Thing 2 - Become a Blogger

Blogs are websites containing entries (called “posts”) which appear in reverse chronological order, with the most recent post at the top of the page. Traditional websites require a bit of tech know-how, but blogs are easy to create and can be maintained by almost anyone, making them a great choice for classroom and educational use. Blogs first appeared as personal online journals, but now are used for all purposes and by all types of people, including organizations. Watch this video to learn more about blogs:



If you can't see the video, click here to watch it on the Common Craft website.

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To complete Thing 2 you must:
A. Create your own blog
B. Register your blog in the 23 Things project
C. Reflect on Things 1 and 2 on your new blog

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A. Create Your Blog
Now that you have an idea of what blogs are, let's see how easy it is to create your own! This is an important task, as you will be using your blog to reflect on your progress throughout this 23 Things program. At the end of each Thing, you will be asked to post to your blog – and project facilitators will read your blog to verify that you have completed all tasks.

There are many blog services available. We will be using Blogger. Watch this video to learn how to set up your blog then go to Blogger and create your own. Be creative when naming your blog --- do not call it "23 Things." Also, remember to use your Google account email and password that you created when you registered for this program.




B. Register Your Blog
Once your blog is created, you must register your blog address by sending an email to 23things-adm@resa.net. Remember, your blog address is "_________.blogspot.com" -- it's a unique address that you created when you created your blog. Yours will be listed under “Participant Blogs” in right-side column of this blog so that others can see what you’re doing – an important part of becoming an online community of learners.
If you are not officially registered for this program, please do not register your blog address. You may work your way through the Things, but facilitators will not be monitoring your blog.

C. Reflect - Blog Prompts for Thing 1 & Thing 2
At the end of each Thing, you will be asked to post to your blog. Your reflective post should provide insight into what you’ve discovered and learned. Write about what worked, what didn’t, what you might try in your classroom, any surprises, frustrations, or eureka moments. We will offer some blog prompts. You do not have to answer all the questions nor should you feel limited by them -- they are just prompts to get you thinking. Make sure that the title of each blog post refers to the Thing that you are writing about (by number) -- give this first post the title: Thing 1 and Thing 2

Why are you participating in 23 Things? What do you hope to learn? What new insights did you have during Thing 1? How does writing on the Internet, knowing anyone could read it, challenge or motivate you, or change how you write?