How To Use TurboScan App

Turbo Scan is an app I use with my iPhone to scan documents or articles that I have used in class and upload them to dropbox.  From there, I can link them to the blog for use by students.  The video below will help you use the app.  Not all things are covered, I will go over those below.

One thing that isn't covered it how to name the documents you are scanning.  After you are done scanning your papers, click on the top middle of your phone and it'll allow you to name your document. Or you can click on the pen at the bottom of the app and this will allow you to name the document as well.  Also, I like to share or move to dropbox by clicking "open PDF in" and choosing dropbox.

Promoting Your Blog

You've put the time into creating this thing, now you need people to access it!  Some suggestions in getting parents/students to use it....

• business cards with blog address on it (template below)
• mass email through Schoolmaster to all parents
• Remind 101 reminders
• Take 15 minutes out of class and visit it for students to see
• Place something on blog that they NEED to access for an assignment ex: website addresses for activity
• when pushing your blog to be used for make up work for absentees, etc., make them use it, don't coddle except the ones that don't have access
• keep it updated: if you don't, interest will be lost

Business Card Template  (Template has a QR code, that goes to my blog)  If you would like to know how to create a QR code for your blog, let me know.  

Speaking of promoting your blog....visit mine!  Kettner's Science Classroom Blog

Adding Assignments To Your Blog

Wanna do away with the absent folder?

  My intention with my blog was to have absolutely everything on here that my students would need, no excuses, no searching through many different sites for them to be successful.  If I can get them to go to my blog, everything is there.  

  Like I've said, I have made business cards with my blog address on it for students who are absent and request homework.  It is also accessed in the ISS room so students are leaving there and then coming to my class and interrupting my teaching.  Students who come to me and want make up work are told to go to the blog.  It's all there and in chronological order for them to access.  If they really want the make up work, they go on and get it.  

  Alright, so I either have all my worksheets electronically in some format.  I like to throw all electronic copies into dropbox.  The reason I like dropbox over drive in this instance is that I have accidently locked documents in drive and students weren't able to access them.  That doesn't happen in dropbox.  Some worksheets I have are not electronic so I can scan them using an app on my phone.  From my app, I can upload it to dropbox.  

                                                                                                                      Dropbox: Get link icon^^^^

From dropbox, you just click on share, get a link. Then on the blog, click link and paste the link into the box.  You can name the link as well in the "text to display" box.  Hit ok when done and it'll be there!

I also have a page set aside with a running list of dates and assignments.  It's really good idea to name the assignments on the blog with the same name/date in your gradebook.  

Posting About Class....

I think we got all the technical garb out of the way, so let's figure out how to post.  It's really quite easy after all that other stuff.

I like to post about class daily.  I think it gives parents and students an opportunity to stay in the know as far as what's happening in my class.  I literally usually don't post more than a paragraph daily.  I lately have been putting on pictures as well to "spice it up" a little more.  Remember, looks are everything.

There is usually more than one way to do things here on the blog.  So, for pictures I usually go onto google pics and search for whatever my topic is.  You can either download a photo to your computer then click on the "Insert Image" icon above in the toolbar.  From there, you can upload the photo.

Alternately, you can right click on a photo and click copy image and then right click on your post and click paste to get a photo on your blog.  This way doesn't always work, but usually.

With pictures, please remember not to post pics of your students faces to be safe.

Posting daily during my prep has become a habit.  It literally takes 5 minutes or less.  Where else can you provide so much information to a huge group of people along with actual work done in class accessible to those not at school?

Go to my next post to see how I go about adding work.....

Templates: Flying Solo

From this tab, you can skip all the other stuff and just choose a template that you like.  This allows you to view all choices on one screen and compare one against the other without actually having to remember which one you liked and scrolling through them all, then you can avoid all that other stuff you aren't necessarily ready for right now too!  I like choosing from here rather than the other way, but ultimately it's your choice.
  I know there are other blogs about blogs.  I wonder now if blogger has one.  I bet they do.  Oh well, I'm personalizing mine and making it education based.  So, I will continue on.  Is anyone reading this at this point?

Settings: Basic Only!

Lastly, under the blogger tabs that allow you to change up the look of your blog is the tab labeled settings.  Above, you can see what I have under the basic portion of settings.  The only thing you might want to change by chance especially if you are team teaching is the blog authors under permissions so more than just you can edit the blog.  I'd leave blog readers as public as well otherwise you will limit your viewers immensely.  Under the privacy portion, make sure kids can search for your blog, like I have.
  My students can usually search: mrs kettners science in all search engines EXCEPT BING and find my blog if they don't have the exact address.

Google search engine is your friend ultimately because blogger is a google blog website.  

I really wouldn't mess with any of the other settings cause you could really goof things up.  

Don't Fool Yourself! Looks Are Everything!

From the layout tab, just click on template designer link.  (see previous post) It's on the top right ish of the page.  Then you will get the above options:

Templates: Click on a style that you like and then from that, it allows you to have other choices.  See how the top right template is chosen and then linked to the templates below it?  Lots of choices!
Background:  Allows you to choose background color(if template allows) and a few other things but why worry about those details right now?
Adjust widths: Allows you to make columns on your blog bigger or smaller.  Also has a default choice just in case you goof it up.
Layout:  See below: too much to type up here!

As you can see above, the layout is how your blog will look.  This I think is important because if it looks good, people will stick around, read your blog and maybe even come back!  Choose one, try it for a week or so, then maybe change it and see what you think.  Remember then you can go back and add some gadgets.

Advanced:  Ok, it's just that, advanced!  Not really important in getting your blog up and running but something you can tinker with when you have spare time.  Or just leave it be!  Just allows you to have default fonts, background colors, text colors and such.  I'd just leave it at first.  I waited till just recently to mess with this stuff.

Pick a Gadget, Any Gadget

This blog is so great, you get to choose what the layout is.  What does that mean?  You get to choose where stuff is laid out on your blog.  You can also add "gadgets" to make your blog your own.  Below is an example of a layout.
Remember:  anytime you have a dark gray bar on the left side of something, that means you have the ability to move it up or down.  

Gadgets:   used to enhance their personal web experiences, or the web experiences of visitors to their personal sites. Ex: subscribe to blog, page views,  translator, share to social media, etc.  There are over 1,000 gadgets you could add.  

Add, remove, edit gadgets on your blog. Click and drag to rearrange gadgets. To change columns and widths, use the Template Designer.

Above is an example of a layout.  It's actually of my classroom blog.  Check out my next post to see how to change the layout format.

Enhancing Your Blog With Pages

Pages:  An example from my blog.

I use pages to help whomever visits my blog find everything they may need related to school in general and to my classroom.  You can add new pages and title them anything you want by clicking "New Page" at the top.  These pages option is found by clicking on the orange B(blogger button) in the top right corner of your blog.  Then clicking on the icon that looks like papers.  If you would like to see how I specifically use these pages and/or what info I put on them, check out my blog.  Just follow the link.  Once pages are created, you can change the order in which they appear by clicking on the gray bar on the left hand side of the page and just dragging it up or down into the position you choose.  Then "save arrangement" in the top right hand part of your blog.  

What Do They Mean By Overview?

Alrighty, an overview.  It's what makes you feel good!

New post:  allows you to write a new post

Overview:  allows you to see stats as far as total page views and other stats that make you feel good about yourself and the time you have put into the blog.

Your Blog!

So, you've now created a blog.  Congratulations and welcome to the 21st Century!  Glad to have you.  Well, now what? 



Once created, you will get a page that has the following on it.  You can click on start posting to begin.  The orange pencil button will do the same thing.  The pages button in the middle left will allow you to see all your posts (although at this moment you have none) Lastly, the view blog button will let you do just that and see what everyone else will see.  

The picture to the left are things that you will need when posting to your blog.
Labels: this allows you to tie keywords to your posts and let's people search your blog for what they need.
Schedule: allows you to set a time in which your post will be published on your blog. Ex: I schedule mine to post as soon as school gets out. Or you could write posts in advance and then choose when they are actually posted to your blog.
Permalink: Is the link in which to find the blog. You can customize this if you choose to something else. But why?
Location: You can add your location to your blog if you choose.
Options: Allows your readers to comment or not. It also has some other mumbo jumbo that you don't really need to worry about.


All the other buttons above your posts are similar to when creating documents in things such as word.

With the above buttons, you can add text, change the font, font color, font size and more.  The link button allows you to add links to websites.  I use the link button to post worksheets or things that I've used in the classroom.  It usually is linked to dropbox.com for worksheets.  The one to the right of link allows you to add pictures.  I usually use google pics to spice up my blog and/or reinforce something discussed that day in class.  

  The one that is like a movie director's sign will allow you to embed video directly into your blog.  It'll allow video's to be watched directly on the blog instead of going to another site.  Not all videos are able to be "embedded" though.  

  I think the rest are pretty self-explanatory and you have probably used at some point in your life.  

Let's Do This!

Now, you have the basic requirements, so let's make a B-L-O-G!  Aren't you excited?  I am!  Random fact, since I started my blog in October I have had almost 3,000 views.  That's only about 2,998 more than assign a day got in 5 years.  Last month alone I had over 400 views.  Someone is looking at it!  My time isn't being wasted and yours won't either if you use your blog, advertise it, push it, encourage it and UPDATE IT!

Alright, so now what.....Go to www.blogger.com and hit create a blog!

Above:

*Choose a title for your blog

*Choose an address on the web for your blog.

*Then choose a template (this can be changed anytime)

*Then click create blog!

**Note:  If your address is the same as someone else, you will have to choose another.

How to Get Started

So, now what?  You are here and wondering what the heck can we accomplish in 20 minutes?  Well, hopefully making a blog about making a blog will help!  So, these are some of the things that you will need to get started and be successful at doing what I'm doing with posting assignments and such.  You won't need all of it if you are looking to use the blog differently.

What you need to make the blog work:

*google account (mandatory)

*dropbox account (optional)

*scanner/scanning app (optional but recommended)

I like having a dropbox for various reasons to use along with my blog better than google drive or another type of site like it. If you want to know the reasons then ask. Otherwise, I won't waste your time.

I use the app called turboscan. It costs $1.99.  Best two bucks you will ever spend. Well, not really but close. It's available on iPhone only currently, but there are other options if you have an android phone, maybe Handy Scanner will work. It's free initially, try it and see if you like it.

What is a Blog?

blog

bläg/

noun

1. 1.

   a personal website or web page on which an individual records opinions, links to other sites, etc. on a regular basis.

Well, now that we got that out of the way.....It is an easy way to update your students, parents, fans about what is going on in your classroom.  I have looked at creating web pages and have determined this to be much easier and geared towards what I'm trying to accomplish.