Hello and welcome to my Blog.
This term we have been asked to keep a digital journal as we learn and progress through our studies. My previous experience with blogs is fairly comprehensive but at the same time limited because throughout my university studies I had to keep different blogs, but I used only one blogging site – Google’s Blogger.
My first Blog was during my enabling program. This blog actually helped to keep me focused. And, because I also shared it on my Facebook wall for all my friends to see, it forced me to keep going; even when it became really, really difficult. At the end of that program, the head of program contacted me and asked if they could use my blog to show as an example for future students of that program.
It worked so well that when I started my bachelor degree, I created a new one. This was my personal journey as a student and I shared all my ups and downs over the three, nearly four year degree. During my degree however I also had to create another two blogs; one for Media Writing, and one for Working with Social Media. My personal blog ended the day I graduated (my graduation pictures are the last entry) and the two course work blogs were closed off the day my grades for those courses came in. In the break between finishing my degree and starting this graduate diploma I also created another quick Blog to house a selection of things I had done over the last four years. I call it my portfolio but eventually I will put all of this onto a website of my own creation.
I will note here though, that all of the above blogs were Blogger accounts. Blogger is owned by Google and I chose it because it allows the coding of your own widgets (gadgets (Blogger terminology)).
This means, that anything you might want to embed on your site, either on a single page or as a permanent fixture on the site, can be added easily by using html or JavaScript. This blog we have been asked to create on Edu, is WordPress. I have built WordPress websites but the functionality is different and everything must be added via a plug in, which for me is a double edged sword. For some things it’s awesome but for a lot of the things I used to do in Blogger, it’s limiting.
Google’s Blogger – Add a Gadget
EDU Plugins – Not available to Free Users
So, this will be my learning curve. I know, I could make things very easy for myself by choosing to go with another Blogger site, but I am here to learn so why not use this time to fully investigate WordPress as a blogging site.
PERSONAL NOTE: What I have noticed after going over my Blogs again is the writing style and how it has improved over the years.
Each week there will be writing tasks. As I complete each week, it will magically appear at the top of my “Weekly Writing Tasks” tab.
(10)