The Common Craft Show creates great, brief videos explaining what some of these technologies are all about. Why are blogs such a big deal?
Activity #1: See what they say in this 3 minute video…
Activity #2: Start your own blog!
Create your blog using Google’s Blogger.com or WordPress.com (two of the most well-known). After you’ve created your blog and written at least one post, reply-all to the last message I sent the group and tell us the address of your blog. The rest of us will check it out and leave comments. From now on, this is where you will “journal” your learning and tell us about the great stuff you’re learning or find. It’s time for the community to begin!
Blogs can be used for many different types of communication. I’ve used one to share my marathon training experience (several people in this group have read it!) and one for an international trip where it was fun to share our experience with friends and family. Many people use them professionally and they are among the most valuable I read. The library’s blog is to share updates on various items of interest — kind of like an ongoing newsletter.
Yours is starting out as a journal focused on this program. Write about what you’re discovering in the activities, things you notice in the news related to technology, etc. But please write about anything else as well. Please don’t feel pressure to write only really interesting things. Tell us your new brand of toothpaste. What cute thing did your daughter/dog/nephew recent do? Have a picture? Post it! Don’t be shy! Write early and write often!
Play around with the designs and widgets you can add to your blog. Make it your own!
Activity#3: Read the different blogs that people in this group create. Leave them comments and encouragement!
NOTE: Blogger is a Google product. To create a blog with them or to leave a comment on a Blogger blog you’ll have to create a Google account. That’s great cause we’re going to play with lots of Google stuff and you’ll need that (including iGoogle, my favorite thing ever) later.
NOTE #2: This blog is a WordPress blog (Honda). My marathon blog linked above was a Blogger blog (Toyota). They offer much of the same functionality and work in similar ways. Doesn’t matter which one you pick.
Goodness there are a lot of exclaimations points in this post….(I resisted one right there)
Just trying something out in the comments….
Hi, Lynn, I certainly didn’t notice the exclamations points at all.
I did not see anyway to post comments on Kate’s blog but I will try again after I make my blog.
Exclamation points are like jalapeno peppers-use sparingly.
Hmm…our posts don’t have to be interesting, you say, so write about toothpaste or your daughter. To me, what my daughter does IS really interesting! A bit more than toothpaste brands. Just kidding. I agree with Kate it will be challenging to find interesting things to say that would appeal to a broad audience.
I feel clueless. I think. I created my blog, but just where the heck is it. I guess I am a visual learner and need a roadmap.
I liked the video intro to blogs. I started a blog once many months ago. But it is lost and alone out there in cyberville. Note to self…write my new blog address in several locations. Or email it to myself – amazing how those never get lost!