Creating+your+own+blog

= **Creating Your Own Blog** =



**Your first Blog!**
In this part of the process, you can create a blog using the free online tool. We'll also practise creating a few posts on our new blog. To get us all started off on the same foot, we'll focus this blog on our own professional development, things like reflections on our teaching and classes, or ideas that we have for class.

If you're feeling confident, right-click on [|Blogger] then click on the "open in new window" option, and get started with the help of those around you! If you'd like some printed-out step-by-step instructions with audio on setting up with Blogger, try printing out the excellent guide and downloading the accompanying audio from Leigh Blackall's: Using Blogger Screencast. There's even a great book out by Elizabeth Castro: [|Publishing a Blog with Blogger]!

**Your first post!**

 * 1) Right after creating your blog, you'll create your first post. How about for your first post using the topic: "Does technology help or hinder learning?" - write a paragraph or two about the pleasures or frustrations of using technology in education... what tools have you used, were they easy or hard to learn, did they work for you? The technology could be anything from an online learning system to an overhead projector!


 * 1) Right after creating your first post, you will publish it by clicking on the giant publish button!

After you've published your first post, you'll no-doubt want to view your new blog. Make sure you show all those around you your success!

**Your second post!**
To practise the process of posting to your blog, have a go at creating a new post on your blog (**Note**: There's often confusion between a 'blog' and a 'post'. We don't want to create a new blog site, one is enough for the moment! Make sure you click on "Create new post" rather than "Create a blog"!)

Give your new post the title "Reflections and highlights from the past week". What successes or issues have you experienced this week in class? How did you overcome them? Include anything from a student "getting it", disappointments with a planned activity, or improvements for next time. Write about the highs and lows of the past week of teaching that you feel comfortable sharing with others (it's a good idea not to include peoples names without their permission!).

Again, when you've finished your second post, show those around you!

**Your third post!**
For your third post, we're going to interact with other information out there on the web by writing about a news event or article related to your professional area. Right-click on [|Google News] or [|Wikipedia], open in a new window, and search for the topic of your choice (feel free to ask for help!). You'll most probably find too much information, so just choose one item that interests you!

After reading (or skimming through) your chosen article, create a new post on your blog just outlining what you thought of the article. Make sure that you ask how you can create a link to the article you found from within your new post!

Again, show those around you your success, or ask for help as soon as you get stuck! If you've finished your third post, how about checking how other people around you are going and seeing if you can help them!

Next, we're going to find out how we might use blogs in education