Introduction to blogging FNED 547

Set up your own blog to use this semester for your responses to readings and for other professional uses.

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:

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 midnight Sunday so we can read and comment before class.

Make sure you respond to all readings.  Please include page #'s and quotations from the text as necessary, so we know what you are referring to.  You can also include links to other resources. 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:

• I want to talk about this more in class because...I'm curious about it because...here's what I'm thinking about this topic...
• Yes!  I connect with this idea/concept/line in this way...
• Whaaat???  I question/disagree with this idea/concept because...

*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) Later this semester, you will be writing research memos using your site as the text.  We will talk about whether we will post these to the blog or just do them in class.

To start your own blog, you will go to:

www.blogger.com

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 "FNED547criticalresearchers").  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... 

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:

Falk & Blumenreich, ch. 1-2; and Jones ch. 1.

Write a response blog addressing both readings. 

Here is a list of emails to cut and paste into the BLOG READERS box in your Permissions Settings: 
jjohnson@ric.edu

alexandra_arias@yahoo.com

dlmccoy62@gmail.com

vporter2150@yahoo.com

masseb@psdri.net

lturcotte@cpsed.net

sabine.r.fontaine@gmail.com

adabooks@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!