Challenge 1 – Introducing yourself
It has finally started!! The 2009 student blogging challenge is on its way. The first challenge has been posted, but first a few reminders:
- Check out the participants at this link
- Read the most recent posts from all the participants at this link
- Enjoy the challenges and make new friends
Challenge 1 – Introduce yourself
Whenever you meet someone face to face for the first time, you usually tell them a little about yourself. You don’t tell them lots of really personal information but just enough for them to know a bit about you and your interests.
Well, the same thing happens when blogging. Your readers need to know about you and your interests. So there is an “About ” page on most blogs. This is often the first page your readers might visit. When leaving a comment on your blogs saying thanks for joining the challenge, I checked out your about pages and many students from last year’s challenge had not done theirs so here is your chance to start improving your blogs.
Activities to choose from:
1. Write about yourself or your class on your “About” page. Remember though to be internet savvy. Check out these sites for what to say or not say. Here are some examples of students and teachers who have already introduced themselves and their classblogs to their readers. This teacher has put a lot of work into introducing his class and the role of the blog to his readers. (Some themes don’t have pages, so you might have to write a post instead to introduce yourself or your class. )
2. How do the introductions of Sue Waters and Miss W. differ? They are both teachers yet one gives out more personal information than the other. Why?
3. If you did the challenge last year, you might need to update your ‘About’ page. Things might have changed and you might want to tell more about yourself to your readers.
March 1, 2009 @ 10:25 am
Great start Sue. As you said whether they did this last year or not taking time to revisit their about page is important. I normally update my about page every six months to ensure it is current and conveys the right information.
PS and lets be honest we did get some chuckles last year when they compared us.
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March 1, 2009 @ 6:51 pm
Hi,
I’m excited about beginning the challenge and I’ve already made some changes to my ‘About’ page, but I’m wondering do I need to tag it in any special way or do something so you can track my progress?
Cheers,
Ms Frizz
http://mannardi.edublogs.org
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Miss W. Reply:
March 2nd, 2009 at 7:19 pm
As Sue Waters says below, using a wiki can be a bit cumbersome. When you write posts, they will appear on the link on the PAGE labelled 2009 challenge – recent posts just above my avatar. I have mentioned how to use that link on the page to write some comments on those posts you are interested in.
Last year I did track comments from students as well but this did not work successfully, so I am not doing that this year.
As it is not a competition with a winner, it is more important for the participants to challenge themselves in writing posts, improving their blog and, if you want, coming back to this class blog and leaving a comment just as you did.
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March 1, 2009 @ 7:42 pm
Interesting question Ms Frizz and hopefully Sue doesn’t mind me answering.
One way that people will do that is by writing a post on their blog to alert others to the changes and to ask for input. However that is not always practical on a class blog.
What we have been doing for the 31 Days To Build a Better Blog is writing updates on a wiki. While it wouldn’t be my first choice, as writing a post is the better option, it has worked fairly well but has less interaction than writing the post. Here is the wiki so that you and Sue can check it out to see how it has been used.
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March 1, 2009 @ 8:02 pm
Hi Sue
I am a little new to feedburners, and how they work etc. so I may have not completed the process correctly. A little help with this would be great.
Thanks vanessa
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Miss W. Reply:
March 2nd, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Hi Vanessa,
If you want to see every post I put on my class blog then click on the orange subscribe in a reader button at the top of my sidebar. It will then ask you what reader you will be using eg Google, Yahoo, Pageflakes etc or you can just add it to your favourites. There are some interesting articles in The Edublogger http://theedublogger.edublogs.org/ that you could check out using the tags of RSS feedburner or google reader.
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opelab Reply:
March 10th, 2009 at 1:46 am
http://opeeagles.edublogs.org/
Come and visit us–we are first time bloggers!
~Mrs. Rush
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March 1, 2009 @ 10:25 pm
Hi!
I am so excited about the blogging competition!
I have just updated my profile where it says Priscila and I have done a post too
Love,
Priscila
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Miss W. Reply:
March 2nd, 2009 at 7:34 pm
G’day our Argentinian friends,
I read your posts introducing yourselves. Well done! You are both very keen readers and bloggers. Keep it up.
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March 2, 2009 @ 1:18 pm
I do hope that everyone introducing not only themselves but their state/country.
I have linked some really great sites to my blogroll, but when my students ask me where the bloggers are from….there have been times that I could not answer that question for them. They are posting red dots on a large world map for each posting and really need to know.
Thanks, Sue
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Miss W. Reply:
March 2nd, 2009 at 7:32 pm
G’day Pam,
One of the challenges in a week or so will be telling your readers about the place you live in. Students should then be able to say where they live so you could add it to your map.
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tidertechie Reply:
March 4th, 2009 at 8:43 am
Pam,
Thanks for bringing up the map idea. My students and I noticed your comment and we added that to our about page. We are going to go back and add links for our town and state, but they are still deciding which websites would be best for links.
Thanks!
Lisa
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March 2, 2009 @ 1:20 pm
I am so looking forword to the blogging challenge this year. do I have to everytime I write a post for the challange link it back to the challange page?
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Miss W. Reply:
March 2nd, 2009 at 7:33 pm
G’day Eileen,
Yes it would be handy to add the link back as your readers might get interested and want to find out about the challenge and where you got your ideas from.
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March 2, 2009 @ 10:38 pm
Okay thank you
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March 3, 2009 @ 12:33 pm
Hello Miss Wyatt
I have just updated my About Page and I soon realized that it needed a LOT of updating! Thank you already for this awesome start to the 2009 blogging challenge! I hope your new students are enjoying blogging (if they’ve started yet), and I am looking forward to the rest of the challenge!
Haley (Huzzah!)
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Miss W. Reply:
March 4th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
My goodness, Haley! You have certainly updated your pages introducing yourself to your readers. Good to see you linking back to posts you have already written.
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March 4, 2009 @ 3:48 am
Miss W,
This was such a fun thing to do! I added an image, and I’m working on finding and adding more to my about page. I can’t wait for the next challenge!!!
Lauren
http://laurenc604.edublogs.org
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Miss W. Reply:
March 4th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Wow, Lauren! Fantastic page about you. Instead of putting everything on the one page, you might want to create another page like Haley has (see comment above) to tell about the general area where you live. We will be doing this as one of the activities.
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March 4, 2009 @ 1:52 pm
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March 9, 2009 @ 9:23 am
Hello! I am so excited that the blogging competition is back on! WOOT WOOT! I can’t wait to start blogging away even more. So thank you :]
-Olivia.-
[Reply]
March 9, 2009 @ 11:09 am
[...] The 2009 blogging Challenge has begun! Check out the site and complete the first post. Also check out the participants page–please leave some comments on some of the schools who were not part of the 2008 Challenge. The tag for the 2009 Challenge is “challenge09.” Also make sure you link back to the site [...]
March 10, 2009 @ 6:26 am
Hey,
I love how there is a new challenge up, i have been running out of ideas to write on my blog.
Hope to talk to you soon
[Reply]
March 10, 2009 @ 10:26 am
[...] about me, but my past posts and future posts will explain most of me. I am so glad that the new blogging challenge has finally started because I had so much fun last year blogging [...]
March 11, 2009 @ 7:55 am
Hi Sue, I’m a bit off topic here but I have changed my avatar to reveal my true identity (female) I thought there was something funny about a cranky old man with a mortar board, but now I am listed as Mr Jacobs on your list of participants. I am in fact Mrs Jacobs. Thanks again for all your great ideas. We’re moving ahead at lightning speed.
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March 12, 2009 @ 10:52 am
Hello I am part of a class in Indiana and was wondering how to take part in the contest.
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Miss W. Reply:
March 20th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Nick,
I have added you to the blogging challenge. Check the participants page above my avatar on the sidebar and you will find your name on the list somewhere.
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March 12, 2009 @ 10:43 pm
Hi-
I’m really glad the 2009 Blogging Competition has started. I don’t have any good ideas to write about on my blog anymore. Keep up the good work!
John
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March 12, 2009 @ 11:46 pm
Hi I’m Remi. I live in Stittsville, Ottawa. My class is taking part in this challenge. My class website is http://www.56js.ca. I am looking forward to making friends with other people. I was also wondering if you could put me in touch with one of the boys in your class. Please leave a comment on our blog.
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May 9, 2009 @ 3:41 am
hi
i’m really interasted in bloging and there are some things i don’t know ,but i’ll try to make a really good blog and learn more about it.
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