Introduction
to Blogging in SED 445
Set up
your own blog to use this semester for your responses to readings and to post
your writing for yeahwrite: https://yeahwrite.me/.
A blog (http://plpnetwork.com/2012/06/22/blogging-persuasive-essay/) is your own personal
online response journal. It is public, in that your classmates and I will
read and comment on it, but it is your space and you can control most
everything about it. (If you want to make it private so that *only* members of
this class can read it, see below).
In the context of this course, your blog has two purposes:
In the context of this course, your blog has two purposes:
1) This is an opportunity
for you to intellectually grapple with the theoretical and practical
foundations of the readings. Remember that we are reading and writing as
potential writing teachers. Please post by 6 p.m. Sunday so we can read
and comment before class.
You may
formulate a response as you read, or you can consider using one or more of the
following prompts as you prepare your blog each week:
·
Take a walk with a line/quote from this reading. Tell us
about a “golden nugget” from this article or chapter that deserves some further
discussion or musing.
· Tell us who or what this
writer reminds you of or why s/he sounds familiar. What connections do
you see with other experiences/texts? Post some links if appropriate.
· If you had dinner with
this author, describe what you would ask or want him/her to explain further.
· From what you know of
secondary schools and classrooms, describe some benefits and barriers regarding
this author’s approach to teaching writing.
· List some “burning
question/s” you have after reading this. What's confusing?
· Do some research and
include links to others who have written on this topic.
*Please do not feel the need to summarize except to
contextualize what you are writing about. It should be clear that you
read and understood the text without summarizing. Refer to ALL readings in your
post, and include at least one of the articles' authors or titles in your
post. Make sure your name is prominent on your blog.
Your blog is a public space and as you post (and comment on others' posts), you will gain a richer understanding of everything we read and discuss in class. I want you to think of it as interactive and intertextual in that way.
2) Creating your own blog will also introduce you to the
blogosphere if you don't know this place already. I hope that you will discover
creative uses for this online medium. You will see how easy it is to use
blogger.com, and perhaps it will inspire you to bring blogs into your own
classroom someday.
To start your own blog, you will go to:
SET UP AN ACCOUNT:
If you do not already have a Google account, you will need
to create
one.
If you do have a Google account, sign in in the box at the right.
Click the button that says NEW BLOG (you will see this even if
you have blogged before) and follow the instructions to get
started. Don't forget your Username and Password!! You
will need them to login every time. Please write them down on the top of your
syllabus so you don't forget.
NAME YOUR BLOG:
As you fill in the info, you will be asked to name your blog.
This title will appear at the top of your blog. (Mine is called
"SED445RiskyWriters"). Make sure your name is prominent
somewhere on your blog.
CHOOSE AN ADDRESS:
Every blog has its own URL, or web address.
_______.blogspot.com
This will be the web address associated with your site. You can
call it anything you like. Be clever or simple (or both) -- it is up to you.
CHOOSE A TEMPLATE:
You will also need to choose a design template for
your blog. Look through the options listed and see what appeals to you. You can
change this later so don't worry too much about it initially. That said,
it's always easier for the reader if we can see your entire blog instead of
having to click further.
START POSTING:
Once you have the account set up, you can start posting. A
“post” is an entry on your blog. (For clarification, you have one blog, but
many posts). Give the post a title and then compose as you would any journal
entry. When you are finished, hit the button that says Publish. It will not appear on
your blog until you publish it. You can always go back and edit old posts and
create new ones.
Your First Post:
Read:
Kay, ch. 1; Stockman & Gray, Intro & Hack 1 (both will be in the Google
folder); Christensen Intro (pp. 1-11).
This link describes one way of writing a blog: http://plpnetwork.com/2012/06/22/blogging-persuasive-essay/
Write a
response blog addressing the three pieces.
Here is a list of emails to cut and paste into the BLOG READERS box in your Permissions Settings:
jjohnson@ric.edu
allie.simas@gmail.com
ajdeleo98@gmail.com
airons19@gmail.com
enottie_6518@email.ric.edu
MelanieBertoldi@gmail.com
POST A COMMENT WITH YOUR ADDRESS:
When
you are done creating your blog and posting your first entry,
please come back to this blog and post a comment at the end of
the first post (scroll down) that includes your name and your blog address so that
I can post it in the blog list to the right.
Some Tips and Helpful Hints:
· Once you are in your
blog, look at the top right corner of the screen. If you click on the
word DESIGN, you will be able to make design changes, create
new posts, edit old posts, etc. (You can only do this if you are logged in to
your blog.)
· Once you are in the DESIGN screen,
you can do all kinds of things to make your blog a bit more interesting. Change
your fonts and colors, edit a post, change your settings. See the tabs at the
left side of the screen for all kinds of options.
· Poke around online and
make a list of websites related to writing, teaching, or anything else relevant
and post them on your blog. You can add all kinds of things by ADDING A
GADGET from your LAYOUT screen.
· Just do the best you can
with this. If you get stuck, don't fret... I am happy to help you anytime as
you work on getting this started. And remember: you can't break it. It is just
a blog. Everything can be changed if need be!
