I have just come across the website Cool Tools For Schools here:
http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/
and am amazed by how good it is! It contains all the web2 sites that I have used and many many more.
It is organised in a really easy to use way under separate headings for each possible use as you can see in the screen shot.
What a brilliant site!
Cool Tools For Schools
So along the sidebars of a blog (columns on the left or right) are a varierty of ‘widgets’. These are a variety of nice extras that you can have which provide information or link to things.
This video shows you some of the things you can do and how to add widgets.
http://www.screencast.com/t/5d72pbOnX2T
Simply put:
Go to Appearance
Click on Widgets
Select the widget you want and click add
Change the order on the sidebar by clicking and draging them up or down.
Click Save Changes
At the top of your blog will be an image. It is easy and effective to change this image reguarly!
Here is a video to show you how…
http://www.screencast.com/t/a0FYUbys0
All you do is go to Appearance
Custom Image Header
Select your image
Click upload
Crop if needed (Image needs to be 736 x 229 pixels)
Click OK
A theme is a the preset settings effecting the appearance of your blog. There are lots of pre set themes that are avaliable. This video shows you how to select the best theme for your blog.
http://www.screencast.com/t/LoJQJnEp
Simple you log in to your dashboard.
Click Appearance
Select Themes
To preview your blog in any of the themes just click on the title and it will load it.
Click activate to select or the x to close.
Embedding just means to link from one website to another. It is a great way to put photos, videos and animations onto your blog.
This how to is a longer video showing how to embed from 3 of my favourite (free) websites:
www.photopeach.com – a simple way of inserting pictures to music and adding captions or quizes
www.vimeo.com – a great way of uploading and putting your own videos onto a blog
www.animoto.com – simmilar to photo peach but makes more professional looking videos using your own images. To get the full edition you need to register for an educators account.
Here’s the video…
Once you have written your post it is also possible to insert a variety of media into it. This video shows you how to insert a picture or image into a post:
http://www.screencast.com/t/RF7GvYxZB
Simple write a post as usual
Then click on the sun like image that says ‘add media’ when you hold your mouse over it.
Then click on select file
Choose your image or file
Click ‘insert into post’
And you are done!
Once a post is written anyone in the world can post a comment on it!
There is a video I have made showing how here: http://www.screencast.com/t/dCme4MIgmg
Simply under the post it will say ‘No comments yet’ or ’2 comments’ etc depending on how many comments there are and you click there.
You need to enter your name, an email address and the word in blue below.
Then type your comment
Click ‘Submit comment’
As the administrator you then need to approve the comment.
Log in as to type a post
Then under the ‘comments’ heading on the left hand side click where it says ’1′ meaning there is a new comment.
Click approve.
You go to your blog address eg. http://2cj.southwarkprimary.net
scroll down to you see log in.
Log in using your user name and password.
Click on ‘Posts’ on the left hand toolbar.
Click on ‘Add New’.
Type your post.
Click Publish.
Watch this video I have made for further details:
http://www.screencast.com/t/h0J95Zu5MN
This is going to be my space to share some of the things I am doing at Southwark as ICT Co-coordinator!
What better thing to start with than sharing the e-safety planning I have set up for the Autumn Term (6 lessons) years 1-6.
Would welcome comments and feedback!
