Unit 2 - Blog

Here is your second MYP Unit of Year 8. You have to:

Design and create your own blog keeping it updated on a weekly basis.

CRITERIA A - INQUIRY AND ANALYSIS

Part 1: So what is a blog?

Here is simple video that explains the basics:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NjwUHXoi8lM

And here is a definition from the Oxford English Dictionary:

blog [blawg, blog]

noun

a website containing a writer's or group of writers' own experiences, observations, opinions, etc.,and often having images and links to other websites.

a single entry or post on such a website: She regularly contributes a blog to the magazine's website.

verb (used without object), blogged, blog·ging.

to maintain or add new entries to a blog.

verb (used with object), blogged, blog·ging.

to express or write about on a blog: She’s been blogging her illness for almost a year.

In this Unit you are going to create your own blog. A blog is a good way to communicate information and to share your opinion on certain topics. Where you could once personally speak to a friend or a group of friends and only reach a small amount of people, an online blog gives you the opportunity to reach out to millions of people. This is one of the reasons that a Blog is the fastest growing form of communicating information in today´s society. For this Unit we are going to use google´s own blog creator www.blogger.com (This is why you all need your own gmail account!)

As with every MYP project, we need to investigate a topic. This is your chance to research and learn more on a chosen subject, ideally something that interests you. This is why it is important to chose a topic that you like as it will help motivate you to find out more.

Before you start to research for you Blog, we need to learn what a Blog is, and how we can use it and for what purpose. Go and find this out. Consider these points:

What is a Blog?
What is the history of Blogs? Online and Offline (Diaries, Newspapers, Internet)
Who use Blogs?
Who are they aimed at?
What are the advantage and disadvantages of using Blogs? Both for the "Blogger" and the "Follower".
How can you make a Blog? Blogger?
Do you have Blog? Have you had a Blog?

Use images to help you. This should not be less than 5 pages.

Part 2 - Your Blog?

So you now what a Blog is and how they can be used, but what can be included in a blog? Find some Blogs and write down what information they give you and why? Use google to help you, search Real Madrid Blog or Pop Music Blog, and look at as many different blogs as you can. This will help you know what to include in your blog. So, what do they have?

Front page?
Introduction to Blog?
Photos?
Videos?
Calendars?
Links?
Contact Information?
What more??

It is now time to decide on a topic for your Blog. Chose something that REALLY interests you! Here are some ideas:

A Blog about me.
A Blog about a fictional person (even your life but you change the names.)
A Blog about a team you play for.
A Blog about the area you live in.
A Blog about your Class or your Year group.
A Blog about life at Newton.
A Blog about a hobby of yours.

Don´t choose something that is too "Big", such as Real Madrid or One Direction. If you do, you will have too much to write about. Chose something "smaller"...A One Direction fan stuck in Elche or Elche finally in Primera. These are "Personal Blogs", they are easier to keep updated and more interesting for people to follow. You will be updating it often, at least once a week, maybe even once a day. You can download the Blog app for an iPhone, Samsung, iPad and update it with ease.

Now you can start to research for your Blog. Find images, you will need lots. SAVE them on your computer, not just copy and paste them, you may need them more than once. Find some information about your idea. Is there any history that is relevant? Then, write an introduction about the Blog. Why have you chosen this topic? What is it going to be about? Who is it aimed at?

Think of a good name for your Blog. What is it going to be about? About you? About a fictional person? About football boots? About clothes? About fashion? About a team you play for? About a club you go to? The choice is yours. Do not choose something too big like One Direction or Real Madrid. You will have too much to do. Choose something small that you like.

Here is a tutorial video to help you set up a Blog, watch it and at the same time try to set up your Blog.

Use the pause button every few minutes so you can keep up with the video with ease, if the video does not work, use the link above it, and remember, you need a gmail account before you set it up!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa6MQxJOqv4&feature=player_embedded

Once you have set up your blog, you can try testing it. Post some things and ask the person next to you what they think of it. Try changing colours, adding pictures, different styles of text...how does it look? Again ask your friends.

Part 3 - Now we´re Blogging!

So we have set up our blog and uploaded our first post. Now it is time to take your blog to the next level. At the moment it is looking very plain, boring and empty,

but we can edit the layout, change the background and add gadgets that will make your blog more appealing. To help with this, it is always a good idea to look at other successful blogs. Ask yourself - Why are they good? What do they have? Look at 3 blogs similar to yours (google Blogspot and the type of blog you have...for example - blogspot sport shoes.) Get as many ideas as you can, the more blogs you look at the better. Once you know what looks good...and what does not, you can start to edit your blog. Remember to watch the videos at the top of this page to remind you how to add and edit items.Also, start to follow other people´s blogs, especially your class mates. Look at their blogs on a regular basis and give them some feedback, and they will help you. Does their blog look good? How could they change it? Are there any obvious mistakes such as spelling? All advice, as long as it is constructive will help.

Part 4 - Your logo

Now you have created a blog, it maybe a good idea to design and use your own logo. Do to this we are going to use Adobe Illustrator. First you must consider the following:

What makes a good logo? What colour scheme? What style? Shapes? Letters? Words?

Once you have a rough idea of how you would like your logo to look, you must design 3 (THREE) different logos using Illustrator. Remember to keep saving your work as you progress.

Here is a tutorial video to help you (if there is something specific you want to do there are thousands of useful tutorial videos available on youtube):

Once you have 3 designs that you are happy with, you must now decide on a final design that you can then improve if needed to use in your Blog. To help you decide, it is important to consider your target audience, the people who will view your blog. At the end of the day, it must be attractive for them, and maybe what you like is not always what the majority like. To help you do this, ask you classmates for their opinions, boys and girls, this will help you get an idea of the most popular design. Also ask them how they would change the design to make it even better.

Now you have a Final Design, go back to Illustrator and recreate it, this time take more time as this will be the logo you will use in your blog.

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