Kidblog Set up Instructions

Kidblog Set up Instructions
1. In your browser (Firefox, Safari, Chrome) type kidblog.org
2. Click on the “Teachers” button
3. Under “Display name”, type in the name you want shown on the screen to your
students.
4. Create a password and type in your email address.
5. Under “Class name” choose something your students can easily identify. For
example: “Ms/Mr ABC”, or Orange Team for example. Then, Click on
“Create class.”
Once you have created your class, the website will automatically take you to your
Home Screen which you will see each time you log into the Kidblog website.
Creating Your Profile, Choosing an Avatar
1. Sign into you account
2. Click on your name (Avatar) in the upper right hand corner (next to the Log Off
button)
3. If you want to change the Display Name you created when signing up for
Kidblog, click inside dialog box to change your display name.
4. Click in the dialog box in the Blog Title line to change the name of your blog.
Kidblog automatically defaults to the Display Name you created when signing up
for Kidblog. Change it to something unique and appropriate to your curriculum.
4. To add a picture or choose an avatar (graphic) click on blue “Change Avatar”
under the greyed picture image and upload a picture from your computer. Click
on “Choose file”, then “Upload image”. To crop your photo, choose “Crop image”.
To choose an avatar, click on the blue “or choose an Avatar from our collection”
and choose one of their images.
4. Click “Update profile” at the bottom of the page to save your change.
Creating Student Accounts
1. Click on the Add New Users tab next to the Profile tab.
2. LPS strongly recommends using the following Student User Name – students
intials followed by the number they are on your class list. For example, Stanley
Student who is student #14 on your roster should be added as SS14. We
recommend this because although the content of this blog is private, the class
name and roster are still searchable.
3. Assign your students a simple password such as 1234.
4. The student “Role” will default to “Student”. There is no need to change this.
5. Click “Add new user” and repeat steps 1-4 until you have finished your class
list.
6. Create a sample student to your class so you can see what things look like
from the student view.
Adding Students To Your Blog
Kidblog does not automatically assign students to a teacher blog. You will need
to do this.
Click on the All Users tab
Notice that all of your students/users are listed as well as their role. Make sure each
student has the role of a student.
Next you will need to assign them to your blog. Click on the blue EDIT button under
their name. The Students’ Control Panel will appear. Click inside the Blog Title dialog
box and type the name of your blog. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Update
User Account. You will need to do this for each student/account, otherwise the program
assigns the students to their own blog.
Now that you have added your students and assigned them to your blog,
look at your blog. Click on “Go to class blogs” at the top of the screen.
Getting Started with Students
Share the URL to your blog. In the Go to Class Blog’s section and copy the link.
It should be similar, but not exactly the same as this:
http://kidblog.org/MrsRhodesClass-7/wplogin.php?redirect_to=%2FMrsRhodesClass-7%2
Students paste the URL into their browser. The site automatically brings them to
your Kidblog and asks them to find their name, then type in their password.
Student Login/Change Password:
Teachers always have full control of the student accounts, including passwords.
If you choose to allow students to change their password:
1. The student clicks on their Student Name at the top of their page.
2. The student types in their old password in the dialog box.
3. The student types in a new password in the dialog box.
4. The student scrolls to the bottom of the page and clicks “Update profile”
If a student changes their password without teacher permission, click on your
Avatar, then click on Users, then click on the student’s name, and Edit. Assign a
new password in the password dialog box. Don’t forget to “Update User” at the
bottom of the page to have the new password register.
Controling privacy settings on your blog
To maintain privacy for our students, LPS requires Kidblog accounts to be
private, so that only class members can comment on each other's blogs. Kidblog
defaults to the private setting.
Settings for Posts
Depending on the grade level and composition of the class, you may choose to
read the students’ posts before they are published to the blog.
Click on the Avatar to bring up your dashboard. Next, click on Settings and
finally, click on Comments
Check off the Comment Approval box if you wish to review comments to a post
before it is published. The comment will not be posted until you give approval.
To review and approve Posts, click on the Posts tab next to Comment and do the
same as above.
At any time you can unclick these boxes to allow students to freely post and
comment with each other. You can also restrict them at any point.
YOU ARE NOW READY TO START BLOGGING!
After you have created a class, Kidblog automatically posts a sample post on
your behalf. You need to change this to establish the tone of your blog.
Click on “Go to class blogs ” to see your blog then click on the first post
“Welcome to Kidblog.org!” Now, click on “Edit this post” and edit your first post.