Blogs
Blogs A blog is an interactive tool in Blackboard. Students publish their ideas and can comment on the blog entries of others. These steps will help you set up a blog in your course. How to Create a Blog 1. Begin with the edit mode ON. 2. Under the Control Panel open Course Tools and click on Blogs 3. Click on Create Blog. The property screen will appear see you can set up a blog. Notice that you have a full toolbar help you compose. Use the Chevron on the far right to show fewer or more tools. 4. Type a name for the blog and instructions for students. You can type instructions in Word and then paste them into the instructions section. Note: you must include Created by mclaughlinm Updated 7.13.15 by brownt Page 1 of 7 instructions here so that students can see them in the blog. Instructions to students will be displayed in a gray box that can be opened and closed. 5. Click “Yes” or “No” to make the blog available to students. If you choose no, you will see (Blog is not available) under the name of the Blog in the list. You may also set a time period for the blog to be available. 6. Create one of two blog types: a. Individual to All Students – each student has a blog; this is useful if students will post on a series of entries b. Course – each student posts to a class blog Created by mclaughlinm Updated 7.13.15 by brownt Page 2 of 7 7. Choose an indexing method. To save space, blogs typically index entries (provide links to the full entries) on either a weekly or monthly basis. Determine if students can devise or delete their own entries. 8. Click either No grading or Grade. If you're giving a grade, you must enter the number of points. You can set the needs grading number and add a rubric. Note: if you use grade, the blog will automatically be added to the Grade Center. 9. Click on the Submit button to create the blog. You should see a green success message telling you the blog was created. The new blog should be in the list. The examples below show both types of blogs. Created by mclaughlinm Updated 7.13.15 by brownt Page 3 of 7 10. Move your cursor to the right of a blog title and a pull down menu will appear. From this menu you can open a blog, edit its properties or delete it. Create a Link for Students in the Content Area 1. In assignments or another content folder, create a direct link for students to a specific blog. From the action bar click Tools then Blogs. Created by mclaughlinm Updated 7.13.15 by brownt Page 4 of 7 2. Select Link to the Blogs Page (shows all blogs in the course) or Link to a Blog and select the specific blog to link to. Note that you can also create a blog from this page. 3. Click Next 4. Click Submit 5. Students recognize blogs by this icon Created by mclaughlinm Updated 7.13.15 by brownt Page 5 of 7 Instructor Information 1. Instructions for students are always displayed in a shaded box that can be opened and closed. 2. Click on the box View Drafts to see if the student has made revisions. 3. View Entries by: Once students create blog entries, their names will appear here. You can read them or grade them. A student can see other blogs, but not other students’ grades. You can also see the students who have not blogged by clicking on Show Members Without Entries in a course blog or Show Empty Blogs in an individual blog. 4. FEEDBACK: Comments that you type into a grading section Feedback are for the individual students only. Created by mclaughlinm Updated 7.13.15 by brownt Page 6 of 7 Grading the Blog 1. Access the blog from Needs Grading under the Grade Center in the Control Panel (if graded), or from the blogs link under Tools. 2. View student blog entries. On the blog topic page there are two frames – you can see the student entries on the left side and grading information on the right side. Entries appear under Index. 3. Enter a grade, feedback and click Submit. Additional Resources: Blackboard Help https://help.blackboard.com Created by mclaughlinm Updated 7.13.15 by brownt Page 7 of 7
