WeeklyThreadsWeek2


Weekly Threads for Week Two

 

(Messages #719-#1143)

This work is in progress. Please be patient while the threads for week two are compiled. Thank you!

 

Visit our Blinklist for all the links mentioned during Week Two.

 


 

Welcome to Week 2!

 

Name Message

Erika Cruvinel

Carla Arena

#719 From the blogging team: Erika Cruvinel and Carla Arena

Hello B4B participants!

 

We are Erika Cruvinel and Carla Arena and we will be moderating our

week 2 activities. Before talking about the next tasks, We would

like to congratulate all of you for the good work in week 1. For

those of you who have not finished week 1 tasks, remember that you

can refer to all tasks at our wiki and complete them at your own

pace.

 

The objectives for week 2 are to understand basic blogging features

and their relevance in your teaching context; choose a bloghost and

start a blog.

 

We will work on three different tasks:

 

1. Learning about blogging jargon

2. Comparing different bloghosts

3. Starting a blog

 

Please access WeeklyTasks2

for instructions, tips, links and office hours.

 

The discussions on different bloghosts (task 2) should be posted to

our group blog and any doubts

on tasks 1 and 3 should be sent by email to the group.

 

Looking forward to lots of interaction, questions, comments and blog

URLs!

 

Erika Cruvinel and Carla Arena

On behalf of the Blogging Team

 

 

Sorry, no picture

yet

Maria Claudia

Bellusci

Dear Erika and Carla,

From the heart of your beautiful country I'm writing this short

message to wish you and all the participants a successful week as

Gladys's has been.

 

Claudia

 

 

 

 

 

Week 2 Objectives

 

Carla Arena

#745

My dearest friend and partner Erika has already posted our Week 2 objectives and wiki page for you and we really hope to get as much interaction as we had in Week 1 with the fantastic moderation of Gladys and the help of some very special collaborators, the Ninas, Dennis, Carla H, Mary Hillys. You're all amazing international partners!

 

I've already started checking some very interesting blogs that you included in our yahoogroups links and was very glad to see some born-bloggers in the group!

 

Please, don't hesitate to email the group if you have any questions, doubts or comments. We're here to share, support and learn with you all.

 

Remember, that this week we start blogging and the main interaction will take place at our group blog message.

 

 

 

Summaries: day by day

 

 

Carla Arena

Day 1

#816

Dear super B4Bers,

 

It seems that everybody is getting his way around. Maite found herself in

our yahoogroups, some have been sharing their own blogs, and I'm having fun and learning a lot from the emails. Others have taken a step ahead and started commenting on our blog.

 

After an intense week of introductions and interactions, now it's blogging time!

 

The Blogging Team is looking forward to seeing your blogs on our list of participants' blogs at our yahoogroups

Please, make sure you add your blog to that list so that we don't miss any of these fantastic journals of all kinds!

 

If you have any doubt or suggestion, don't hesitate to contact us. Tomorrow (today, in some parts of the world!), January 23rd, Tuesday, Erika will be available to discuss with you any matter about our session, from 22:00 to 4:00 GMT

 

For the ones who haven't finished Week 1, just take you time. We are all teachers and can understand tight schedules and lack of time. We're still here for you all!

 

Beijos,

Carla in Lively Key West!

 

 

Carla Arena

Day 2

#870

Hey, busy Bloggers!

I've been browsing through your blogs with interested and sparkling eyes! The B4Bers are born-to-be Bloggers!

 

This week action is taking place on our group blog as participants are commenting relevant aspects of Aaron Campbell's comparisons of different blog hosts in relation to form and content in blogging. Also, it is a way to have everybody started in the art of blogging and, at the same time, to prevent some difficulties our students might have when we start blogging with them (nowadays, we don't teach just a language, but also media literacy)

The first point raised on the students' perspective is "How do I post a comment"?

We created a very simple tutorial to guide you.

 

Another question in the group was about the photo that appears in some comments. These photos are part of your blogger profile. So, when you login to your blogger account, click on your profile (right side of your screen) and go to "photograph" to add your image there. After you do it, every time your write a comment, your photo will be next to your ideas!

 

There's still a lot of blog action ahead!

 

Don't forget to include your blog in our yahoogroups links 

 

 

 

 

Carla Arena

Day 3

#921

Dear all,

 

Here I am sleepless in Key West!

 

Great exchange of ideas and questions are taking place on our blog.

Don't be shy! Check them out and express yourselves.

 

New tutorials have been included on our wiki. You might find something you were looking for and didn't know how to do it..Tutorials

 

We're giving some instruction on demand. So, if there's still some action you need to take to perform a task, but you need some guidance, ask! Your question may save other participants' lives!

 

Erika had very interesting interactions during her office hours yesterday and today. You can read the chat log of part of yesterday's session here.

Today I lost myself as I started browsing some interesting blogs that I'm subscribed to..., and I can't resist sharing one of them with you...Relationship

A very straight-to-the-point post (and short one, too!), which has everything to do with what we've been discussing and experiencing! Interactions!

 

Nina Lyulkun and Mary, thanks for updating our participants'page with profiles and photos! You're fantastic collaborators!

 

Have a wonderful day, guys!

Beijos,

Sleepless Carla

 

 

 

Carla Arena

Day 4

#974

Dear all,

 

Although we greatly miss our friend Claudia, who will be with us again soon,and is the Frappr expert the Team has finally managed to update our slide show on our wiki page! Thanks for all of those who were patient enough with us. We also appreciate the emails you sent on the issue. Based on them we could find the solution. Berta, your help with the email you sent to the Frappr staff was essential in the process of finding the solution for our outdated map!

 

Take a look at it! We're extremely proud of this lively group

 

Lessons to learn:

If something seems to be wrong, speak up!

Sharing ideas leads to solutions.

When there's a Team, there's never a problem that can't be fixed!

Although things don't seem to be working, never GIVE UP. There's always the key to success out there, somewhere on the Internet.

 

Today I was brave enough to create another blog to report about my new life in Key West and to share some ideas with my former students, but there's still lots of work and writing to do there...Hope to share with you some time until the end of this session!!! This time I'm using Wordpress for a change!

 

Erika has uploaded yesterday's chatsession with Veronica and Barbara (with their consent!). It might give you some clues to start blogging ( Chatlog about how to log in to Blogger, add and edit posts and Chat log about how to change the settings and permissions of a blog).

 

On Saturday, you can practice using the platform Alado for our live sessions with Guest Speakers in weeks 3, 4 and 6.

Check the Schedule here

 

So, how's blogging going for everybody?

Hope to see you around soon!

Beijos,

 

 

 

Erika Cruvinel

Day 6

#1088 From: "Erika Cruvinel"

 

Dear all!

Day 6 of week 2 was a very special day for B4B!

We had 93 messages exchanged. I wonder why teachers work even harder on Saturdays...

Now our moderators' team is complete! Claudia is back from holidays in Rio and from the number of messages she has written today, I can tell that she has fully-charged batteries.

Our training session at Alado was really fun! I was delighted to hear some participants' voices! You can read the chat log at

here

Many baby blogs were born! You can visit them at links

Well, tomorrow we have another meeting at

webheadsinaction - 15 GMT (see message #1056). Hope to hear many voices there!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

 

Erika Cruvinel

On Behalf of the Blogging Team

 

 

Questions and advices

Andrea Giordano

#1111 From: Andrea Giordano

I've created my blog but I can't find where to post it and even less to add pics. Something's missing there and I can't find the exit door.

 

Bárbara Tous

#1126 From Bárbara Tous

I had the same problem this week and Erika helped me a lot. You have to enter to www.blogger.com then go to new blogger and create a gmail account (you have to ask for an invitation). Once you have your gmail account, you can log in and post a comment or add a photo.

Gladys Baya

#779 From: Gladys Baya

Q: "My blog disappeared from my account! What do I do?"

A: Have you seen Blogger's advice at

help

 

Nina Liakos

#731 From Nina Liakos

The blogger helps group in YG is also a good resource. The URL is and it is a Yahoo Group similar to this one, only devoted to blogger users helping blogger users.

Finally, I found this FAQ on vanishing blogs on the Blogger site.

 

Barbara Tous

#758 From: Barbara Tous

I'm a new at blogging and I don't know what type of blog I can chose, because at the moment I'm not teaching English. I hope you can help me.

 

Erika Cruvinel

#775 From Erika Cruvinel

...you could create a personal blog with thoughts, or a blog about your home town, or about your country, or for your family and friends... Remember that this week you just need to write a title and a post to make your blog visible to others, but it can be edited later to a totally different blog.

 

Gladys Baya

#783 From Gladys Baya

How about a blog reflecting about your professional development, or ... maybe you could create a personal blog with thoughts, or a blog about your home town, or about your country, of for your family and friends...

 

Nina Liakos

#800 From Nina Liakos

How about a reading blog, with comments about books you are reading? Or just a blog about this session: a blog about blogging like my, first blog

 

Barbara Tous

#867 From Barbara Tous

I liked yahoo 360 because it was easy to make a blog and I could post a photo in it. Then I created a blog in blogger

I found it more difficult to use blogger, since it has more tools to use.

 

Veronica Baig

#846 From Veronica Baig

I've been trying to post my photo to my blog with no success

so far.

 

Monica Veado

#850 From Monica

I had exactly the same problem with the old version of Blogger! Here's what I did:

1. Post your photo as if you were posting a text message. There is an icon you click to copy and paste it.

2. On the right side, right above the space for posting, click on "HTML". You will see your photo "translated" into HTML.

3. Copy the URL - it begins with http:// - and paste it on the space for the URL you tried before, in your profile.

 

Erika Cruvinel

#877 From Erika Cruvinel Making links open in a new window

 

Instead of just writing the url for the link, include the following html tag:

Example:

B4B blog!

"B4B blog" is the how the link will appear on your blog. And then, if you click on it, it will take you to http://blogs4beginners.blogspot.com

So just copy and paste this html tag into your blogs and change it to include the URLs you want to.

This is a page where you can find other hints on how to use html tags.

Warmly

Erika

 

Dennis Oliver

#882 From Dennis Oliver The New Blogger
  • Blogs made with the "new" Blogger interface seem to offer a number of features that weren't found on blogs created by using the "old" Blogger.
  • One new feature is a requirement that to edit a blog and/or to add comments to one (of the "new" ones), one must have a Google account.
  • It appears that ALL Blogger blogs will "migrate" to the "new" interface at some point in the future.
  • I like to use Firefox as a browser and to use a Mac. I can read "new" Blogger blogs just fine with this configuration, but I can't edit or add comments using Firefox (even the latest version) on my Mac.
  • On my Mac, I _can_ use Netscape, Safari, Omniweb, and Opera to access, edit, and post comments to a "new" blog. On my PC, I can also use Firefox and Internet Explorer to access, edit, and post comments to "new" blogs. In some of these browsers, the default text display is very small on a Mac.
  • At this point, I have mixed feelings about the "new" Blogger. I'd prefer not to have to use a browser other than Firefox to edit and post to a "new" blog.

 

Erika Cruvinel

#979 From Erika Cruvinel How to make your comments show!

Change the settings of your blog to make them show. Try the following:

 

• Log in to Blogger.

• You will be taken to a page called Dashboard.

• You will also see the title of your Blog.

• Click on Manage - Settings.

• Then click on comments on the toolbar on the top.

• The first option will be to SHOW or HIDE comments.

• Choose SHOW.

• Then Save Settings.

 

Jenny

#980 From Jenny in Delft

I'm gratified to see my name and blog on the list of Participants' Blogs, but why is mine the only one with "Edit Delete Cut" on the right- hand side of my entry?

 

Gladys Baya

#1015 From Gladys Baya

 

Nothing wrong, Jenny (in Delft), each participant can see those options for the links / files they've added themselves... As you've guessed, it's related to your user name... You cannot edit or delete other people's contributions (that's the way we chose to set it, may vary in other YG!).

 

No photo

fatemeh

#1011 From fatemeh Problems with my weblog

 

1) when creating a new post, I can't change the color or font of the text. As you can see in my weblog this was not the case for my previous posts.

2) How about adjusting the picture added and the text related to that picture?

3) Does deleting the template and picking a new one clear all posts and messages in my weblog? What about changing the color of the background or sides? Any changes in my posts?

4) Can I myself add some modifications to the template?

5) How can I hide some part of the text in my post so that a reader him/herself, in case of interest, keeps on reading the whole text in another link? And how about the pictures in another link?

 

Nina Liakos

#1042 From: "Nina Liakos"

You can certainly make changes to the blog html template. In fact, you have to do this if you want to add things to the sidebar, such as links. If you change your template (skin), your posts and comments are not affected, but you will lose any changes you have made to your template, such as sidebar additions, so before changing the template (skin), copy the whole template (or just the sidebar) into Wordpad (the reason for not using Word or something similar has to do with line breaks which might result, I believe), change the template (skin) and then paste the sidebar back into the html template.

 

No photo

Maria Claudia Bellusci

#1057 From Maria Claudia Bellusci

You can add hyperlinks at any stage in the blog development. If you have an attentive look at your template, you'll be able to spot the Links section, which usually has some model links, like Google, etc. You can just copy that code and replace the existing URL with the one you want, and the anchor (that is, the clickable word), with the name of the website you're linking.

 

No photo

Maria Claudia Bellusci

#1058 From Maria Claudia Bellusci: Problems with Blogger

The best example as teachers we can set to our students, is to show them that learning is a lifelong process, and that we are always eager to keep pace with new teaching resources. This means growing wiser and not only older.

 

 

 

Live sessions

 

 

Erika Cruvinel

#1007 From Erika Cruvinel

Hi Karim

First I'd like to tell you that it was really good to hear your voice at Alado today! Hearing each other's voices and seeing pictures really help building a sense of community! Thanks for being there! I'm really glad you solved the problem with your blog and thanks for taking your time to explain it to the group! I agree that Blogger can be tricky sometimes. Too many features to explore, right?

 

Dennis Oliver

#1010 From Dennis Oliver

I thoroughly enjoyed the Alado session today. I'm glad that I have a PC as well as a Mac, however, because even though the Alado entry page says that it's Mac-compatible, it wasn't for me.

I especially enjoyed hearing the voices of most of the participants.

Thanks, Gladys and all the moderators, for making this session possible!

 

Mary Hillis

#1016 From Mary Hillis

The Alado session was a lot of fun today, although I was sorry that I couldn't stay longer or use the voice function. As I was sitting there, I just kept thinking how amazing it was that we were having a chat among people participating from the U.S., Ukraine, Argentina, Morocco, Brazil, Japan, and others (?) What an amazing experience!

Thank you for providing such a wonderful opportunity, B4B moderators! :)

 

Karim Ben Yahya

#1048 From Karim Ben Yahya

Alado session (Jan-27-2007)

I had a very very very short but wonderful experience FOR THE FIRST TIME IN LIFE today. I had never done audio chatting before. It was very challenging especially when I had spoken about myself and my experience to a group of great people from ALL OVER THE WORLD and to read what everyone was texting. That was a bit hard. I missed a lot before I joined the on line session because we teach on Saturdays in Morocco. Our weekends are very short, just Sunday. I was taken by surprise and I didn't really know how Alado worked. I didn't even know what to say when I had mic. but you were ALL very patient and helpful. I don't think you can find a set of amazing professionals like you, not even on a paid on line course. I wish I had more time to spend with you and and knowing about your blogs, your experiences, your lives, your countries, your culture.. well everything. But as I had said previously, there are only 24 hours in a day. I must congratulate all the moderators and other participants who are doing a great job trying to help everyone and replying to every single message promptly. That is quite a task if you have to deal with 170 participants, and at the same time deal with your daily chores and activities. Chapeau ...

 

 

Copyright

 

Monica Veado

#990 From: Monica

I haven't uploaded any songs yet (basically because it would take me ages to decide what to upload...) and I don't know much about copyright in this case.

 

Gladys Baya

#1021 From Gladys Baya

we need to keep learning about this... Some time ago, I linked a photo on my Yahoo! photos to a Pbwiki, it looked ok at first, but some days later I got the cross you see when a link to an image is broken...

Browsing around, I learnt Yahoo! terms prevent me from linking photos hosted with them to any site outside Yahoo! And that seems to apply to Pbwiki, even when they offer it to supplement their Yahoo! groups....

Flickr, on the other hand, offers a link and a piece of HTML code to link to a picture hosted with them... Recently they've added a message explaining the HTML code is what we need to use to respect their terms! Glad they had newbies in mind. Their previous message "Remember a picture posted somewhere .... needs to point directly to Flickr" was not telling for me! :-P

 

Monica Veado

#1040 From Monica

Copyright issues can pose serious problems and we should always be aware of them. I imagine that, at some point, people will need to start using their common sense and consider the purpose of the blog before posting or complaining about posted images, lyrics, etc., otherwise we might risk seeing a time when everything we do infringes copyright laws... I'm all for copyright,