Dear guests,
In this post, I will present you some tricks to make your blog more appealing, without using extra plugins or templates !

1. Blog layout -- first impression counts!
2. Edit the post content -- clarity and emphasis matter!
3. Sidebar design & comment control -- functionality aids! 
4. References
5. Links for further reading

Tip No.1: Blog layout -- first impression counts!

Video is coming soon....

• Structure As a reflective journal for ICT, the blog might not be very artistic, but I still prefer a well laid out blog. There is a lot of information in the blog, I don't want my guests to feel overloaded and "run away". (Choose the templates)

• Balance A balance structure can help readers focus on certain areas of the blog. Putting enough weight on the post content side allows readers to glide through the post naturally, without being distracted from other information on the page. For making it balanced, we can adjust the widths of the blog as well as the weight (size) of different sections

• Color Color is one of the most important elements for creating the tone of the blog, readers' emotion can be largely affected by it. Light colors provide a relaxed ambiance for reading. (Color schemes)

Tip No.2: Edit the post content -- clarity & emphasis matters!

Video is coming soon....

Most readers want to read as little as possible, and they try to catch the most important points and quickly move on. A clear content can surely make them get your point without feeling overloaded and confused. ( Headlines, aligment, remove formatting, insert image, ample white space, Link in new windows )

Tip No.3: Sidebar design & comment control -- functionality aids!

Video is coming soon....

The functionality of sidebar plays an important role in blogging. The sidebar should provide visitors enough information about works in the blog, and also enable them to contact the author. ( Add and delete gadget)
Comment setting A good blog should allow visitors to comment and exchange ideas with you. It can make both you and your visitors have an enjoyable time in your blog. (Comment setting)

To create an appealing blog, it requires us to take good care of different factors. The overall effects depend on each component! The things I chose to share here are the things I feel most useful for creating a more attractive blog. I am working on it as well, if you have any good suggestions for me, please leave me some comments :)



References
No direct citation


Links for further reading

http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2012/07/10-blog-layout-tips.html
http://support.google.com/blogger/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=176245
http://www.scoutiegirl.com/52-more-weeks-blogging-passion
http://www.dzignine.com/
http://thecutestblogontheblock.com/
End

Blogger ---- Blogging for ELT

Blogger ---- Blogging for ELT





my fabulous guest~!


In this blog, I will give some recommendations of some useful tools that we can apply in ELT. In each post, a brief introduction of a tool,as well as the advantages and limitations of the tool will be presented. :)






In this post, I will introduce an extremely useful tool for ELT! Actually I am using right now: blogging!






The structure of this post is:


1. What is a blog


2. How to use it


3. Activities you can do by blogging in ELT


4. What are the advantages of applying it in ELT


5. What are the pitfalls of using it in ELT

6. Conclusion

7. References







1. What is a blog


"A blog is a frequently updated website that often resembles an online journal."1 For people who can get access to the internet, I guess blogs are quite familiar places for them to go to. In a blog, the owner of the blog can write posts, upload different media, such as pictures, photos, audios and videos, provide links to other websites and receive comments from visitors. Because the owner has the right to set the right of accessibility of viewing the contentin the blog, a blog can be a private space for expressing ideas and emontion, and it can also become a public place for discussions and debates.





2. How to use it

Step 1 go to blogger.com and sign up



Step 2 create a Google account









Step 3 create a blog

The following youtube video is short and very useful. The tutorial gives a clear demonstration for creating a blog.


Click and learn













Step 4 (optional) Advance setting for your blog


If you want a super super professional & beautiful blog especially for business reason,this youtube video can help a lot! It introduces some software you can use to enhance the outlook of your blog! However, you have to pay for the software, plus the video is kinda long :),so skip it, if you don't need it!













That's it :) Try it out!




3.Activities you can do by blogging in ELT


Aaron Campbell(2003) has outlined three types of blogs for use with language classes2,and different activities can be done through these blogs:
The Tutor Blog It is usually managed by a teacher only. In this type of blog, teacher publish materials related to ELT, such as,pre-reading materials for class, curriculum, syllabus,assignments etc. Teacher may also keeps reflective teaching journals and share latest information for ELT. Visitors to the blog are normally restricted to write comments to the post or send private letters to the blog owner only. As like this blog :)

The Class Blog It is run by teachers and students together. It is like an extending classroom where teachers and students can share information, post online resources,do brainstorming, update discussion, and keep reflective journals for study.

The Learner Blog In these blogs, students are in charge. They can do similar activities as teachers do in a tutor's blog, but tend to focus more on their own learning process. It is a private online space for students to continue language learning through writing posts. They can also start discussion, write down concerns about the course or assignments, keep a reflective learning journals and so on. In this type of blogs, visitors, such as teachers, and other students, can also gain resources and information for ELT, and know more about the student's learning experience as well. It is equally important as the two other blogs.




3. The advantages of applying it in ELT
Facilitate classroom learning. As materials, such as pre-reading materials, notices are posted online. In the actual classroom, teachers can save a lot of time and conduct other activities.Also, when teachers start some discussions with students or ask them to conduct small-scale research, students can become more prepared for the coming lessons. In the meanwhile, blogging can push students to further their study after the class as well, because teachers can provide extra reading materials in the blogs. 

Boost efficiency in learning. The internet is like a vast ocean of knowledge. By blogging, both teachers and students can recommend and share useful websites and tools for learning.The traditional reading method can never compete with visual and audio effect of these websites for learning in many ways.Students may find it more interesting to do self-study by using these resources and the learning result can be more satisfying. 

Extend teachers' professional knowledge and refine their teaching practice.Teacher can communicate with teachers from all around the world, sharing ideas and concepts about teaching. The reflective journals of their teaching experiences may become inspirations for other teachers as well. Moreover,they surely come across different difficulties in teaching, their solutions to these problems can be useful for other teachers as well. 

Serve as a public online bulletin. When information of the class, such as syllabus and assignments are posted online, students no longer need to worry about forgetting these notices, because they can read the information again through teacher blog.Also students can gain more information about the course online through the provided links as well. 

Follow up the students' learning process. Teachers can gain more inside into students learning experience and learning process by reading learners blogs. Many students, especially for the shy students, it is hard for them to communicate with teachers face-to-face, so it is hard to know problems they encounter in the classroom. Blogging can solve this problem.As students write their blogs in private time, they feel more relaxed to express their thoughts.Therefore by visiting students blogs, teachers can follow up students more closely. 

Help students to build up confidence in learning. When students read about other students reflections, they can gain more understanding about their own study habits. They can find that they are not alone, when facing some learning difficulties. They can interact with students internationally, and consult them by commenting in the blogs. Therefore, the possibility of overcoming their aversion is higher. What they can form is not only a better pattern of studying, but confidence in learning as well. 

Increase a sense of belonging to a class. Especially by using a class blog, teachers can help students to foster a sense of community in a class, which is significantly helpful for creating a nice learning atmosphere in the learning process and lowering down the negative impact of competition. The constant sharing ideas and even emotion changes towards learning can help students build up a stronger bond between each other and foster trust and team spirit. It is beneficial for managing a class, and add much more enjoyment in learning.





4. pitfalls of using it in ELT

Access to computer and internet. It is not only for blogging, but for every tool that we use through computer and internet, the accessibility to these technology poses the biggest challenge for applying them in teaching. Even through internet is spreading across different continents,many places, especially in developing countries, it is not affordable for many to enjoy the merits of high-tech. 

 
Control of comments. If the blog owner set comments as "need approval before publish", it will cost too much work. However, if we set "pbulish immediately", some unwanted comments may appear and generate negative influence. 

Pose legal issues. Some links to websites may cost violation or infringement of intellectual property rights.It is hard to inspect all the contents and links and may bring up legal issues. 

Cost violation to privacy. If blogs set to be "open to the public", even through it can attract more teachers and students to join discussions or share experience, at the same time, privacy of the blogger can become an issue, and potential harm might be posted by unwanted visitors.






Conclusion


Overall, blogging itself is a helpful tool for teaching and learning English. It can make learning more interesting and effective, ss long as it is well organized and constantly being updated,




References


1.http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/articles/blogging-elt




2.http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Campbell-Weblogs.html








Well~~


My fabulous guest !




How do you feel about blogging for ELT ?


Please tell me about your ideas by leaving me a comment, your feedback is valuable to me :)

Blog design ---- tips for making your blog more appealing!

Dear guests,

In this post I will present you some tricks to make your blog stand out!










Issue 1 : letters or layout changes after publish






Click the button in the yellow square to erase the existing pattern, then edit the letter the way you want. When you post it, it won't change from the way it looks in the script.





















Issue 2: make the paragraph look neater













Choose the paragraph and draw down the menu, then choose the last one





I hope this can help :)



Links for further reading


http://www.spiceupyourblog.com/











I did not however answer the question of what makes a design look good. What makes one blog visually attractive, but makes another one ugly?


There is no mathematical solution, but there is an artsy one. A good looking design is a combination of a number of factors. If your blog succeeds in each of these areas, then the overall effect will be an appealing design.


Image by Nir Tober.
Structure


I have a friend who won’t go into a certain sports store because the layout is too confusing. Men’s clothes next to the women’s, kids next to adults, football tops out on their own etc. I’m sure there is an order to it somewhere, but I can’t see it.


There is a lot of information on a web page. You can order your page in your own mind, but if the ordering is not blatantly obvious to a first-time visitor, they’re going to be overloaded and leave.


Structure and grid-based design are the corner-stones of a well laid out blog.


Further Reading: Designing With Grid Based Approach
Balance


A good design is easy to take in. It allows your eye to glide around the page naturally, without being continually drawn to a certain area of the page.


Think of a see-saw. If you put too much weight on one-side, it will tilt in that direction. But if the weights are equal, it will balance.


In the same way, the weights of the different areas of your page should be equal. The weight of a specific element is affected by its size, but also by its color, its position, and even the detailwithin it.


Further Reading: Principles of Design: Balance
Color


Image byVygotskij.


Color is a scary topic for many people, but it must be braved. The most sure-fire way to ruin a great design is to choose an awful color scheme.


If you don’t trust your eye to pick a good color scheme, there are many tools out there to help you.


Further Reading: Basic Color Theory
Small Details


A person can appreciate complexity in a design. The small details make the overall effect.


You don’t need great works of art in your header, or fancy features in your sidebar. The small details in your site will communicate the level of effort put into a design all by themselves.


It’s working on those details that takes a design from good to great.


Further Reading: Design Is In The Details
Clarity And Emphasis


No reader cares to read all of the content on your page. Most want to read as little as possible. They only need the gist of your points, and then they move on.


Clarity in your design allows one element to differentiate itself from its neighbor, and emphasis on your most important elements, such as post headlines, indicates clearly where the reader should look.


Ample whitespace is a favorite tactic for achieving this. It lets your design breathe, preventing readers from being overloaded and confused.


Further Reading: Give My Web Space
Remarkability


Image byOrgutcayli.


This is Seth Godin’s word. You normally hear about it in the context of products and services, but it applies to web design as well.


There are two routes that a design can take. Safe and not safe. You can choose a simple color scheme, a regular 2-column layout and a normal Arial font, and make a decent blog. It won’t be anything spectacular, but it will do the job.


A great design does something more. It goes further than the regular web site and it makes itself unique. Great designs have a certain aspect that makes them better than other sites. Something about them that is worth remarking upon.


Further Reading: 25 Incredibly Artistic Websites
Functionality


Design on the web is not based solely on appearance anymore. Even on blogs, the functionality on your page plays a large role. What do you think when you see beautifully laid out threaded comments? Or well implemented Gravatars?


A good blog is much more than a diary with comments. It allows for you to interact with the content, and makes your experience much more enjoyable.


Further Reading: 35 New WordPress Plugins for an Effective Blogging Experience


When you see a web page with great functionality, obsessive attention to detail and no flaws to be found, it gives you high expectations for the site. It says a lot about the blogger.


There are far more than 7 elements to a great design. These are merely my favorites. What do you think makes a design great?