Blogs in the Classroom

A blog is a chronological log of thoughts or writings published on a web page. It is page-oriented in the sense that it has a simple, long-page structure and a calendar-formatted archive. It is post-oriented in the sense that multiple writers can post content to the same shared page, and comments by others are added to the ends of posts, but editing of others’ material is difficult or impossible.

This tutorial uses the blogging web application Blogger. There are many similar free or low-cost blogging options available, but Blogger offers one of the simplest user experiences and is a popular option.

Setting up a Blog

Go to Blogger.com and click the link Create your blog now. Enter all necessary information and click Continue. Chose a name for your blog, click Continue, and then select a template. You will then be taken to the posting form and invited to create your first post.

Posting to Your Blog

Go to Blogger.com and log into your account. Click on the hyperlink of your blog, which will take you to your blog settings page. On the top menu, click on Posting and then Create. Enter the title and text of your blog, and then click Publish Post. To view your updated blog, click on View Blog on the top menu.

Adding a Picture

Follow the guidelines above for creating a text post. When you want to insert a picture, click on the picture icon on the Edit menu (this button is second from the left under the Compose tab). Enter the URL of the picture, or browse to select one on your computer. Chose the options that you want, and click Upload Image. Your image will be inserted into your post at the cursor.

Embedding Video Content

Go to Google Video and find a video to add to your blog. Click on the Embed link located on the right side of the screen. Next, select the text that appears below this link and paste it into your text box in your blog. Click Publish Post and the streaming video will appear in your blog