Week 5: Free Choice

Quoted from: http://studentchallenge.edublogs.org/2018/04/01/week-5-free-choice-2/

The first few weeks of the challenge were mainly learning about blogging skills you need when working on public sites on the internet. You should have learnt the following so far:

• Avatars – what they are, how they are used, how to create one and upload to your blog
• About me pages – difference between page and post, what is private information and what you can say on your blog, being a good digital citizen
• Commenting – what makes a great comment, what you expect from a comment on your blog, guidelines for blogging and commenting in your class
• Images, sounds, video – what is creative commons, how to find safe and usable images, what is an attribution and how to write it, websites with great images, creating your own images, using images for puzzles and games, an image paints a thousand words when writing a story or poem
• URLS – difference between BLOG URL when leaving a comment on someone’s blog you are visiting and POST URL when filling in weekly form or commenting on the challenge blog

In a couple of weeks, we will be playing a commenting game. But you need to get prepared for this.

Make sure you have at least 5 other student/class blogs linked on the sidebar of your blog, in a page near your header area or in a recent post that your visitors can find easily. Make sure these are blogs from other students/classes around the world, not just those in your class or school. Perhaps have a blogroll or link category called Global students and/or Global classes. Here is how to add a blogroll if using Edublogs or Blogger. If using Kidblog write a post mentioning at least 5 great blogs you enjoy visiting. Your teacher may be able to add links on the class part of the Kidblog.

Have some visitor widgets on your blog sidebar – maybe a revolver map or a flag counter – this way you can see where your visitors are coming from. Remember only one visitor in 30 will actually leave a comment.

Make sure your blog looks interesting:

• Maybe change your header to suit what you are writing about.
• Do your pets make a noise as soon as your blog is opened in a tab? That can be annoying so make sure the visitor can click on the sound button if they want to hear your animal pet.
• Have you changed the tagline under the title of your blog?
• Have you included some tags or categories to help your readers find a great post?
• Does your background image make it hard for your visitors to read your posts?
• Have you written some interesting posts for your visitors to comment on?

Go to the 'Weekly Tasks' page to see what this week's task is.

Week 4: Think Globally, Act locally

Quoted from: http://studentchallenge.edublogs.org/2018/03/25/global/

Miss W, creator of the Student Blogging Challenge, is very involved in her community, both LOCALLY and GLOBALLY. Read about it HERE:

Locally

• My recycling bin has more in it every week than my normal rubbish bin.
• I have a worm farm that chews up any extra fruit and vegetable rubbish I might have left over.
• Whenever I go for a walk, I pick up any rubbish especially on the beach nearby.

Globally

• I sponsor a Panda with World Wildlife Fund
• I sponsor a child in Sri Lanka to improve the lifestyle of the child, their family and community. Have sponsored since I received my first pay cheque as a teacher back in the 1970s.
• I donate to Kiva with micro loans of $25. I have made 69 loans so far and 8 friends I have invited have also made loans

What could you do about some of these world problems?

Here is a great website with lots of information about many topics below.

There might be some that are more specific to your area of the world. But this week research one of the following topics:

• hunger
• water
• racism
• use of resources
• global warming
• specific aspects of the environment
• unemployment
• war and unrest
• use of land
• terrorism
• HIV/Aids
• child labour
• women’s rights
• education and literacy
• another global issue of your choice

This week's task is going to make you think about issues going on in our own country as well as issues happening overseas. Enjoy learning about these issues!

Go here for this week's TASKS: https://ehspsbc.blogspot.co.za/p/weekly-tasks_5.html

Week 3: Images, Video and Music

Quoted from: http://studentchallenge.edublogs.org/2018/03/11/week-2-make-comments/

This week we deal with using images, videos, music and sounds in your posts. Before you begin, there are important things you need to know:

Q: But can’t I use any image, music or sound that is on the internet?

A; No, you must use creative commons, public domain or in some cases the fair use rule.

Q: But where can I find these images, music and sounds? Can’t I use anything when I google an image?

A: No, your blog is public so you must use creative commons images, sounds, music and videos.

Sue Waters over at Edublogs has created a student blogging bootcamp with lots of interesting posts. Check these out (mainly Edublogs but many also relate to other platforms.) Other posts found here for Blogger blogs.

• Adding your own images or images you have created from apps
• copyright and creative commons images
• Adding videos

Other places to find information on creative commons

• Head to the creative commons website.
• Check out the CC wiki to find out what is happening in your country. What are the different licenses used?
• Teachers check out the education section of creative commons.
• Youtube allows creative commons for videos.
• Teachers: A fantastic guide to copyright, fair use and creative commons has been written by Ronnie Burt and I would suggest you read this to understand more about using images, music and video on your blogs. Also includes what might happen if you use an image etc incorrectly.
• Teachers: Post by Kathleen Morris about using images in blogs
• Larry Ferlazzo also has a great “Best List for images” that you might want to check out as well.

Images

• Open Clip Art
• Pics4learning
• Compfight website if you don’t have the plugin in your blog

• Pixabay
• Unsplash
• Pexels
• The Commons on flickr
• Wikimedia Commons
• Getty Search gateway

Make sure you check out the links in the Tools to Use symbaloo above the header

Video

Check out Sue Water’s post from the student blogging bootcamp where she shows how to create and upload your own videos as well as where to find videos and how to embed on your blog posts.

Music and sound effects

Jamendo, CCMixter, post with 14 websites for music, post with 20+ websites for music, post with 55+ sites with sound effects

For the WEEKLY TASKS, look HERE.

Week 2 : Commenting Skills

Partially quoted from https://studentchallenge.edublogs.org/:

This is another important week in the challenge. Blogging is all about having your voice heard and connecting with others who might like to read and comment on what you have written. But, as in many things we humans do, there are some protocols bloggers in schools like to follow.

We have often discussed rules for commenting on other blogs. If you have forgotten, please read them again on the Blogging and Commenting Guidelines Page, which are based on 

You can also watch this video:

For more about Week 2's tasks, look HERE.

Week 1: Avatars

Quoted from https://studentchallenge.edublogs.org/:

When you meet a new person or join a group, there are three things you will most likely do.

1. Look at the outside view of the person – do they look like the type of person you would enjoy being with?
2. Then you would go deeper by asking some basic questions about the person and their interests.
3. Finally, you would connect through shared interests.

We are going to cover those three things this week by creating an avatar to represent our outside view, create our about me page to show your visitors the type of person you are and your interests then you are going searching for other students your age who also have similar interests.

Go to the 'Weekly Tasks' page to see what this week's task is.

Welcome!

We wish you a very warm welcome to our Student Blogging Challenge blog. We are looking forward to all the challenges that lie ahead, but more than that, we look forward to connecting with students around the world.

Please take a moment to read the 'About' page on this blog. It will tell you a little bit more about us.

Our students have not started the challenge yet, but they will do so in the next day or so. However, feel free to see what they have written on their blogs already.

We look forward to meeting you all!

Mrs S.

2018 Student Blogging Challenge - Are YOU keen?

Who is keen?

• Who of you would like to sign up for a 10-week blogging challenge with students from all around the world? 

• Are you a keen blogger or would you like to learn more about blogging in a fun and interactive way? 

• Do you have it in you to meet the weekly challenges shared by Mrs S>

If so, then SIGN UP via the form in the DL Classroom. Be quick now, as the challenge begins on 4 March!