Blogs

You can use blogs to engage with your students on subjects and allow them to reflect on an idea.

Blogs encourage students to clearly express their ideas and address the need to expand on various aspects of social learning.

Blogs are an effective way to gain insight into students' activities and provide a way to share the knowledge and materials collected.

All blogs are public. Students are always able to see and comment on other students' posts.

Blog elements

Blogs consist of two elements:

  1. Blog entries: text, images, links, multimedia, mashups, and attachments added by students, open for comments.
  2. Comments: remarks or responses to blog entries made by other students and the subject coordinator.

Blog types

You can choose to allow students to participate in blogs in three ways:

1. Subject blogs

A subject blog consists of one blog space with all students contributing to the one blog. All subject members can add blog entries and add comments on blog entries.

2. Individual blogs

This type of blog gives each student their own blog space for posting. Each time you enter the Blog you are presented with your own blog posts. You can see other students' blogs from the list on the right via the arrows or the drop down next to the student’s name. Only the owner of the blog is able to add blog entries. All other subject members can view and add comments.

3. Group blogs

All group members can add blog entries and make comments on blog entries. Anyone enrolled in the subject can view group blogs, but they can only add comments. .

You can edit and delete entries in any of the three blog types and delete user comments.

  1. Ensure the edit mode is ON.
  2. Create or navigate to the place where you would like students to access the blog. This may be on the left navigation or on a specific page.
  3. If you are on a content page select Tools then Blogs from the menu at the top of the page.
  4. Select Create New Blog.
  5. Enter a Name for the blog and Instructions (optional).  The instructions appear at the top of the blog each time it is opened.
  6. Decide if the blog is available now or at a later date to students.
  7. Select the Display After and Display Until check boxes to choose date and time restrictions (optional).
  8. Blog Participation is used to determine if the blog is a subject-level blog or an individual blog. This setting allows you to choose how the blog entries are to be displayed. (View information above about the difference between subject and individual blogs). You can also allow anonymous comments.
  9. In the Blog Settings section, select Monthly or Weekly Index Entries. Other options allow students to edit and delete entries, or delete comments.
  10. provides the option to grade the blog. If you do not wish to grade the blog you can now select Submit.
    • If you choose to grade, you will be given further options.  A  column will also be created automatically in the Grade Centre. After creating any item in the Grade Centre it is recommend to check your Grade Centre set up:
    1. Select Points Possible
    2. Select the number of posts required to show a Needs Grading icon for that student in the Grade Centre (optional). If you select this option, the Needs Grading icon will show in the Grade Centre.
    3. Attach a rubric (optional).
  11. Select Submit.

To edit the blog settings:

  1. Ensure the edit mode is ON.
  2. Open the blog.
  3. Click the drop down arrow next to the blog name and choose Edit.
  1. Open the blog and select the post you wish to comment on.
  2. Select Comment below the user’s entry.
  3. Add a comment. Comments are text only.
  4. If available you are able to select the check box for Comment on Entry as Anonymous.
  5. Select Add.
  6. To view all comments, select the numbered Comments link below the entry.

Blog comments can be removed by the instructor by clicking on the red cross next to the name of the person who made the comment. Removal of comments cannot be undone.

Blog posts can be removed by the instructor. Select the drop down arrow next to the posts title. Select Delete. Removal of posts cannot be undone.

Students can also remove posts and comments if this option has been made available.

Students' progress can be viewed in Needs Grading, Grade Centre or on the blog topic page. If a student has reached the required number of posts for the blog, the Needs Grading icon appears. The In Progress icon appears if the student has not reached the minimum number of posts that has been set or the Show participants in needs grading status check box was not selected.

To grade from the blog
  1. Open the blog.
  2. On the right hand side of the page use the arrows or drop down menu to select the students work to be marked.
  3. Type a point total in the Grade box. If you associated a rubric for this graded blog, expand and complete the rubric. To edit an existing grade, select the Grade box and change the grade.
  4. You can include feedback for the student in the Feedback to Learner box.
  5. Select Add Notes to leave notes that appear only to you and the grader role.
  6. Select Submit.