1.  Intro to blogging!  You will have a blog page on the class website.  Today we’ll look past class blogs and you’ll set up an account.

2.  What is a blog?

How is a blog different from a “traditional” website?

Do you follow or read any blogs regularly?

Blogs are types of websites. They are defined by specific subjects or topics and by interactive features such as people registering to post comments and to connect with others, including the blog author.

You will notice now that main “traditional” websites have adopted “bloggy” features such as blog posts, comment forums, and links to social media for people to share information.

When the internet became more and more mainstream, blogs became a way for people to self-publish and to communicate with a large audience. Prior to that it was really only possible to do that through TV, radio, newspapers, and ads. Blogs empower their authors by enabling them to reach and connect with people.

By taking the media into their own hands, blog authors and their followers helped give rise to the social media world we now live in. Going online isn’t a passive experience where information is spoon-fed to an audience. It’s an interactive experience where people choose the information/media they want to consume, produce, and share.

3.  Today you will blog on our class website.

I have created a page for everyone. You will get a username and password to log in.

Your page is located under Class Pages at the top of our website.  You will see a list of names- click on yours.

Today you are going to upload the photos you put together that describe yourself.  You will also include a sentence or two about the photos and why they represent you.  You are basically doing the same thing you did in Notepad++ last week, except you are posting it on the class website.

Try wigflip.com to make some cool graphics for your page.

You are using WordPress, a free content management system that is used by about one in every seven websites in the world! You can enter text and images and WordPress adds the code for you. If you know HTML and CSS, you are able to do the code yourself.

What else do you notice about WordPress?

4.  To Log in to Your Page:

From the class website:

a. In another tab or window open up https://www.mhswebdesign.com/wp-admin.

b. Log into the site with your username and password.

c. Go back to the class website and click on Class Pages in the top menu.

d. Click on your name. You should now be on your page. Click on Edit, which should be visible on your page since you’re logged in.

e.  Add your photos to your page and also type a sentence or two about them.

f. Finally, you must comment on at least two other people’s pages. Be specific about something that he/she wrote. Did you find what he/she wrote interesting? Do you have a question? Be thoughtful! Don’t just write “hello” or “you’re awesome!” or “insert something mean/terrible here”. Read the person’s blog and say something positive and thoughtful!  If someone comments on your page, be sure to respond to him/her!  Check out last year’s pages to see the types of comments students left for each other.

These 4th graders know how to write a good comment.

5.  Done?  We need some help making this page more interesting!