Step-By-Step Instructions

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA4s3wN_vK8&rel=0]

Create Your Blog

1. Go to http://www.blogger.com
2. You can login by using your own google (gmail) user name and password. Otherwise you need to create a gmail account by: Clicking on Create Your Blog Now arrow and follow the instructions on the screen to create a gmail account. Once you have created that, Sign In and start blogging.
3. Click on Create a Blog link
4. Name your blog by filling in the needed information: Blog title, Blog address (URL) [make sure to see whether the URL is available by clicking on Check Availability; type in the word you see in the Word Verification box. Then click Continue
5. Choose a template from the template library by clicking on the circle next to the template you like.  Click onPreview to see how your blog looks. You will be able to change that if you don’t like it. Click on Continue.  A new window will appear that says: “Your Blog has been created”
6. Click on the Start Posting arrow. A new window will appear that looks like an e-mail window. Just type what you want, choose the font you like.
7. To add an image click on the image icon in the toolbar and choose an image from your hard drive or use a URL of an image you did find on the Internet. You need to select the spot where the image will appear in your post: None, Left, Center, Right. Also choose the size of the image: small, medium or large. Click on Upload Image to continue. Play with this until you like how your post looks.
8. After you are finished with typing and adding the image, click on Publish Post and then on View My Blog to see what your posting looks like.
9. To edit a posting, click on the pen icon below the posting. To add an Internet link into your posting, copy the URL of the link, then click on the icon for LINK in the tool bar, type in the Text to be display instead of the URL and then the paste the URL into the Link bar. You can also link an e-mail address. However, I would not recommend that. You will be receiving a lot of Spam mail.

Embed a YouTube into a Post

1. Find a YouTube video you want to add to your Blog, e.g. Greetings in Arabic (you will find a video from NOVASTARTALK) the URL is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr1zSZ6fCvA
   
2. Click on the link and copy the complete Embed code on the right hand side below the URL. For example, for the link above, you would copy the code:

   [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr1zSZ6fCvA&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

   Note: It is important to copy the entire code. It starts with <object and ends with </object>
   

3. Go back to your Blog posting and decide where the video should be embedded. Then click on the tab for Edit HTML and then paste the code into the posting. Click then on Publish Post and then you’ll see the YouTube video in your posting. Switch back to the Compose mood once you are finished with embedding a YouTube video.

Add and Arrange Page Elements

1. Click on Customize in the right corner. You can edit anything that has the word Edit next to it: Navigation Bar, Banner, Blog Posts, Add or delete a Gadget, change the order of the Gadgets, etc. Explore this on your own.
2. To add a gadget, click on Customize > Add a Gadget > Link List. This will add a list of Internet links to your Blog. Click on the Plus icon and Configure your list by giving it a title and then adding various links (New Site URL and New Site Name) then click on ADD Link. You may want to sort your links alphabetically or not. Click on Save. You will then see that a Useful Links gadget has been added to the right or left of your Postings.
3. To edit a Gadget click on the wrench icon below or next to the Gadget. This will open a new window in which you can edit your Useful Links gadget. You can add new links, edit or delete old ones.

Additional Resources and Works Cited

•  Blogger Help
•  Using Blogs in the Foreign Language Classroom
•  STARTALK Arabic Blog
•  How to Create a Blog with Blogger (YouTube) by BloggerHelp

Activity Management

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