Get+Going+with+Blogs

Return to iSquad Lessons = = =Get Going with Blogs=


 * How can we use a blog to journal some of our work as ISquad members?**

//In this session, participants will create a blog on Google Blogger.//
 * Session Overview**

//How do I create a blog? What is the purpose of a blog?//
 * Focusing Questions**

The following materials are used in this session: -Laptops -Projector -Internet Access The student will need to create a google email account. (The google email account is called a gmail account.) A parent permission slip granting permission for the student to create a gmail account is necessary.
 * Materials**
 * Resources**

INSTRUCTION //(Typically lasts about 20% of session.)//

Give participants an introduction and purpose/reason why you are teaching this session: //“In our last session, we discuss the uses of a blog.” "In speaking with some of you I've heard that you would like to create your own blog."//
 * Framing the Session**

Demonstrate for participants how to: //1) Create a gmail account// 2) Setting up a google blog.
 * Teaching**

Guide participants through the process of: //Demonstrate the steps necessary for creating a google blog.//
 * Guided Practice**


 * WORK TIME** //(Typically lasts about 60–70% of session.)//

Tell participants what they will be doing during their work time, and how much time they have: //“Take the next 30 minutes to..., and then we will come back together and share.”//
 * Getting Started**

Create an ISquad Blog using Google. Sign-in at Google.com using your gmail username and password. Click **My Account** - Choose **Blogger** Click Create a **Blog** 1) **Name the Blog**: Use your first name is223's ISquad as the title for your blog. For example, **Joseis223's ISquad Blog 2) Name the Blog Address:** Again use your first name followed by is223**.** 3) Choose a Template and press continue. 4) You are done. You are ready to begin posting. Click: **Start Posting.**
 * Participant Activity**

Circulate around the room and confer with participants. Make sure that, Check for, Try to guide, Suggest that, If participants finish early, etc.
 * Facilitator Conferring**

Take note of particularly good examples of work that can be presented during the Share.


 * SHARE** //(Typically lasts about 10–20% of session.)//

Ask selected participants to share particularly good examples of their work. Lead a discussion about how this work addresses the focusing questions.
 * Share**

Author: Email: School/Employer: Title:
 * ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS**


 * TEMPLATE DESCRIPTION**


 * Each session contains the following components and can be conducted in 45–60 minutes:**

This is a concise summary of the session, and how it fits into the training series as a whole.
 * Session Overview**

These are the specific questions that guide the session. The purpose of the session is to address these questions.
 * Focusing Questions**

This is a list of all materials that the facilitator must make sure are present at the training site, including technology resources.
 * Materials**

All handouts can be found linked from the Resources section of the participant agenda. Participants will be able to access these materials online during the session, but the facilitator should review them ahead of time, and any instructional support charts should be posted in the room before the session begins.
 * Resources**

The facilitator explains to the participants what will be covered in this session, how it fits into the training series as a whole, and how it may be incorporated into their reflective practice.
 * Framing the Session**

This is a short period of facilitator-led instruction designed to prepare the participants for their work time. The facilitator might demonstrate a specific use of technology in an authentic curricular context, selected participants might be invited to share relevant experiences, or the group as a whole might contribute to a shared brainstorming list. The facilitator should be careful to avoid giving a lengthy lecture or straying too far from the focusing questions.
 * Teaching**

Sometimes it is helpful for the facilitator to walk the participants through a process step by step. This gives the participants the hands-on experience of work time before losing the scaffolding of facilitator-led instruction.
 * Guided Practice**

The facilitator gives instructions to the participants for their work time, and lets them know what they will be expected to share at the end of the session.
 * Getting Started**

Participants are given time to practice the specific process they have seen demonstrated. They may be working independently, with a partner, or in small groups.
 * Participant Activity**

As participants work, the facilitator moves around the room holding short conferences to help guide the work and make it more productive. The facilitator should be at eye level with participants during each conference. These conversations need not be especially private; the facilitator may invite someone sitting nearby to listen in. If common needs among the group emerge, they can either be addressed immediately or during the sharing time.
 * Facilitator Conferring**

Participants gather at the end of the session to demonstrate what they have done, discuss experiences they have had, and reflect on what they have learned. This is an opportunity to return to the focusing questions that began the session, and discuss what has been accomplished in the interval.
 * Share**

This section acknowledges those who contributed to the creation of this session.
 * Acknowledgements**