Yesterday I ran a professional development day for teachers called Technify Your Teaching in 2013.
While my colleagues Matt Limb and Simon Collier ran sessions on iDevices, Google Apps, Evernote and web 2.0 tools, I presented workshops on blogging with my team teaching partner, Kelly Jordan. One of our sessions was on setting up your class blog for 2013.
I created a step-by-step handout for the event called “Getting Started with Global2”. This is based around the guide that John Pearce created a few years ago (thank you, John).
If you are wanting to set up an educational blog and you’re working in a DEECD or CEO school, I strongly recommend you head straight to Global2. Global2 is a DEECD sponsored Edublogs Campus Site. That means you get all the best features that Edublogs offers for free! Support for Edublogs Campus subscribers is extensive.
2013 will be the sixth year that I have used Global2 and I have found it to be an excellent platform for my class, student and teacher blogs.
The following guide takes you through six initial goals when setting up a Global2 blog
- signing up
- writing a post
- changing your theme
- adding widgets
- writing a post
- adjusting general settings
I hope you or your colleagues find it useful.
Getting Started With Global2 by Kathleen Morris
If you are having trouble accessing the Scribd document, you can download the PDF version here Getting Started with Global2
If you are looking for more advice about setting up a class blog, check out Five Steps to Starting a Class Blog which I published last year.
I am a student at the University of South Alabama, and I am in Dr. Strange’s EDM310 class. I am hoping to summarize my visits to your blog and post them on my blog on February 4, 2013. I really enjoyed reading your blog. I did not have a blog before EDM310 and did not realize how it could be incorporated in the classroom. I loved the link to your class blog. It has given me so many ideas of ways I could incorporate blogging into my classroom. I found the information about Global2 to be especially interesting. Since I am new to blogging, it is nice to read about the possibilities of starting an educational blog when I begin teaching. You have made it easy for educators to create blogs by providing step by step instructions. Thank you for taking the time to share this information.
Ashley Showles
EDM310
Ashley Showles’ EDM310 Class Blog
EDM 310 Class Blog
Ashley Showles
Hi Ashley,
Thanks for commenting. You’re welcome to post a summary of your visits to my blog.
I hope you’ll incorporate blogging into your classroom when you begin your teaching career.
Good luck with your studies!
Kathleen
Hi Kathleen,
Happy New Year!
I’m saving this post for some colleagues! Last year I got most of the 1/2 team onto blogging (some more successfully than others!), but my goal this year is to be able to support them a little bit more and also try and bring the other Prep teachers into it as well.
And, I’m re-starting my blogging goals for my new P/1 class (non of whom have blogged before!). We started a bit over the holidays, and it’s been great to see families get involved even before the year begins.
Thanks for all your posts.
Stef Galvin
Hi Stef,
Happy new year to you too. I hope you’ve enjoyed the break as much as I have!
You’re a real blogging cheerleader in your school – it’s fantastic. I hope you get more classes on board this year.
Good luck with your P/1s. If you already have some families on board then that’s a great sign!
Kathleen
Hi Kathleen,
Thanks so much for all your information about setting up blogs! I am in the process of setting up my first class blog to be shared between our three Grade 4 classes, as I will be taking all three classes for ICT this year. We also plan to incorporate blogging into our reading program… and no doubt other curriculum areas too, as we find our feet! I have particularly found your “5 Steps to Starting a Class Blog” post helpful. I have adapted your blogging guidelines for our blog (and included a reference and link back to your class blog) so again- thank you so much for sharing!
I have a blogging etiquette question for you if you don’t mind… I have been following / watching several fantastic class blogs for a few years now (including yours & Kelly’s!) and I want to include some of these on my blogroll. Would you normally make contact with the creator of a blog before including their link on your blogroll?
Thanks so much,
Marika Brown.
Hi Marika,
Great to hear from you. I’m so glad to hear you’re planning to start blogging with your team this year!
That is a good etiquette question but the answer is no – you don’t need to ask permission to include someone’s blog on a blogroll. Well that is what I would say from my experience anyway. I have never asked anyone or been asked in the five years or so that I’ve been blogging.
Good luck!
Kathleen
Hi Kathleen,
I missed out on your Technify workshop. Will you be running a repeat?
I teach grade 4-6 ICT. I’d like to start blogging too. I think there’s a difference between how class teachers & specialist teachers might blog. How might you suggest i do this ? I’d be happy to hear Mrs Marika provide some feedback as i understand that she too teaches ICT as a specialist.
Thanks heaps!
Evla
Hi Evla,
We may run a mid year Technify Your Teaching. Stay tuned to http://www.teachgennow.com.au/
As for blogging with a specialist class, you might like to check out Edublogs guide to using categories to organise different classes. This might be a good approach.
The Techie Kids is an excellent example of blogging as an ICT specialist class, you may get some ideas from this blog based in Michigan http://edublogs.misd.net/techiekids/
Good luck!
Kathleen
Hi Kathleen,
Thanks so much for sharing this document. I’ve been doing a classroom blog for a few years, and I’ve moved to a new school where classroom blogs are hopefully going to become much more common (there are only 2 at the moment). I’m running a PD session for some of the staff (the number is growing each day!) and I hope it is OK if I share this document with them. It is so clear and will help me guide them through the process. Is that OK?
On a personal note, your blog has really helped my move my blog to the next level- thank you!
Many thanks, Cherry Montgomery
http://grade2mo.global2.vic.edu.au/
Hi Cherry,
You’re very welcome to use the document with your school. I’m excited to hear classroom blogs are going to become common! I’d love to see that in a school.
Good luck,
Kathleen