2. Can I invite people to follow my blog? Yes, most definitely. We want as many people to follow your blog throughout the year as possible.

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1 Name: Let s Start Blogging We re going to treat this year-long internship almost like a reality show! In other words, people are going to be watching what you re doing. How? They re going to follow your internship journey through your own personal blog an online journal which indicates what you re experiencing each week at your school. Here are some frequently asked questions about your blogging experience 1. Who s reading what I m writing? Keep in mind that this is a public setting; in other words, the entire World Wide Web could log-in to read what you re blogging; now whether someone in Saskatchewan will check out your blog remains to be seen, but he could smile. However, Mr. Merritt is even going to ask all our Kellam teachers and some citywide teachers of the year to check out what you re sharing. He ll even share your blogs with your parents. So, watch out people will be commenting on your blogs! 2. Can I invite people to follow my blog? Yes, most definitely. We want as many people to follow your blog throughout the year as possible. 3. What do I call myself in my blog? Don t use anything other than your first name. 4. What do I call my students in my blog? If you have the proper VBCPS forms completed, you may talk about your students in your blog using their FIRST NAMES ONLY. However, only use their names if you re talking about something positive. If you re talking about a discipline or other negative issue, talk in general terms, and DON T USE NAMES AT ALL. Your students privacy is very important, and remember, they (or their parents) could be following your blog themselves. 5. Do I have to write in MLA format and use proper grammar? You certainly don t have to use MLA format; however, please use your best grammar, punctuation, spelling, and mechanics skills at all times; remember that people judge teachers on their use of the English language in writing and speaking. No one wants you to come off sounding ignorant, foolish, or Neanderthal-like. 6. What do I do if I ve had a bad day? Try to remain as positive as possible at all times. If something negative happens, share the experience, but then talk about what you ve learned from it. Avoid venting; if you must complain, be very discreet and remember not to use students names. 7. What should I write about? Begin by reflecting back upon the week and talk about your experiences. Perhaps you taught a great lesson and want to share what happened. Maybe you took a field trip and want to talk about that. You could have had a fight with the copier, and you can chronicle that battle of man against machine! Just remember to try to focus on learning what positive things are happening to you as you take each little step into the world of teaching. 8. Do I have to be all formal and stuffy like I m writing a research paper? Heavens, no! This blog should capture you as a person. Readers should be able to read your blog and almost hear you talking. Embrace your own personal voice and writing style. Take a tip from Mr. Merritt s writing in his worksheets. Get it? Be you not some boring textbook!

2 9. How much do I have to write each week? Mr. Merritt never likes to dictate how much you have to write; he simply wants to tell you to write a good entry which is interesting and detailed. However, good writing has rules. You should definitely write two to three (2-3) good paragraphs. Note that says paragraphs, not sentences. Think of each entry as a mini-essay about your internship life. It s like a journal or diary the only difference is that everyone can see into it if they want to. 10. Can I add pictures to my blog? Yes, most definitely. Just remember that if you use pictures of students, you must have the proper VBCPS paperwork signed by their parents. Also remember to only use their first names. One note: never add a picture to your blog and then vent about the incident or student. Pictures should portray happy moments, not negative ones. 11. Can I add documents like my original projects or worksheets to my blog? For sure, you can! Just remember that these should be things that you ve created yourself. If you ve borrowed something from your cooperating teacher or another teacher, you can still add them to your blog, but you have to remember to give the original author credit for his or her work. You can t take the English teacher out of Mr. Merritt! 12. Can I talk about our VTfT II assignments, other Kellam schoolwork, or my personal life? Yes, you can talk about these things, but don t make them the focus of your entries. If you talk about these things, then you should be discussing in your blog entry about how you re trying to mesh or blend these things into your teaching life. Remember, the focus of your blog should always be teaching and how you re learning from this experience. These kinds of ideas should be secondary. 13. Do I have to title every blog entry? Yes, you should come up with a creative title for each of your blogs. You ll start with that week s blog number, and then you ll devise an interesting title that grabs the reader s attention a hook or motivator, if you will. For example, 3.4 Skirt hems aren t what they used to be. Then you could write about the time you bent over to check the SMART board plug, and your skirt fell apart. Now that would be interesting! How would you turn that one into something positive? Don t you just love the way Mr. Merritt makes you think? 14. How often do I have to blog? You are going to pretty much blog once a week, every week, for seven weeks each quarter. Weekly blogs are always due on Sunday at 11:59 p.m. Below you ll find a chart which indicates your specific due dates (they re also on your Intern Calendar) Quarter One Quarter Two Quarter Three Quarter Four 09/22/13 Blog /24/13 Blog /16/14 Blog /27/14 Blog /29/13 Blog /01/13 Blog /23/14 Blog /04/14 Blog /06/13 Blog /08/13 Blog /02/14 Blog /11/14 Blog /13/13 Blog /15/13 Blog /09/14 Blog /18/14 Blog /20/13 Blog /05/14 Blog /16/14 Blog /26/14 Blog /27/13 Blog /12/14 Blog /23/14 Blog /01/14 Blog /03/13 Blog /19/14 Blog /30/14 Blog /08/14 Blog How will I be graded? For the most part, if you ve blogged on time, and your blog is appropriately written, you ll receive an immediate 100 homework grade. There are occasions, however, when your grade will be reduced. Late blogs will have an automatic 50% grade reduction. Unacceptable blogs (few details, numerous blaring/distracting errors) will receive a 30% grade reduction; you ll know you received a reduction if you see an asterisk (*) in Mr. Merritt s comment. If you continue to receive deductions, please see Mr. Merritt to get help with your writing.

3 16. What does a typical blog entry look like? Ahhhh a great question! See below always start with your weekly blog number! Edublogs will put the date here for you! be sure to write 2-3 detail-filled paragraphs! come up with a creative and interesting title; remember, this hooks the readers and makes them want to read your entry! Now, let s try writing our very first blog always try to end your entry with an interesting sentence a clincher which makes the audience remember your writing. Wow em at the end! thanks to Ms. Gorham for writing these great directions to help us! To Get Started Log in to your to find your specific blogging information and password. Logging Into the Admin Side of Your Blog 1. On your blog, click on My Sites. From My Sites choose My VtFt Experience>Dashboard. 2. If you are not already logged in, you will be prompted to log in. 3. From your Dashboard, you can see your recent posts, recent comments (pending, approved, spam, and trash), and many other options for your blog. 4. To change the look of your blog, from the left hand menu, choose Appearance. This allows you to customize your blog by choosing your theme, widgets, menus, footer content, background, etc. 5. Click on Links. Add New. From the Add New Link Page, put a check mark next to Blogroll. Click the Add Link Button (blue). Make sure you add Mr. Merritt to your Blogroll immediately! (He s your most avid follower!) Changing Your Password 1. On the left side of the admin dashboard, find and click on Users.

4 2. Click on your username. 3. Do not change your Role, or you will take away rights that you need. Do not use your last name. At the bottom, type your new password and retype it to confirm. 4. Click on Update User. Creating a Blog Post 1. On the left side of the admin dashboard, find and click on Posts. 2. On the left side of the admin dashboard, under Posts, click on Add New. 3. Type your post or copy and paste your post from somewhere else. You do not need to publish until you are ready, so you can work on a draft over time until you are ready to publish. You might find it helpful to switch from the HTML tab to the Visual tab (see below). 4. To save your draft, click on Save Draft on the right side in the Publish section of the page. 5. When you think you are ready to publish, preview first. Click on Preview on the right side in the Publish section of the page to see and review your post as it will appear on your blog. 6. Now that you are really ready to publish, click on the Publish button on the right side in the Publish section of the page. Editing a Blog Post 1. Even though you carefully reviewed and edited your post before you published, you might find that you need to go back and edit again. To do that, on the left side of the admin dashboard, find and click on Posts. 2. Find the post you want to edit, and click on the title. 3. Make the necessary changes, and click on the Update Post button on the right side in the Publish of the page. Unpublishing a Post 1. If you accidentally published a post before you were ready or you have a concern regarding your post and you want to temporarily unpublish it, you do not have to delete the post. On the left side of the admin dashboard, find and click on Posts. 2. Find the post, and click on the title. 3. Click on Edit next to Visibility, on the right side in the Publish section of the page. 4. Change the Visibility status from Public to Private. 5. Click on Ok. 6. Click on Update Post. 7. When you are ready to republish, change the Visibility back to Public.

5 Images Video Audio Other Media (Documents) Adding Documents or Images to a Post 1. Above the post you are editing, there are upload buttons. Before you click on the one that fits your purpose, click in your post where you want your image or document to appear, and then click on the icon for what you want to upload and insert. 2. Click on Select Files and browse on your computer to your saved document or image. Select it, and click on Open. 3. You may choose to add a caption and description. You can change or add this later by clicking on Media on the left side of the admin dashboard and editing this Media file. 4. Click on Insert into Post. 5. Click on Preview on the right side in the Publish section of the page to see and review your post as it will appear on your blog. If your inserted image or document didn t appear where or how you expected it, you can edit it. You might find it helpful to switch from the HTML tab to the Visual tab. Moderating Comments 1. Comments on your blog are moderated which means you must approve them. Even though comments are likely to be coming from teachers, there is the possibility that others will read your blog. Comments that you approve should reflect the positive spirit, tone, and standards of your blog. Everything posted on your blog reflects you. If you receive a comment you think doesn t meet those standards, don t approve it. If it makes you uncomfortable or you aren t sure how to handle a comment, share it with Mr. Merritt, who can also see your comments. You will receive an when you receive a comment. To moderate comments, click on Comments, on the left side of the admin dashboard. 2. Your comments will be listed. When you hover your mouse over the comment, options will appear. Click on Approve. Still have questions or concerns? Here s who to contact Mr. Merritt: Ms. Adams: johnm.merritt@vbschools.com kimberly.adams2@vbachools.com