Planning the Finish Line

Can you see it off in the distance?  It's right there!  Our blogs are almost finished...

At this point of the unit we would normally be planning the steps and actions we would take to build and create our product or solution.  We would start determining what resources, equipment and tools we would need, how much time each of the steps might take and what support on knowledge we would need to acquire or call upon.

In this unit, we've already begun the process of creating our blogs.  In fact, each of you already has a functional working blog that you've been modifying continuously over the last few weeks.  So instead of planning to build a blog...  we're going to plan on how to finish our blog...

Many of the functional and aesthetic aspects of our blogs are in place.  There are just a few of the elements that need to be added or tweaked before our blog is finally ready for prime time.  Which elements?  Well according to our functional sketches and blog template mock-ups...  we still need to ensure we have a...

• functional Menu,
• a complete Author Bio Page,
• an appropriate unique URL,
• a Background that matches our theme
• appropriate and functional Gadgets,
• a clean and organized Layout,
• and an optional Banner!

As we've talked about in class, we should plan on finishing these items are part of our create page by following the guidance we've received by looking over our Design Criteria, the Functional Blog Sketches and our Template Mock-ups.

As we have little time left to use this semester, it will be up to you to determine when the best time for you to work on these items will be.  Mrs. Okumura and I have come up with an Action Plan Worksheet to help you plan and budget your time appropriately by coming up with some task action steps, complete with space for you to plan when you'll work on these items and to check off when you have completed them.

Additionally we've put together a set of tutorial resources videos to better help you begin creating and fixing each of these items after using your Action Plan Worksheet to determine what your priorities are and when you'll get to them.  To access these resources, please view the linked videos below:

Creating a Menu and Author Bio Page in Blogger
Choosing a Unique URL for your Blog (The blogs web address) [Linked Articles: #1, #2, #3]
Adding Appropriate Gadgets (includes ClusterMap)
Managing Your Blog Layout
Adding a Banner Using  (includes introduction to Sumo Paint)

Looking for help to add on a "Courses" widget for your blog?  See the "Creating 'My Courses' Widget" handout on Google Drive.  

Be sure to use the task specific rubric to guide you as you finish up your final blog.

To earn a 5 – 6, make sure:

• Blog layout looks professionally organized, including clear space and distinct division between elements
• The blog clearly reflections a thoughtfully crafted presentation of the theme
• Includes recommended and student selected gadgets that add to the user experience and enhance user interactivity supporting posted content instead of distracting from it
• Thoughts are concise, coherent and communicate effectively to all readers
• Blog post content is consistently and effectively supported with a balance of related images, links and other resources
• All links work as expected (including opening in new tabs when leaving blog)
• All text is easily readable (appropriate font type, size, contrast and adequate paragraph spacing)
• The blog is free from any spelling and grammatical errors
• Student Bio/About Me page is complete, creative and informative while following class blogging bylaws

Due Dates:  

• All tasks in your action plan should be completed by Tuesday, December 11 (R day).  This includes all functional and aesthetic elements of your final blog.
 

Image Credits:
Runner's Den by Dru Bloomfield. Creative Commons Licensed on Flickr