Many times we may take for granted that workshop participants understand all the "lingo" associated with blogging. If you spend some time on the names of the different parts, how they work, and how to navigate around while blogging, it is time well spent.
I also talk a little bit about different blogging software programs and explain why I think starting with BlogMeister is worthwhile. I'll repeat what I said to the beginners:
I decided to focus on BlogMeister for this presentation. It is not the fanciest one on the block but it is the safest one. It gives you the teacher control over every word that is written. The teacher can make it public or private. The other big plus is that you do not have to use student email addresses. It also has a very good support group that is run by David Warlick.
David created this software and does all the work maintaining it on his own time. He is due a huge thanks for this! Many times the other programs are blocked in schools. This is a good place to start and prove the worth of blogging. It is a good place to begin. and learn. Many teachers choose to stay in this arena.
I use this Slideshare presentation to introduce educators to BlogMeister. Check the Blogging is Learning SlideShare Script that I use.
Once they get to the last part of this slideshow and begin viewing some BlogMeister blogs I walk around the group and just talk to them about the different parts in a casual way to check their understandings. The time I spend here has really expedited the learning curve when they begin to create their own blogs.
