Well, the Edublogs™ Kick Start Your Blogging Challenge draws to a close this week. It’s been quite a ride, and quite a heavy workload - for a blogger accustomed to producing 4 posts a month.
In response to the penultimate challenge, I’ve created a guide to the widgets and badges displayed on the A Relief Teacher’s Journey sidebar, which has undergone a significant evolution over the course of this incredible professional learning experience.
My Sidebar Widgets & Badges
Embedding Widgets in the Sidebar
I’m not planning to go into detail about how I embed widgets in my sidebar, as I’m sure that someone else can explain that much better than I can. Most of my widgets are standard Blogger™ widgets from the “Gadget” library; however, third-party HTML code (for ClusterMaps™ , etc) are embedded using customisable HTML/JavaScript widgets.
If you have any links to Blogger™ tutorials, videos, etc; or can better explain the widget embedding process, please feel free to leave a comment / link below. Thankyou.
Michael,
ReplyDeleteThanks for including my class blog 'Kids in the Mid' on your blogroll.
Regarding widgets, I noticed in my Google Reader today that Richard Byrne has written a post about widgets in Blogger blogs.
I completely missed this challenge. It's sounds pretty interesting and useful. I'll have to make the time to take a peek at your previous posts about this.
ReplyDeleteHi Sue & Veronica. Thanks for the comments.
ReplyDeleteFor anyone new to Blogger, I highly recommend reading Richard Bryne's post (see the comment above).
Veronica, I believe the Challenge will be archived upon completion, so you can complete it in your own time later. You can check out the website: http://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/ for more information.
Nice to see you back in the comments!
Great sidebar widgets! Did you make a print screen on your sidebar and add them to your post? That was neat as well!
ReplyDeleteThanks Theresa. I used the Webpage Snapshot extension in Google Chrome, and then edited the images in dear old MS Paint. Glad you liked it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog! I love the feel of yours... I feel some trepidation in getting widget-heavy. I don't know enough about them, I think...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the clear explanation of your widgets and your explanation via the comments on how you acquired the images for your explanation.
ReplyDeleteHi Michael,
ReplyDeleteThanks again for participating in the Teacher's Blogging Challenge and I am sure you have learnt a great deal, as I have. I have seen your blog evolve over the past few weeks and you have done a remarkable job to document your journey along the way. I have been thinking about adding a creative commons license to my blog, but you have given me the motivation to get it done! Keep up the great work and best wishes for the year ahead!
Thanks for the feedback! The Teacher Challenge has been a positive learning experience, and I'm just celebrating becoming a classroom teacher for the very first time!
ReplyDeleteMy blog may not be updated as regularly over the next few weeks - I expect to be pretty busy!
I wonder: did you make any changes after going through your tutorials and explanations? Often, the stepping-back allows me to reflect on why I have what I have there, and why is it necessary?
ReplyDeleteKevin
Hi Kevin! Actually, I did make some significant changes in the order of the widgets - trying to balance the amount of text & information. The "Themes and Topics" widget was a new discovery and addition.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of the clear information on widgets. I am even beginning to get an idea of what a badge is. I don't know anything about getting a creative commons license, and wonder what that means. I guess I better find out!
ReplyDeleteHi MrsSarno. Creative Commons is all about managing the use of your intellectual property on the Internet. It provides guidelines for the reproduction of your work in commercial/non-commercial publications, depending on your preferences. You'll find more information on the Creative Commons website
ReplyDeleteHi Michael -
ReplyDeleteI use Blogger too and I haven't found the "Themes and Topics" widget. Was that a third party widget or one from Blogger? Would love some help on this. Love your blog roll too - you are following some great blogs. I hope you don't stay away too long...Good luck with your own class!
http://teachingiselementary.com
Hi Nancy. My "Themes and Categories" widget is a renamed "Labels" widget from the standard Blogger directory. It uses your post tags - you will need to customise the labels it shows for clarity.
ReplyDeleteI hope to be back blogging in a week or two. Many thanks.
Michael
Thanks Michael! I think I get it now! Guess I'll have to be really careful how I choose my labels. I appreciate your help.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your class - I bet they are thrilled to have you as their teacher!