Customizing your edublog with widgets and themes

Intermediate ICT Skills: Communicate & CollaborateCreating a blog part 4Customising your blogThemes, Headers, WidgetsIntermediate ICT Skills: Communicate & CollaborateCreating a blog: Making it look good!OutcomesBy the end of this e-torial, you will be able to: Change the look and feel of your blog using themes Create and upload a blog banner Inserting widgetsToolsThis e-torial make use of the following programmes or tools: Browser: Internet Explorer, Firefox… A blogging platform: EdublogsIntermediate ICT Skills: Communicate & CollaborateIndex Before you start Signing into your dashboard Choosing and activating a new theme Modifying your theme header Uploading a new theme header “Widgetising” your sidebar Inserting interactive widgets Customising widgets Inserting a RSS feed widget Activating your Plug-in widget pack Adding the ClustrMap widget Adding the Delicious widget Adding the Twitter widget Adding the Flickr widget Embedding external widgets Self assessment rubricIntermediate ICT Skills: Communicate & CollaborateBefore you create your blog….If you have not done so before, Action planfirst work through the previous blogging e-torials:•What is your blog going to be about? Why and What of blogging•School? Personal? Organisational?Purpose •Who is your audience? Learners? Parents The anatomy of a blog Setting up your blog in •What posts have to be included?Edublogs•Ideas FolderIdeas•Look for opportunities.So this means that you…. Already have an Edublog•Where are you going to create it? Have created pages for your •Choose a themeCreate•Insert feeds, widgets, interactivityblog Have done the odd blogpost..•Update regularly•Look after commentsMaintainSo are you ready to customize your blog to support the focus of what your blog is all about? Intermediate ICT Skills: Communicate & CollaborateSign into your new blog dashboardThere are 3 ways to sign into your blog: Go to www.edublogs.orgGo to your bloghttp://myusername.and log in with your edublogs.org and sign in username and using the Meta data widgetpassword If you are already signed into your blog, you can just click on the, Edit this link on any of your blog posts. You will be logged into your dashboard, where everything happens!Intermediate ICT Skills: Communicate & CollaborateChoosing a new themeBlog Themes provides blogs There are over 90 with a distinctive “look and themes. How do I feel”. A theme also determines:choose? How many columns & sidebars (1 or 2) If you can insert widgetsPick a theme that  If you can upload your own allows:2 columns, 1 sidebar header bannerright, No custom header Custom headers WidgetsHow many columnswill I need? If you are going to have a lot of widgets, and want lots of categories, pages links and interactive elements, choose 3 columns If you want a more clear sophisticated look, choose 2 columnsIt your choose 3 columns, you will have to stick to 3 column themes in future……Intermediate ICT Skills: Communicate & CollaborateActivating a new themeCan I change my theme often? Click on Design  Themes Pick a theme! Click on the theme pictureor link Visit your site to see if you like the theme, otherwise repeat the procedure till you are happy with your new theme!A theme gives your blog a brand, so do not change it too often!Intermediate ICT Skills: Communicate & CollaborateModifying your theme header Click on Design  Custom Image Header You can hide the text You can change the colour of the current header text Save changesIf you feel like a total header change, you will have to upload a new banner picture…Intermediate ICT Skills: Communicate & CollaborateUploading a new theme header Click on Design  Custom Image Header Make sure that the picture you are going to use has the right dimensions, if not, it will be cropped! Browse to where you have saved the image UploadClick here to open video in Youtube.com, pause to practise!It is a good idea to first create your picture and save it in the right dimensions!Intermediate ICT Skills: Communicate & CollaborateUploading a new theme headerYou will see your picture with the part that will be used lit up! You can move it to where your header text will be the most visibleCrop your headerTry to pick an image that has an area where you can see the blog title easily