edublogs is a free web service for anyone involved in the education field to post a blog on the world wide web. This post will discuss how to create an edublogs account, so that you can set up your own blog and begin to post relevant items for our Algebra Class.

When you go to edublog (www.edublogs.org) you will first see a page like the one shown below. (Any picture contained on this page will link to its a larger version of the picture.)

Once there you will click on the link to the left hand side of the page like the one below.

Once you click this link, the following page will load.

Please click the link the in the middle of the page in the yellow box that says, “start here.” Once that is clicked you will see the following page.

Once the page has loaded, you will need to fill in the information, as I have below. Make sure you use your own gaggle.net e-mail address, and not my e-mail address.

Once you have filled in this information, you will need to check your email address to verify your account. You will receive an email that has a link for you to click on that will verify the creation of your account. Once you have done so, you will receive another email that gives you a record of your password. Be sure to save the email you received from edublogs so that you will have your password in case you forget it at a later time. Then, you can then log back into edublogs by clicking the link on the front page that says “students login here.”

Once you click this link, you will see the following page.

Click the link in the second paragraph that says “log in here” in the middle of the page to log in.
Once you click this link, you will see this page.

Here, you will enter your username, that you chose when you signed up for your blog, and the password they assigned you for logging into the system.

Once you enter your username, you will see a page like the following.

Once you are on this page, you can post to your blog from here by clicking the “Write a post” link from the page above. Once there, you will see the following.

On this page, you can give your post a title and write the body. Once you are finished you just have to click the Publish button to publish your blog entry to your blog site.

There are many things you can discover to make your blog very personal and different in appearance, I want you to explore those on your own. If you want help, you can always come to after-school tutoring and I will help you with whatever questions you may have. I wish you luck in entering this crazy and zanny world of blogging. Remember, though, you have to keep your posts appropriate for school at all times. No profanity. No questionable material. If I find you are not following the rules, I will be forced to eliminate your computer and blog access.

-Mr. Black

Bloglines is a web-based RSS Feed reader. It allows you to read various weblogs and news feeds without having to install any special software onto your computer. It also allows you to access the feeds you read from various locations, not just at home. You can read them at work, a friend’s house, or even an internet cafe on the banks of the Rhine. You have the ability to read them at your heart’s content from where ever you might be at any given time.

Setting up a Bloglines account is easy. When you get to the site (http://www.bloglines.com/), use the “Sign Up Now It’s Free!” link in the middle of the page. The page should look like this:

***Please note that to view any photo, you only need click on it and it will open in a separate browser window.***

Once you have clicked the link, follow the procedures to create your account like so:

(***Please note that I used my email address, make sure to use your own***)

Click the “Register” button at the bottom of the form. After you have done so, you will receive an email confirming the creation of your account. Once you have received the email, you will have to respond to make your account active.

Once you click the “Register” button, you will be taken to a page that looks like this:

Now, it is time to add some feeds to your Bloglines account. We will start off easy and I will give you the various feed addresses you can add. I will start by having you add my edublogs.org account.

In the left hand margin of the page, you will need to click the link that says “add.” The left hand margin will look like this:

Once you click the “add” link the main window, to the right, will take you to the following page (Please note that if you have not confirmed you account yet, you will not be allowed to add any feeds until you do so by following the instructions in the email sent to you when you registered for your Bloglines account):

Once you have this page on your screen you need to do the following:

Type the address to my blog in the data box, http://rdblack2112.edublogs.org

After you have clicked the “Subscribe” button, the next page will load:

Click the “Subscribe” button, and you have now subscribed to my blog at edublogs.org. Quite easy, right? Now it is your turn to try it on your own, sort of… I will email you a list of blogs from various members of our group and you can now add them to your list of subscriptions in Bloglines.

At this point, I am going to let you venture out and explore these blogs. If you have any trouble adding these blogs shoot me an email (rdblack@access.k12.wv.us) and I will do my best to help you along the way. Good luck and happy blogging. I really can’t wait to see you all dive in head first and blog like champions. I know it is a kind of therapy at times for me. I hope you all enjoy and this was helpful.

-Mr. Black