Overview of Blogs. There are three types of blogs. Their main differences are how posts are grouped and who can access the blogs.

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1 University of Southern California Marshall Information Services Blogs - Blackboard 9.1 Blogs allow students to share their thoughts with their classmates and instructor. They are similar to Discussion Boards except Blogs are usually grouped by student name and while you can comment on a blog posting, you cannot comment on a comment. This guide covers the following topics: Overview of Blogs... 1 Course Blog Example... 2 Section A: Creating a Course or Individual Blog (Instructor)... 3 Section B: Creating Group Blogs... 5 Creating a Group... 5 Editing a Group... 6 Student Access to their Group's Blog... 6 Hiding Blogs from Non-Group Members (Optional)... 6 Section C: How Students Can Access Blogs... 7 Making a Blog Available from within a Content Area... 7 Section D: Posting Blog Entries & Comments (Students or Instructors)... 8 Posting Comments to a Blog Entry... 9 Section E: Grading Blog Posts (Instructor) Optional Grading Group Blogs Overview of Blogs There are three types of blogs. Their main differences are how posts are grouped and who can access the blogs. Course Blog Creates a single blog where all students can post new blog entries to the blog as well as comment on other student's blog entries. Posts from multiple students are shown on the same screen. This is useful when you wish to see a lot of input from different individuals on the same topic. You can filter so see just a particular student's posts. If graded, a single column is created in the Grade Center. Blog Name Sue's Post Mike's Comment James' Post Sue's Comment Mike's Comment Individual Blogs Same as a Course Blog except posts from different students do not appear on the same screen. You must specify which student's posts you wish to view. This is useful when you wish to follow a specific student's thoughts on subjects of their choice. Students can read and comment on each other's posts. If graded, a single column is created in the Grade Center. Blog Name Sue's Post Mike's Comment Sue's Post Sue's Post Blog Name James' Post Mike's Comment James' Post James' Post Group Blogs Group Blogs are created by enabling the "Blogs" tool when creating the group. Groups can read other group's blogs but only members of the group can post or make comments to their own group's blog. (To prevent groups from reading another group's blogs, the instructor can hide "Blogs" in the Tools area.) If desired, group Blogs can be graded. If so, a separate column will be created in the Grade Center for each group blog. For example, if you enabled blog grading for three different groups then three separate columns in the Grade Center would appear. Students access their group blog from the My Groups area or Blogs under Tools (unless hidden by the instructor). Group A's Blog (Sue, Tim, Bob) Bob's Post Tim's Comment Tim's Post Sue's Comment Sue's Post Bob's Comment Marshall School of Business Blogs_BB9-1.docx 2/11/14 Page 1 of 11

2 Course Blog Example The image below summaries the characteristics of a Course blog. Blog Name This is the name of this blog. The instructor can make as many different Course Blogs as desired. Examples might be: Mattel Case, How I solved Case 1, Current Events, Summary of Today's Topics, etc. Blog Content A blog posting is always flush left. Make a Comment Users can comment on a posting but not comment on a comment as you can with discussion boards. Statistics and Grading If enabled, instructors can grade blogs. Comment Content Comments by other students or the instructor are immediately beneath the posting they are commenting on and are slightly indented. Organized by Student Blogs are organized by student name; clicking on a student's name from the drop down list will display all of that student's postings in the blog. For individual blogs, this is how you select whose blog you wish to view. The numbers after the names indicate the number of postings the student has made in the blog. (Comment statistics are not shown here.) Post & Comment Statistics This displays the number of postings and comments the selected student has made. It is available even if grading is not enabled. Instructor Grading (Optional) If the instructor enables blog grading, the instructor can type a numeric score and feedback directly within the blog. A corresponding column is also created in the Grade Center. Note that there is no peer-to-peer rating system as found in discussion boards Marshall School of Business Blogs_BB9-1.docx 2/11/14 Page 2 of 11

3 Section A: Creating a Course or Individual Blog (Instructor) The steps in this section cover how the instructors create a Course or Individual blog. In this example, we will create a blog titled "Case 1 Blog". Once created the blog will automatically appear in the "Tools" area under "Blogs" but it can also be made to appear on the left menu as a course link or within one of Blackboard's content areas. 1. Access the course you are creating the blog in. 2. From the left menu, click "Tools". 3. Click "Blogs". 4. Click "Create Blog". Note: Editing a Blog's Settings This button allows you to edit the settings of an existing blog. 5. Type a name for the blog. 6. Type a description of the blog. Marshall School of Business Blogs_BB9-1.docx 2/11/14 Page 3 of 11

4 7. Select "Yes" to make the blog available to students. 8. (Optional) If desired, you can limit student access to the blog by date. (Blog Availability must still be set to "Yes".) Course or Individual Blog 9. Specify whether you wish to create individual blogs for each student or a single course blog they all share. Each creates just one column in the Grade Center. 10. Checking "Allow Anonymous Comments" allows students to comment without their name appearing in the comment. This tends to encourage student participation. 11. Specify whether or not users can edit and delete their own postings and comments. 12. If desired, check "Grade" and provide a points possible. This allows the instructor to grade each student's blog participation and automatically creates a column in the gradebook. Note that you cannot always edit this setting later so it is best to decide now. 13. Click "Submit". Marshall School of Business Blogs_BB9-1.docx 2/11/14 Page 4 of 11

5 Section B: Creating Group Blogs Group Blogs are a group setting and are made by the instructor when creating or editing the group. Note the following: Group Blogs have the option of being graded. (If they are graded, a separate column will be created in the Grade Center for every group that has grading enabled.) Each group can have only one blog. Groups can read each other's blogs unless the instructor hides the "Blogs" tool within "Tools". Creating a Group There are many methods of creating groups, all of which are covered in the "Groups" guide. This guide just covers one method and does not go into a lot of detail. For more information, please see the "Groups" guide. 1. Access the course that will contain the group wiki. 2. Make sure "Edit Mode" is set to "On". 3. From the menu, expand "Control Panel". 4. Expand "Uses and Groups". 5. Click "Groups". 6. Click "Create". 7. Under "Single Group", click "Manual Enroll". This creates a single group whose membership must be assigned by the instructor. For more efficient methods of creating groups and assigning membership, read the "Groups" guide. 8. Type a name for the group you are creating. 9. Click "Yes" to make the group available to the group members. 10. Check "Blogs" to enable the group's blog. 11. Specify whether or not it is a graded blog. If it is a graded blog, specify the points possible too. Marshall School of Business Blogs_BB9-1.docx 2/11/14 Page 5 of 11

6 12. Click "Add Users". 13. Check the members of the group and click "Submit". 14. Click "Submit" here too. Editing a Group The group you created above will be listed within the Users and Groups area of Blackboard. To edit or delete a group, hover over its name to get the down arrow, click the drop down arrow and select edit or delete. Student Access to their Group's Blog Students will access their group's blog through the "My Groups" area of Blackboard. Hiding Blogs from Non-Group Members (Optional) By default, groups can read other group's blogs (but not edit them). If you would like groups not to be able to read each other's blogs, you must hide the "Blogs" icon within the "Tools" area. (Note however that any non-group blogs will become inaccessible as well. To make specific blogs available, make a link to them in a content area.) 1. Access the course containing the groups to be affected. 2. From the left menu, click "Tools". 3. Click the "Hide Link" button to the right of "Blogs". Groups can still access their own Blogs by going through the "My Groups" area but will no longer be able to access other group's Blogs using this tool. Should you wish to allow groups to read other student's Blogs again, go back to Tools and click "Show Link". Marshall School of Business Blogs_BB9-1.docx 2/11/14 Page 6 of 11

7 Section C: How Students Can Access Blogs The previous page shows how students can access Group blogs (i.e. within "My Groups"); to access Individual or Course blogs, students can go to "Tools" "Blogs", and then click the blog. If you hid the blogs tool from your students but still want them to access Group or Individual blogs, you can make a link to specific blogs from one of your content areas, follow the steps in the section below "Making a Blog Available from within a Content Area". Making a Blog Available from within a Content Area If you would like to make your blog appear in one of your course areas that allows content (e.g. "Content"), then follow the steps in this section. 1. Access the course containing the blog. 2. Click one of your content areas from the left menu (e.g. "Content".) 3. From the horizontal menu, click "Tools" then "Blogs". 4. Click "Link to a Blog". 5. Select the blog you are linking to from the list. 6. Click "Next". Note that you can also create a new blog using this button. The new blog will appear here and within the Blogs area under "Tools" from the left menu. 7. Set any desired options then click "Submit". The blog will appear in the content area. Marshall School of Business Blogs_BB9-1.docx 2/11/14 Page 7 of 11

8 Section D: Posting Blog Entries & Comments (Students or Instructors) This section covers how students will post to blogs and make comments. These steps are the same whether it is a Course Blog or an Individual Blog and can be performed by both the instructor and students. (Note that if you created "Individual" blogs, each student can only post to their own blog but all students can make comments to it. If you made course blogs, then all students can post and make comments to the same blog.) 1. Access the course containing the blog. 2. Access the area containing the blog. ("Tools Blogs" contains a list of all blogs but the instructor can also place a blog on the left menu or within a content area.) 3. Open the blog. 4. New Blog Entry To post a new entry to the blog, click "Create Blog Entry". If it is an individual blog, it will be stored within your blog; if it is a course blog, it will be stored in the course blog. (For individual blogs, you can only post to your own.) View Drafts If you have saved a posting as a draft, you can access it by clicking "View Drafts". Post Comment Click "Comment" to type comment on a posting. View Specific Student Posts (Individual or Group Blogs) Individual Blogs If you are using an "Individual" blog, select the student whose postings you wish to view by click this button then the name of the student. Course Blog If you are using a Course Blog, clicking a student' name will display just their entries. Marshall School of Business Blogs_BB9-1.docx 2/11/14 Page 8 of 11

9 5. Type a title for your posting. 6. Type your posting content. Note you can also insert files, images, etc. using the toolbars. 7. If desired (and enabled by the instructor), click this to post anonymously. 8. If desired upload a file you would like to include as a link within your posting. 9. Click "Post Entry" to make your posting available for others to view. Optionally, you can also save it as a draft if it isn't ready to be seen yet. Posting Comments to a Blog Entry Follow the steps below to post a comment on a blog. Edit / Delete a Post (if enabled) To delete or edit one of your postings, click the down arrow and select "Edit" or "Delete". 1. Top post a comment, follow steps 1-3 above to access the blog then click the "Comment" button for the blog posting you are commenting on. 2. Type your comment. 3. If desired (and enabled), click "Comment on Entry as Anonymous". 4. Click "Add" to post the comment below the blog entry you are commenting on. Marshall School of Business Blogs_BB9-1.docx 2/11/14 Page 9 of 11

10 Section E: Grading Blog Posts (Instructor) Optional If the instructor enabled grading when creating the blog, then a corresponding column in the Grade Center is created automatically; however, grading actually takes place from within the blog and will be automatically entered into the Grade Center from the Blog. 1. Access the course containing the blog you wish to grade. 2. Access the blog. 3. Expand "Blog Details" to see the number of entries and comments made by the selected student. 4. Click the drop down list and select a student. 5. Type a numeric score. 6. Type student feedback here. 7. Click "Submit". Marshall School of Business Blogs_BB9-1.docx 2/11/14 Page 10 of 11

11 Grading Group Blogs The instructor can create Group blogs by enabling the "Blogs" tool within the group. Additionally, if the instructor enabled blog grading, a corresponding column in the Grade Center is created for each group who has blog grading enabled. Note that each group can have just one blog. Group Blogs are graded within the same area that individual blogs are graded. 1. Access the course containing the blog you wish to grade. 2. Access the blog ("Tools" "Blogs" then click the name of the group.) 3. Locate the group's blog and type a numeric score in the "Grade" area. (Each student within the group will receive the same score.) 4. Click "Submit". Grading Group Members Individually If you would like to give a group member a score different from the rest of the group: a. Click the drop down arrow indicated. b. Click their name from the list. c. Type their score and click "Submit". Marshall School of Business Blogs_BB9-1.docx 2/11/14 Page 11 of 11