Setting up my blog

Blog Setup Checklist

Blog Setup:

• Log in to your blog in 1 of these ways:
• Go to blogger.com and click on Sign In which is in the upper right corner. Enter your k051 account username and password.
• Log into your k051.org account then open a new tab; enter blogger.com. 
• Enter the URL of your blog. Click on Sign In in upper right corner.
• Create a thoughtful title for your blog, one that relates to the focus of reading and writing. Brainstorm in your notebook. Make sure to proofread and edit it. 
• Personalize your blog by choosing a theme; you can also change the theme and customize colors and backgrounds later on.

Arrange the Layout:

• Click on Layout on the left side of the dashboard.
• Scroll down until you see the Right Sidebar. Click on Add a Gadget.
• Click on Blog List. Title it homeroom number + blogs (ex. 812 blogs). 
• Add links to each student’s blog: 
• a) type in full URL, click add, then save changes. or 
• b) open a tab and go to the blog; copy and paste the URL into the window.
• Add my blog: msgalangenglish.blogspot.com
• You may also create a different blog list to add students from other classes or other blogs you read.
• Add another gadget. Click on List. Title it: Best Books I’ve Read and list books you have read this year. Include accurate title and author. 

Publish Posts On Your Blog:

• Click on Posts tab then click on New Post on the top of the page.
• Enter a title then enter text.
• Suggestions for writing blog posts:
• Brainstorm and draft your post first. Use Google Documents/Drive for your final document.
• Copy and paste your document from Google Drive onto blogger; this helps decrease the risk of losing the document. To copy and paste from another document:
• Highlight and copy the document.
• IMPORTANT: Go to New Post. In the text box, right click and choose Paste As Plain Text. If you do not do this, the format of the text will be incorrect. 
• To publish your post, click on PUBLISH in the top right part of the page. IMPORTANT: You must click on publish for your post to be seen on your blog. 
• Not having Internet is not an excuse for not doing your blog post! If you have no connection, type and print out the assignment for the due date, then post as soon as possible.
• When working on a post, you can Save your work if you will continue to work on it and are not ready to publish it. When your work is complete, click on Publish. This is the only way others can view your post.
• Add a Label to your post; write a word or short phrase that shows the topic or assignment.
• Assignments to post: 
• Identity poem
• Identity bookself visual. For this you will need to take a picture and upload it. 

Personalize Your Blog 


You can personalize your blogs by changing the title, design, and by adding gadgets. 

• Go to the dashboard by clicking on the B in the upper left corner of your blog or by just signing in to blogger.com. 
• Click on Theme on the left side. Choose themes and change background colors and fonts if you want to. Make sure the print is clear and legible.

Read and Comment on Student Blogs

• Write 2-3 sentences in correct, academic writing.
• Write what the student’s post made you think, feel, know, and wonder or what you liked about it. Explain why and give an example.
• You can also ask a question to engage in a dialogue.

Additional Guidelines

• Consider your audience: myself, your peers, and everyone else part of the MS51 community.  Therefore, all content on your blog must be related to the class. 
• My expectation is that we are a community of readers and writers.  I will be monitoring all blogs and trusting that your words that appear online will come from a place of respect for your fellow classmates as well with a tone that is appropriate for school.
• Do not plagiarize (see agenda book for more information on academic integrity). This will result in a 0 for the assignment, contact with parents, and possibly detention.
• To keep your blog looking academic and professional, do not add any distracting gadgets (such as pets or advertisements).  Also, please type in readable colors (no pink or yellow) and fonts (avoid ones that are cursive or all caps, especially). Do not make the background black and type in black font.

Parent-Student Contract Regarding ELA Blog

Name:________________________________________________Class:_____________

Blog URL:_____________________________________________.blogspot.com

Blog Title: ________________________________________________

Dear Parents,

Your child will be writing regularly on an online blog for ELA this year. The privacy settings are designed to protect your child and can be viewed only if you type in the URL. Please help make this project successful by:
discussing guidelines for internet safety and guidelines for appropriate internet behavior, especially for a school-related online project (https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/rules-for-students/digital-citizenship)
reading your child’s blog and sharing positive support and encouragement (see blog URL above).

From time to time, we may be posting photographs of the class. Is it permissible to have your child’s photograph taken and/or posted? Circle one:  YES / NO

Signature of Parent/Guardian: ______________________________________________________________

Contact # or email: __________________________________________________

I understand that this blog is to help me become a better reader and writer.  I understand that this is a school project and all postings and comments will be related to our reading and writing community. I will follow the guidelines that we went over in class.  

Student Signature_______________________________________________________________

For Homework:

Go over the project with your parents, and print and sign this contract 
Read some more student blogs for inspiration. 
Complete all the steps on the Blog Setup Checklist.
Post your Identity Poem.
Post your Identity Bookself by taking a photo of it and uploading it or just listing the titles and authors.

Due: ____________________________________