs from your classmates. Two 6
different blogs. Make a comment in the Discussion
Forum under their posts that shows their URL. Your
comment has to be a comment that is thoughtful and
helpful. Generic comments such as Great job
Great blog Didnt see anything wrong etc. are
not considered helpful comments and no points will
be given.
23
Total Points

Submit Blog URL in the Comments box in Blackboard and in the Discussion Board.
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