Blogs always show posts chronologically, so to be able to find posts easily again you will need to categorise each post. Most blogging and web platforms call these categories '[hash] tags' but confusingly, Blogger calls them labels. Never mind, categories or tags or labels - its all the same thing.
The easiest way to create a label is to click on New Post. On the right hand side you will see the labels link:
After you have created the labels, add a gadget to your blog to show them in a list or a cloud. Then when you want to see all the posts for a particular subject or topic area you will be able to click on the relevant label.
You will be using Blogger to create your blog. The main purpose of your blog is to be a learning journal for the AAT Study Skills unit, but you also might want to use it for your own personal use, either now or later. It is yours for ever so think carefully about what you are going to call the blog, then go to blogger.com and create it!
You can follow the instructions in this link which are from the Blogger Help Centre. You can get to these instructions again at any time by scrolling down to the bottom of the main dashboard page. Tip: When you are following instructions on screen it can be easier to have the instructions open on one side of your screen, and the document you are working on open on the other side. To snap the current window to the left side of the desktop press the Windows logo key and the Left Arrow. Then open another Internet Explorer and snap it to the right side by pressing the Windows logo key +Right Arrow. This video also shows you how to set up a blog from scratch. It is 15 minutes long so you may want to come back to it later to look at some of the extra features.
At this stage don't worry too much about the layout of the blog - you can make any changes to personalise it later.
During your time at college you will be writing or updating your CV to send out to employers for work opportunities. You will also be using social media and email to network with people outside of the college. You need to think about how your email address represents you. This article by Andrea Coutu highlights some of the 'terrible secrets revealed by your email address'
As a student at Oldham College you will be given access to Microsoft Live and your email address will be [studentnumber]@live.oldham.ac.uk. However, that address will not be available after you have finished your course. Therefore, in this session your tasks are to:
1. Create a new Gmail account. As you will be using Blogger in this course together with other
Google applications, for example YouTube, then Gmail is definitely the best option.
2. Change the settings in your live.oldham.ac.uk account so that all emails sent to that account are
forwarded to your new Gmail account.
You will need to complete 4 steps:
STEP 1 - Choose your email name
a) Select a username which is not only easy to remember but easy to pronounce too.
b) Think of your email address as your online identity. How will your email address sound after 10-
15 years from now?
c) Your email address is all about you, so don’t link your Email address with your
boyfriend/girlfriends name.
d) If you are from a culture where your surname (family name) changes after marriage, try
to avoid using your surname in your email address. Instead use something which defines you.
e) Avoid putting the year of your birth in your email address.
used independent learning skills by reflecting on how you want to present yourself
used critical skills to create a professional Gmail account which you can use in any business communications.
used digital skills to enable live.ac.uk account emails to be forwarded your Gmail account.
Make sure you test both accounts to make sure that you can send and receive emails, and that any emails sent to your live.ac.uk account will be forwarded to your new Gmail account.
For your first post, you will be writing about your preferred learning style.
Look at the resources on learning styles here, complete the quiz on the page, and then write your post.
Your blog post should explain what your preferred learning style means. Which learning methods work best for you? Which learning methods do you not like? State the kinds of strategies you could use to help you learn. Have a look at the apps listed on the sidebar of this blog. Which one (or more) interests you? If you find an app you like which doesn't seem to be your preferred learning style, that's fine - we are all a little bit of a mixture.
