Nocking the Arrow

Subscribers and followers will notice a clean, new look to Nocking the Arrow . No longer do I have to be a "Blogger Apologist" to the many WordPress enthusiasts out there, as a menu of new themes recently arrived at my doorstep. In the same vein as Sites , Google has added options to create a clean, contemporary look with your blog. Google announced their new Blogger themes in March 2017. Along with the improved look and navigation, they promise better fit and functionality on mobile devices. This update has corrected the frequent crashing of the Blogger mobile app on iOS devices.  The recent arrival of these themes to my Blogger dashboard coincided with Aaron Davis 's Twitter inquiry about blogging platforms and spam blocking. It took a few years for me to get the look and function of "Nocking..." just right. It took me less than an hour to wipe out these customizations in favor of a voguish theme closely resembling beautiful views offered by blogging p...

With millions of blogs, and millions of blog readers exchanging information across the world wide web, what are enhancements that can turn the ordinary into extraordinary with respects to blog appeal? Here are a few suggestions for building a blog that offers greater functionality while also standing out from the ordinary. This post will focus on features provided by Blogger . However, excellent platforms such as WordPress , EduBlogs , and Weebly offer similar enhancements for educators and their students to create attractive, engaging blogs. Google Translate Why? - Increase the chances that your blog will be appreciated by world-wide audience. Google Translate will convert your words into other languages. How?   - Google Translate can be found in the Blogger gadgets menu. Sign in to Blogger Click on your blog title Click on "Layout" Click on "Add A Gadget" Blogger has about thirty "gadgets" built into their main menu. 900 others may b...

CC Image - Weebly We have incorporated a new web site built upon the Word Press platform at our school. We have changed web publishing platforms at least three times in the past several years, and this understandably leaves our teachers hesitant about learning another publishing tool. We became a "GAFE" ( Google Apps for Education ) district two months ago, and we have adopted Schoology as our learning management system. Did I mention that we are also expanding our 1:1 iPad program ?  These recent changes helped convince our teachers to choose one of three recommendations for creating their classroom web pages. Create a classroom web site in Google Sites Create a classroom web site with Blogger Create a classroom site using Schoology's blog, and profile builder. These options are fairly intuitive, as well as, supportive of our existing web structures. It wasn't long after we set up training opportunities for these options, that Weebly announced it...

Congratulations on considering student ePortfolios as part of your transformative learning package. Electronic Portfolios are, in my opinion, the most effective way for students to authentically document and share their learning with an authentic audience. My suggestion is that you recommend one of these three platforms to your students as they begin creating their positive digital footprints: Google Sites , Evernote , and my personal choice,  Blogger . Fresh off an outstanding ePortfolio workshop presented by Dr. Helen Barrett , I became motivated to share some thoughts, and a few resources on this topic. What, how, and why are certainly important questions to address new or improved learning opportunities. My hope is that your focus will be on the " WHY ", as the "what" and "how" can, and should, be left to student research and development. Although it may not be appropriate in some cases, I would let the students experiment, and then choose th...

Blogging is widely considered one of the best activities to support connected learning.  However, many people don't realize the degrees of involvement that blogging has to offer. This " Blogging Pyramid " came to mind during a conversation at a Starbucks yesterday, and is my interpretation of how educators and students can get involved with blogging on various levels. The pyramid also reflects my daily usage of social media. or blogging tools. My school is a 1:1 learning environment supported by iPads, so that is my focus for this post. Other blogging tools may be more appropriate for your audience or learning environment. Ultrablog - eBooks - iBooks Author , more length detail and evidence of research or knowledge.  eBooks should include interactive features to enhance the reading experience.  eBooks are living documents that can be expanded and revised to include current information and upgraded features. Blog - Blogger , includes posts that are typically long...