Tuesday, March 31, 2020

How to Choose a Theme

    Now here's the fun part; choosing a theme.  True story.  The first theme I chose was good and I loved it. But over time as I started adding content, photos, and videos the theme just didn't match. So I simply changed to a different theme and it went well with my educational content.  Whatever theme you choose will surely be great in your blog and it will attract your audience as well.  Here's how to choose a theme:
1. Sign into Blogger.
2. In the top left, Click the Down Arrow.
3. Click a blog to update.
4. In the left menu, Click Theme.
5. Click the theme you want to use.
6. In the bottom right, click Apply to Blog.
7. To save a copy of your theme, in the top right, click Backup/Restore > Download Theme.

How to Insert a Video in your Blog

     When I learned how easy it was to insert a video into my blog it was a game changer.  I know I keep repeating this but due to COVID-19 I had to change the way I was going to reach my students. Who knew that I would be making videos and posting them on a blog that I had only created three months prior to COVID-19 to teach my students in an effort to follow social distancing protocols.  It's still soaking in that I'm now quarantined teaching my students from my home.  This has never happened in years past but I am sure glad I took that leap of interest and faith to start a blog.  Producing the videos is definitely a way to stay connected to my students and parents.  Uploading videos was as simple as click. Here's how:
1. Sign into Blogger.
2. In the top left, click the Down Arrow.
3. Select the blog to update.
4. Create a new post or edit a post to add a video.
5. On the Post Editor, Click insert a video.
6. Choose the video you want to use.

How to Insert Images in your Blog

     Pictures, illustrations,  and photos really made my blog come to life.  There are several vendors of stock photos out there.  I had to be careful of copyright laws on some photos but there are several vendors who do allow their photos or pictures to be used commercially and personally.  It took a bit a of research but I did find several.  So once I found my images, I was able to insert them in my blog easily.  Here's how:
1. Sign into Blogger.
2. In the top left, click on the Down Arrow.
3. Select the blog to update.
4. Create a New Post or Edit  a Post to add images.
5. On the Post Editor, Click Insert Image.
6. Choose where you'd like to upload the image from.
7. Choose one or more images to upload.
8. Click Add Selected.
9. When the image is in your post, click it to change the size, caption or alignment on the page.

How to Edit a Post

   One thing I love about Blogger is that I still have access to any and every post.  I am able to change posts or add more content.  I can even delete a post if its no longer relevant to my blog.  Housekeeping is great when creating and maintaining a blog.  Blogger gives the ability to be flexible because, remember the world is changing faster and faster. So a little spring cleaning in your blog will do it some good.  Here's how to edit a post.
1. Sign into Blogger.
2.Under the name of the blog, click posts.
3. Point to the post you want to edit.
4. Click Edit.
5. Make your changes.
6. To see how your post will look, Click Preview.
7. For posts that have already been published, Click update or revert to draft.
8. For posts that haven't been published yet, Click publish or save.

How to Add Labels to your Posts

    Labels helped my blog look professional and keeps me organized. I wanted everything to have its place or at least fall into a category.  Fortunately Blogger as well as other sites have different layouts to choose from.  I was able to choose the layout that best fits my interests and then add or remove labels as needed. Here's how to add labels to your posts.
1.Sign into Blogger.
2. To open the Editor view, Click an existing post or New Post.
3. On the right, Click Labels.
4.Enter a Label or click existing Labels.
5. You can add more than one label to a post.
6. In your Dashboard, you can find your labels next to the title.
7. Your readers can find your labels in your posts and use them to filter your content.

How to Link to another Website

  Having the capability to link to another websites to my blog has been a tremendous help for my students and myself.  I recently created some supplementary resources for my students since we are not able to go school due to COVID-19.  So now videos, games, or other sites are just a click away.  Most of  all your visitors will now know that your blog is a place where they can find everything they need and they will most likely suggest your blog to others because you are the expert. Here's how you can link to another website from your blog.
1. Sign into Blogger.
2. In the top left, Click the Down arrow.
3. Select the blog to update.
4. In the left menu, Click Layout.
5. In the Pages section, Click Edit.
6. Under Pages to Show, Click +Add External Link.
7. Enter the Page Title and URL, and click Save Link.

Sunday, March 29, 2020

How to Organize your Blog!

       Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, I have been charged with the task to  provide my students with online learning options.  Well I have been working on my ESL Simply blog three months prior to this outbreak and boy has it come in handy.  My blog is an educational blog and it is now a resource for my students during this quarantine.  So to accommodate my students I found several sites to keep them busy.  Adding pages to my blog made this easy and organized. All I had to do was add pages for each subject area and list the websites in each. This way when my parents go to my blog, it's easy for them to find what they are looking for. Adding pages to your blog will make your blog look professional and organized. Here's how you can do that:

1. First, sign-in to Blogger.
2. In the top left, click the Down arrow.
3. Select the blog to update.
4. In the left menu, click Layout.
5. In the section you want your pages to show, Click Add a Gadget.
6. In the window next to the Pages, click Add.
7. Set your settings and click Save.
8. At the top right, click Save Arrangement.
Note: If you want to move your pages, simply drag the gadget to the new location.


Saturday, March 28, 2020

How to Create your Blog in 7 Steps


     You can use different blog platforms to create your blog. I used blogger to create three different blogs.  I know three sounds like a bit much but I have three different interests that I wanted to write about and they each required their own space and audience.  So my first blog was on the area of education, my second blog was on the area of wellness & beauty, and my current one is on blogging.  So to create your blog, first you need to sign into Blogger. You will need a valid email account to do so.
 Step 2: On the left, click the Down arrow
 Step 3:  Click New blog.
 Step 4:  Enter a name for your blog.
 Step 5:  Choose a blog address, or URL. Blogger gives you a free address but it offers you domains as well as low as $12/year. What a great DEAL!!!
 Step 6:  Choose a template.
 Step 7:  Click Create blog.
And that's it! You've created your blog!

Friday, March 27, 2020

What to Blog about?


What's your hack?
    
    As an educator there are so many topics to write about in your blog. You can blog from different perspectives. Whatever you decide, make sure it’s your passion and you love it. This way you won’t run out of ideas ever.
     As a Student, blog about all the fun things you don’t get to because of calendars, curriculum and that dreaded word: TESTING. Blog about all those extra things that your students want to know more about but there’s not enough time to cover.
     As a Parent, blog about what parents need to empower their children or the things they struggle with. For example, many parents are intimidated by math because of how it’s changed from then to now.
     As a Teacher, teachers are always looking for new cutting-edge ideas to satisfy their teaching pedagogy. Many new teachers need How Tos to help them in their first year of teaching. Teachers who are in a rut need something to get their groove back in the classroom. You have what they are looking for in your blog.
    Now think about what you do and think about what you can offer from everyone else's perspective that you have influence over.

Jazz up your Blog!!!

     I know it's been a while since my last post. Life happens sometimes. Nevertheless, I am back with a great way to jazz up that blog....