Class Voice w/Blogger


This Web Page can also be found as a Google Doc > Give your Classroom a Voice with Blogger (makes a copy in your Drive)

Please complete the TCEA Chromebook Academy Session Evaluation at https://goo.gl/uhHqFS
With Blogger, you can create your personal or classroom space on the Internet.
  1. Teacher reflection tool
  2. Classroom blog/homepage
  3. Share your stories of classroom successes
  4. Create pages and embed other tools
  5. Daily/weekly "guest posts" by your students
  6. Formative assessment / exit ticket / collaboration

What is a Blog?
--A regularly updated website or web page, that is written in an informal or conversational style.






Get the Word Out!
  1. Print the link on all documents sent home
  2. Put the link in your Profile of your school/district website
  3. Blast out the link on social media
  4. Put useful information on your blog for your parents and students
  5. Let students write your blog post so they will tell their relatives

Getting Started
  1. Go to www.blogger.com
  2. Sign in with your Google account information
  3. Click the New Blog button
  4. Give your Blog a Title
  5. Determine what you want the website address (the URL) to be for your blog
  6. Choose a Template
  7. Click the Create Blog button
CONGRATULATIONS! You now have a blog!


Setting Permissions
Now that you have a blog, who can see it. The choices are Public, Private, or Private only readers you choose.
  1. In the Design view of the blog, select Settings
  2. In the Basic section, scroll to the bottom to the Permissions section
  3. If others can edit/post to your blog, add them as an author
  4. By default the blog is set to Public
  5. Click the edit link to change to Private - only blog authors, or Private - Only these readers


































  6. If Only these readers is selected, select the Add Readers link to add people who will have to login to see your posts

  7. Click the Save changes button

Adding Blog Posts
  1. Click the Start Blogging link or the pencil icon


  2. Add a title for your post and type in your message

  3. Click the Publish button

  4. Click the View Blog button to see your published post
CONGRATULATIONS! You are now a blogger!



Adding Additional Blog Posts
There are several options to adding more posts to your blog
  • From the design view, click the pencil icon located at the top of the page
  • From the design view, click the New Post button at the upper left of the screen
  • When viewing the published blog, click the New Post link at the upper right of the screen


Editing a Post
  • When viewing the published post, click the pencil icon at the bottom of the post
  • While in design view, click the Posts link at the left and click the Edit link under the post you want to edit


Pretty up your Blog
Blogger gives plenty of customization to change the look of your blog.
  1. In the Design view, click the Template link at the right side of the page

  2. Scroll down the page to see the different template options

  3. Select a template

  4. To customize the template, click the customize button

  5. With the template designer open, use the options to change the background, adjust widths, change the layout, and/or change individual colors and fonts


Adding Pages
Blogger has the ability to add static pages to your blog which allows for information to always be available instead of having to find the correct blog post.
  1. In the Design view, click the Pages link

  2. Click the New Page button














  3. Give you page a title

  4. Add content to your page. This can include text, pictures, hyperlinks, and videos.f


  5. Click the Publish button to publish your new page


Adding Pages to your Navigation Bar
  1. In the Design view, click the Layout link
  2. Under the Cross-Column section, click the Add a Gadget link
  3. In the list of Gadgets, scroll down the list and select the Pages gadget by clicking the blue and white Plus icon






  4. Select the page(s) to show

  5. Drag and drop the pages in the order to be displayed

  6. Click the Save button

Using Embed Codes
There are many Web sites that you can incorporate into your Blogger site by using the html or embed code. YouTube is one site that will allow you to incorporate videos in your blog.
How to insert a YouTube video into your blog (one way, also good for other embed code sites)
  1. Visit www.youtube.com
  2. Find the video you want to insert into your blog
  3. Locate the Share link below the video


  4. Select the Embed link


  5. The embed code will be displayed and probably starts with <iframe...

  6. Select and Copy (CTRL+C) that entire embed code

  7. Start a new post or edit an existing post

  8. Click the HTML button



  9. Set cursor where you want the video to be displayed
  10. Paste the copied embed code (CTRL+V)
  11. Click the Compose button to return to the editing screen

How to insert a YouTube video into your blog (another way)
  1. Visit www.youtube.com
  2. Find the video you want to insert into your blog
  3. Locate the Share link below the video
  4. Click the Blogger icon    

  5. A new window will open
  6. If asked to login, do so with your Blogger account
  7. A post will open that is just like the editing a new post screen.
  8. Add your text and information into the post.
  9. Click the Publish Post button when ready to publish or the Save as Draft button to edit and publish later


Comments
The good thing about blogs is people can comment on your blog post. The bad thing about blogs is people can comment on your blog post.
However, to model good digital citzenship, having the blog where students, parents, relatives... can comment should be a good thing.
Moderated Comments
  1. Go to the Design view for your blog

  2. Select Settings

  3. Select Posts, comments, and sharing

  4. Set the who can comment setting














  5. Set the Comment Moderation setting
    (For use in a classroom, I would strongly suggest Always Moderate. You are then given a choice to set an email address to be notified of awaiting comments.)

  6. Click the Save settings button located at the top right corner

Adding a Comment
  1. Click the comments link under the blog post

  2. Enter a comment

  3. Use the drop down menu to select Anonymous or some other login




  4. Click the Publish button.

  5. The comment should appear under the post (depending on settings the blog owner sets, the comment could be visible after moderation)

  6. Visitors to the blog can also reply to other comments

Moderating Comments
If the blog is set to Moderate Comments, the owner of the blog will need to publish or delete those comments.
  1. Go to the design view of the blog
  2. Click the Comments link at the left
  3. Click Awaiting moderation
  4. There will be a list of all comments that have been submitted
  5. Click the check box in front of all comments you want to publish
  6. Click the Publish link to publish the comment or the delete link to not allow the comment to be published

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