Imagine, Create and Share-- A Blogger Bonanza

In the middle of May, 2012 a new application was released.  On November 27, 2012 Richard Byrne of Free Technology for Teachers posted about this app having had it introduced to him through Twitter.  This free service can be used online, as an iOS app or Android app.

Muzy is one of the most interesting applications for creating a blog post I have seen.  It incorporates the use of other apps.  Upon accessing the home page you have a variety of choices.



You can immediately connect to Facebook to like a particular app, sign up or sign in, or create a photobox collection.  Along the top in the upper right-hand corner other visible apps are photo collage, versus and photo pile.  Simply mouse over each to be given an explanation of what they provide.


By clicking on more users can see a display of thirty other applications which can become a part of your Muzy blog.  Some of the additional apps are PicMonkey, Word Play, Thoughts, Photo Quote, Dream Status, Video, Comic, Music Maker, Brushes, or Webcam Status.  Simply mouse over each to discover the possibilities.  These applications are heavy on images but allow for text, drawing, audio and video to be added to your blog.

Users of this application need to be at least 13 years old.  To sign up you need to choose a username, give your email address and choose a password as well as read the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy unless you wish to sign up through your Facebook account.  Muzy has a very inclusive Help section which can be located at the bottom of the page.

Upon signing in you are taken to your dashboard (home page).  Immediately your choices are:

• search for other Muzy posts to like
• create a new post (new post)
• go to your blog (my muzy)
• check for messages
• enter in a keyword to search for apps, users or posts
• go to your account (Blog Settings, Invite Your Friend, Help and Sign out)
• select one of seven apps shown to start a post
• view Recent posts from you or your friends
• view posts grouped by Popular, Funny, Creative, Cute, Truth, Awesome, Want or Beautiful
• view updates under Notifications

Having recently completed a Mock Caldecott unit with fifth graders in my building plus Skyping with fifth graders in Illinois who were doing the same (Katherine Sokolowski) that became the theme for the posts on this blog.  I decided to begin using the Photobox app.  This is a great app; bringing in photos from either Facebook, upload from your computer, Google images, Muzy, webcam, or via a web address.  Each photo can be altered with a variety of filters; enhance, cross process, artsy black and white, old timey and x-ray...or no effect at all.

If you decide you want to change the layout mid-way into your Photobox it is as easy as a mouse click. Added photos can be deleted, edited and dragged from position to position.  There are nine different fonts for the box title.  A full color spectrum is offered for the border.  Four options are available for the photo corners and by checking a box you determine whether you desire shadowing.  When you click the orange Post button you can have it posted to Facebook, Twitter or neither.

Having clicked Post your creation is saved and you are taken to the app choice window again to design another post.  If at any time you wish to see your blog click on my muzy at the top of the screen.  Each post can be liked, deleted or a comment can be left.  There are 19 Muzy themes to choose from for your blog background or you can upload an image from your computer.

Each post is hyperlinked to another window which allows the user to like, repost, comment, or share a URL link for that post or click on the tiny gear located in the middle right-hand portion of the screen.  The options here are to share, edit or delete the post.  If you select share your options are to post it to Facebook or Twitter, send it via email, download it to your computer or copy the URL link.

A person could easily spend hours making posts for their blog with the available choices.  The ease of use, the integration of the apps into Muzy, is a huge plus.  I successfully tried five of the apps.

The link to my blog is embedded here.  (To enlarge each post for viewing mouse over and click.)  When you download one of your posts it turns into a .jpg file.  On the left is one of my posts that was downloaded.

I can see using Muzy to highlight units of study, books read, student projects or activities.  It would be a terrific way to compile top "..." lists.  I know some of my PLN on Twitter are creating memes; they could be posted in a Muzy.  Another of my Twitter colleagues is posting a picture of a book read every day.  Collecting those in a Muzy for her followers would be fantastic.

Muzy definitely has my vote as a great vehicle for quickly making a blog that will get people's attention visually.  Will I put it in my virtual toolbox?  Yes!

Sophisticated Blogging Made Simple

In July of 2008 a web 2.0 blogging platform was launched.  As of March 12, 2012 this application was acquired by Twitter.  Posterous Spaces highlights three features:  share more, work less, control who sees what and post anything anywhere.

Stating the easiest way to share safely online at the sign up page, users are invited to enter in their email address, a password and username.  (A confirmation email will be sent.) Then click the green Start Posting button.   At this page users have a variety of options.

Across the top of the page you can click Readers to view Spaces (blogs, posts) of those you follow, or Popular to read those Spaces getting the most hits.  The Activity button reveals those who have commented, liked or followed your Spaces.  Spaces you follow, have created or wish to design are listed under the Spaces tab.

As you toggle through those top options, on the left the selections remain stable:  Edit Profile, Manage Spaces, Find Friends and Log Out.  Entire management of your Spaces is under the Edit Profile tab; choosing to list your first and last name rather than a username, any text to be added to your profile, a profile photograph, alterations to your email or password, account deletion, or notifications frequency.  Even without creating any Spaces when you sign up a unique Space is generated using your username; a URL is given, username dot posterous dot com.

When going into that first Space on the right are a list of management tools for Spaces.  Posting can be done online or via email. Posts, drafts of posts and new posts can be generated from the Posts tab.

Space Settings is where the title, look and layout of a space is designated.  Manage Members is a list of those who can use the Space.  Pages & Links are extra posts and links to items you most like. 

Privacy Control covers who can view, everyone, by invitation only, or password protected, who can post, members only or a guest, who can comment, everyone, logged-in users only, nobody or those given approval, and Content Protection, show downloaded links for media and show location of geotagged photos.  Twenty-four themes are available under the Customize.  Within those themes changes can be made to make the Space your own.

When you select Create Another Space a window pops up asking you to choose one of four options:  blog, photo or video, group or business.  At the next window privacy settings are chosen:  public, anyone can view but only you and members can post or private, only you and members can view and post.  The third window asks you to choose a name and URL address, each of which can be changed later.  As you type in the title the URL is generated.  Finally select a thematic layout for your Space.

When posting to a Space a work window provides room for naming the post, text, and uploading images, audio, video, and documents.  Text can be bold, in italics, underlined, struck through, sized and colored.  Two types of bulletts are available.  Indenting, block quotes, and page breaks are several of the formatting options.  Tags can be added to a post as well as when the post will appear on the Space.

I created a post first, then went through the numerous styles to select a theme.  Some designs can be changed more than others; it appears that most allow for Space name adjustments, sizing, and the uploading of a header image.  When a theme is adjusted and saved you are taken into your blog.

To get back to main work area click on Manage in the upper right hand corner.  By clicking on Post a new one can be added right from that point.  A post can always be edited, deleted or viewed on the website from the management area.

Ease of use with pleasing results makes this application a welcome alternative to other blogging platforms. Instead of spending days to learn, a blog can be up and running in under an hour.  I, of course, took longer testing out all the templates and possible alterations within each.  

Here is the link to my newly created blog sharing my TBR piles using Posterous Spaces.

Website Creation In A Matter of Minutes-Another

There is just no excuse for those that so desire to not have a presence on the Internet via a blog or website no matter their level of technological expertise.  Another website creation tool has been mentioned more than once and has been on my list of sites to try, Weebly.  Weebly was named one of TIME's 50 Best Websites of 2007.

It's easy to sign up for this free application.  Enter in your full name, email address and a password.  After signing up you are directed to a page where you are asked to enter in a name for your site and select the type of site, personal, business, group/organization, education, wedding, portfolio or other.  Weebly is for users 13 years of age or older.

Upon completion this screen asking you to choose your website domain pops up.  I elected to skip this and come back later.

Next you are directed to the workspace for creating your page.  Across the top are tabs labeled elements, design, pages, editors and settings.   The headline image can be replaced, by one from your computer, by searching the Weebly files, from your favorites or with an image URL. Text can be added to the image.  Cropping, rotation, opacity, fading, color and edging are all changes that can be made to images. Once the headline image is to your liking it can be saved for that page only, all pages or selected pages.

Drag any wanted elements to the page.  Images can placed to the left, center or right of the page, a link to a website URL, a page on your website, a file on your website or an email can be attached to an image and a caption can be included.

When working with text a tool bar appears which allows for making it bold, in italics, underlined, the color changed, altering the font size and removing the format.  A link can be added to the text with the same options as an image.  There are four alignment options.  In creating paragraphs the text can be bulleted.  Of course, undo and redo is available.

There are more than 100 designs from which to choose depending on the theme of your web page. Any number of pages may be added as well as adding a blog to the site.  By listing email addresses others can  become editors of  your web page.  Other than the settings these are the basics of your Weebly website.

By clicking on the multimedia tab on the left a user can add, without cost, images from the photo gallery, a slideshow which Weebly makes for you from images you upload, a file, flash, Google maps based on an address entered or a YouTube video.

When you have your site started click on the Publish button in the upper right hand corner.  You are taken to the domain selection options. Once a domain is found your page is on the web.  At any time it can be edited or removed.

There is also a Weebly for Education site.  Only teachers can register for using this site specifically for educational purposes; creating a presence on the web for their students and parents.  Student accounts can be added and monitored.  Signed parental permission is still required for those students under 13 years of age.

More polished and sophisticated than Instablogg and Page O Rama which I have previously reviewed, Weebly is for those wanting an edge but still wishing to not face technological road blocks.  My website designed at Weebly, still in its infancy, is linked here.

Get Those Minds Thinking, The Writing Will Come

On September 21, 2011, Kelly Tenkley of iLearn Technology posted about a Tumblr blog called Writing Prompts.  Currently there are 323 prompts which consist of visuals with comments and questions geared to get the wheels turning in readers' and writers' minds.  Due to the nature of the visuals and the text I would agree with Tenkley that this site would best serve students in the upper elementary, middle and high school.

As soon as you visit the site you are greeted with the author's purpose for these prompts on the right:


The first page hosts ten graphics with words that will stimulate thinking, generate opinions, be a cause for discussion.

You can navigate to earlier posts by clicking on the blue highlighted next with the back arrow key at the bottom of the page.  If you click on home in blue you go back to the top of the first page.  By selecting archives in blue you can view thumbnails of posts in any given month spread across the screen in their entirety scrolling down month by month.  There is a search option at the page bottom also.

Mr. Luke Neff has created a blog that can be read daily via an RSS feed.  His images coupled with appropriate text are sure to be an enjoyed feature with students.  I'll bet the most of his students can hardly wait to get to class each day. 

It might be a good ongoing assignment for students to look for visuals that would promote creative writing.  An individual classroom might set up their own in-house blog for a year long project.  After contacting Mr. Neff by email requesting his permission to use a couple of his visuals in this post his response was:  Absolutely.  Please share.  They are there to be shared.  Thank you, Mr. Neff.

Student Blogging Using KidBlog

Based upon a parent recommendation and loads of favorable reviews, I went to Kidblog to give it a try.
Truthfully, I am blown away by the ease of setting up a safe, secure environment for blogging with students in a classroom setting.

In the words of the designers of this web 2.0 application:
Kidblog.org based in Minneapolis, MN, was founded in 2007.  The Kidblog Development Team is committed to providing the most effective, efficient student-blogging tool available anywhere.
Kidblog's founder and lead developer has 18 years of combined web development and classroom teaching experience.  This experience offers a perfect blend of programming and pedagogy.  


Kiblog is meant to be used by elementary and middle students with their teacher.  As the administrator/teacher you have complete control over the posting of comments and who sees the comments.  By default only the student, their classmates and their teacher can participate in the blogging.  When adding students to the classroom list only a username and password is necessary eliminating the sharing of personal information.

Registration to use Kidblog could not be simpler.  At the home page click on the words, Click to Create a Class.  The next page asks you to enter in a username, password, email address and your class name.


When you have completed filling in the blanks and read the Terms of Service click on the Create Class button.  To Create a Class enter in the class name and a description.

This next page, your dashboard, pops up.  Your dashboard/control panel is your work area for posting, commenting,  adding users and controlling your settings.  It is at this page created classes can be viewed or deleted.  New classes can be added.

When clicking on the New Post button this screen comes into view.  As you can see from this image the posting can be as simple or sophisticated as the user desires.  Images, video, audio, files and links can be added to posts.  After completing a post it can be saved as a draft, previewed, trashed or published from this point.

This next graphic shows the extent of your control of posting and comments which can be very secure depending on the administrator/teacher settings.

I can hardly wait to use this forum for the discussion of the title, Wonderstruck, that my third grade Flex Friday students are going to be reading together.  This will increase the students' comfort in commenting as well as their writing skills.

Many thanks to Heather Sape, Charlevoix Elementary and Middle School parent and Charlevoix Elementary School Library Media Center volunteer for bringing this to my attention.

Student Blogging Using Edmodo

The web 2.0 free blogging service for educators and their students, Edmodo, was selected as one of the Top 25 Websites for Teaching and Learning 2011 by AASLA (American Association of School Librarians).  It falls under the umbrella of the Social Networking and Communication standard within the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner.  The specific standards it addresses are: 3.1.2 Participate and collaborate as members of a social and intellectual network of learners.  4.1.7 Use social networks and information tools to gather and share information.  4.3.1 Participate in the social exchange of ideas, both electronically and in person.


As stated on their web site:



Edmodo is a secure, social learning platform for teachers, students, schools and districts. We provide a safe and easy way for your class to connect and collaborate, share content and access homework, grades and school notices. Our goal is to help educators harness the power of social media to customize the classroom for each and every learner.  Edmodo is free for all teachers, students, schools and districts.

As a teacher to register a username, password, email address, title (Mr. etc), first name and last name need to be given.  Students register using a group code their educator gives them, determining a username, password, an optional email address, first name and last name.  According to the terms of service students under 18 need parental permission.  In reading down the page the age of 13 is stated.  Parents need to read the terms of service prior to giving consent for usage. 

With registration complete educators need to complete their profile by filling out a short description about themselves (goals, objectives, history of teaching, etc.).  There is also a tab under profile for adding items such as links and files to folders in their professional library. 

By clicking on the account tab a photo can be uploaded or a graphic can be selected.  Registration information can be edited, privacy and notification settings can be adjusted and saved. 

Events can be added to a calendar that includes a description, a date range and to whom this information will be sent.  There is also a grades tab  for easier access to student groups using this application when assessments are evaluated.

At this point I am going to start using this with grade four students perhaps expanding it to encompass third grade students later in the school year. 

Edmodo provides extensive guides generated by the site as well as by its users in print, video and webinar format.  I attended the August 29th Introduction to Edmodo webinar. 

Have No Fear, Instablogg Is Here

On Twitter, May 4, 2011, Richard Byrne of Free Technology For Teachers gave a heads up about a new web 2.0 app, Instablogg,  that allows the user to blog single use posts instantly.  There is absolutely no start, setup or maintaining. No age limit has been set in the terms of service but it appears that any post could be viewed in the Explore option. 
The tool bar offers a variety of elements to design a nice looking blog post.  The basics of cut, copy, paste, paste as plain text, and paste from Word are available.  Undo, redo, find, replace, select all, remove format and four alignment options are a click away.  Font can be manipulated to read as bold, italics, underlined or strike through.  Numbered and bulleted lists can be inserted. Images, video, tables, and links can be embedded.

It took me a few tries to figure out how to insert images but once mastered it was easy.  When you create your blog post two URLs are assigned; one that is sent to an email address if you wish to edit it and another for viewers of your blog post.  Readers will be able to leave comments as your blog can be shared on a multitude of sites and online networks.

My Instablogg about a Bear unit conducted in November.

Blogger Bonanza

For those looking for the perfect visual to compliment a blog posting look no further than Wylio.com.  Millions and millions of Flickr photographs whose owners have designated them as Creative Commons works provide the pool from which selections can be made. 

For example when I searched using the term, book, 121, 287 images were available.  After flipping through the pages to locate the one for use, simply click on it.  On the next screen you can see what the alignment of the picture, right, center or left, will look like with the text of your writing around it.  Also by moving the sliding size bar you can view further how the final product will appear.  Once the look you want is achieved click on the get the code button.  Simply copy the code and paste it into your post prior to final publication.

photo © 2008 Sarah Scicluna (via: Wylio)
Let the fun begin!

more info

School Library Learning 2.0 #14

Surprisingly enough when I searched Technorati for School Library Learning 2.0 under posts and blogs there were no results.  When I searched Google Blogsearch and Bing I got more hits including my own blog.  Both of those searches lead me to very interesting articles about 2.0 tools and their applications for the school library media specialist and today's school libraries.  Tagging is a fantastic tool not unlike subject headings that we place in our OPACs.  It is important to consider your audience when placing your tags.