tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14338629952378946072024-02-07T12:46:24.044-08:00Media Literacy 2009Dr. Lesley Bogadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304182571326626786noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433862995237894607.post-36470527040255884292009-07-08T08:18:00.000-07:002009-07-08T08:32:28.036-07:00Making Change<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jT-gR7oWJfqKX7zmOcpYVYCCYO8HAXB_nx67UykwT-4Q-W4LCBadysBMkfvYdtu9O19jKyFyG9caDPlAO7FOV0SM93O1F3KqI9WHMDK7_ZwUWaTUCgNFhsWtFdZQifo5lwSXi_A8DsKS/s1600-h/questions.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 65px; height: 98px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jT-gR7oWJfqKX7zmOcpYVYCCYO8HAXB_nx67UykwT-4Q-W4LCBadysBMkfvYdtu9O19jKyFyG9caDPlAO7FOV0SM93O1F3KqI9WHMDK7_ZwUWaTUCgNFhsWtFdZQifo5lwSXi_A8DsKS/s200/questions.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356112151917224690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">In our final discussion, we talked about some of the limitations we face (or are worried about facing) as we bring digital technologies and media literacy into our classrooms.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><br />ACCESS:<ul><li>hardware</li><li>blocks/filters</li><li>reliability/speed</li><li>space</li></ul><br />PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:<br /><ul><li>for departments/schools</li><li>for administrators</li></ul><br />PHILOSOPHY/PEDAGOGY:<br /><ul><li>being clear in purpose<br /></li><li>knowing why we do what we do<br /></li></ul><br />CURRICULUM RESTRAINTS<br /><ul><li>time</li><li>flexibility</li><li>allignment with standards</li></ul><br />PARENTS/COMMUNITY:<br /><ul><li>resistance</li><li>legal repercussions</li></ul><br />ADMINISTRATION:<br /><ul><li>how to justify and find support</li></ul><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNodOombmNPgqGLDZMUcnwvKmjRT41FOZg1tqdbi3KU14Bg15yUIoTwxZ9yd17eQQul2c2momguIXpLcMIUxOvAMlMU3smiR1tzdBZkYZ_tiiar6RjKg6XWUjsIWQOUjKO4066uXQYnddj/s1600-h/answer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 135px; height: 103px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNodOombmNPgqGLDZMUcnwvKmjRT41FOZg1tqdbi3KU14Bg15yUIoTwxZ9yd17eQQul2c2momguIXpLcMIUxOvAMlMU3smiR1tzdBZkYZ_tiiar6RjKg6XWUjsIWQOUjKO4066uXQYnddj/s200/answer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356112361158035410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">In the comments below, please find the drafts of some of the "solutions" we found to these issues. These include links, sample letters, grant opportunities, statements of philosophy, etc.</span></span>Dr. Lesley Bogadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304182571326626786noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433862995237894607.post-20464432993921010322009-07-08T05:41:00.000-07:002009-07-08T05:45:24.981-07:00Friday Due DateYour presentations yesterday were excellent. I am looking forward to reading your reflections posted on your blog by Friday, July 10th.<br /><br />Remember that our reflection should be the equivalent of 4-6 pages and should include the following 4 sections:<br /><ul><li>Introduction to the topic (including your interest in this area)</li><li>Detailed curriculum plan</li><li>Links to external resources</li><li>Connections to our course themes</li></ul><br />Thanks for a great week!! I will leave this blog up for you to use as a resource and will post the links I promised as well.<br /><br />Check in in the fall to let us all know how your media adventures go!!<br /><br />LB :)Dr. Lesley Bogadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304182571326626786noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433862995237894607.post-17278637258192432009-07-01T14:15:00.000-07:002009-07-01T14:26:37.056-07:00Wednesday Night Assignments<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiblN52vZfT9nVn2H5qDTXGklg1FwlzuIXAVWixnqR4r_3TErz8ZWoFSf2k4eHCsbKfYY2SL6Ig1RU0Wk9kRP6O2PCi2fpsX2ilOYmSMN9ldRpsrysduDQIl5bNOGz5IMS8Es0AdQOwIIV/s1600-h/up.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 88px; height: 131px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiblN52vZfT9nVn2H5qDTXGklg1FwlzuIXAVWixnqR4r_3TErz8ZWoFSf2k4eHCsbKfYY2SL6Ig1RU0Wk9kRP6O2PCi2fpsX2ilOYmSMN9ldRpsrysduDQIl5bNOGz5IMS8Es0AdQOwIIV/s200/up.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353604052282830562" border="0" /></a><br /><br />For tonight, you do not have an external reading assignment, but I do want you to search the web to explore what kind of public discourse is out there on <a href="http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/up/">Disney Pixar's Up.</a><br /><br /><br /><br />You will find useful information at <a href="http://www.imdb.com">IMDB</a> (The Internet Movie Database). You are also free to look at blogs and other online posts. Film "reviews" can be useful but they often use frameworks and language that contradict the cultural studies models we have explored this week. Try to find sources that talk about "representation" and what the film teaches us in its message and worldview, rather than mere technical prowess.<br /><br />For your scheduling needs, we will be seeing up at the Providence Place Mall at 1:55pm. Guests are invited -- we will be discussing the film after and they are welcome to join us for that as well.<br /><br />See you in the morning!<br /><br />LB :)Dr. Lesley Bogadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304182571326626786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433862995237894607.post-75921288107343836232009-07-01T09:27:00.001-07:002009-07-01T09:28:40.419-07:00Saying the WordsThis is the Dave Chapelle clip we watched in class... check out the rest of the Inside the Actor's Studio clips to hear more from him...<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ljuPtyYKuWY&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ljuPtyYKuWY&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Dr. Lesley Bogadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304182571326626786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433862995237894607.post-54853830592541806752009-06-30T20:18:00.001-07:002009-06-30T20:28:49.223-07:00Political Economy ResourcesHere are some of the materials we will be using in class on Wednesday... no need to check them out ahead of time. But they are here for your reference:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">The Mickey Mouse Monopoly</span><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TgxVvbai_nI&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TgxVvbai_nI&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><a href="http://xroads.virginia.edu/%7Ehyper/HNS/Cities/DISNEY.html">Disney's Celebration</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqvoxoBfDaDaTXjXRAhmtAlu3OCA8XPhQLVsm7rmZ0imA2uhwbLbxfMConalf585uXK9jSPHfbPw2MggUPZ7EcJvlHSIl8lhImQG7t7l-WxGDWiBkDI4YrReoBX9fc4NtdqaVnCp-NOb7/s1600-h/Blck_Princess.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 103px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqvoxoBfDaDaTXjXRAhmtAlu3OCA8XPhQLVsm7rmZ0imA2uhwbLbxfMConalf585uXK9jSPHfbPw2MggUPZ7EcJvlHSIl8lhImQG7t7l-WxGDWiBkDI4YrReoBX9fc4NtdqaVnCp-NOb7/s200/Blck_Princess.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353327085727442562" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6163710.ece">Disney's First Black Princess</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Tim Wise, <span style="font-style: italic;">Between Barack and a Hard Place</span></span><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Lc4RfLcLwYs&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Lc4RfLcLwYs&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/N30gvNp2GIg&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/N30gvNp2GIg&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Dr. Lesley Bogadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304182571326626786noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433862995237894607.post-13255686061311584472009-06-30T10:12:00.000-07:002009-06-30T11:13:01.034-07:00Reading for Tuesday NightFor your reading tonight (Tuesday), please read the Giroux article posted here:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvpouCaFXkEnhtcKQAgnGifn6QRhteS2r1erH7KE_Oem8gg6ZL17NVU9HBmssVOL7qa1xMUG4nlGKuGpywgq5i2vxJc4jpdXyQtTTc4xkHY7uGVP3NHtJDpAkrDZrrAFU_Undp0RERhicI/s1600-h/disney.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 129px; height: 88px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvpouCaFXkEnhtcKQAgnGifn6QRhteS2r1erH7KE_Oem8gg6ZL17NVU9HBmssVOL7qa1xMUG4nlGKuGpywgq5i2vxJc4jpdXyQtTTc4xkHY7uGVP3NHtJDpAkrDZrrAFU_Undp0RERhicI/s200/disney.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353185085382390306" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.truthout.org/041509J">Henry Giroux on Disney</a><br /><br />(And if you want more of his critique of the comodification of childhood, <a href="http://www.truthout.org/040309J">read this.)</a><br /><br /><br />Your blogging assignment for tonight is to reflect on Giroux's points. What do you make of his critique of the Disney Empire?Dr. Lesley Bogadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304182571326626786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433862995237894607.post-6974728796230522022009-06-29T13:09:00.000-07:002009-06-29T13:24:28.716-07:00Monday Night<span style="font-weight: bold;">Thanks for a great first day!</span><br /><br />Tonight (Monday), your assignment is this:<br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">1. Spend about 40 minutes searching online for resources related to "critical pedagogy." Bring some notes about what you found with you to class on Tuesday. (Optional: post those links on your blog.)</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204); font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">2. Create a new post on your blog reflecting on the first day of this course. What resonated most with you? What questions do you have? How does this relate to your teaching and your life, if at all?</span><br /><br /></span>If you own a laptop, a digital camera, digital video camera, cell phone with camera, flashdrive, or other digital technologies, bring them with you to class on Tuesday... we will be playing with technology in the afternoon!<br /><br />See you in the morning...<br /><br />LB :)Dr. Lesley Bogadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304182571326626786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433862995237894607.post-73731915457264872482009-06-29T09:21:00.000-07:002009-06-29T09:23:01.066-07:00Schoolhouse Rock!As promised... here is a little taste of media history.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q_TXJRZ4CFc&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q_TXJRZ4CFc&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Dr. Lesley Bogadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304182571326626786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1433862995237894607.post-62375189398359008862009-06-27T09:35:00.000-07:002009-06-27T13:09:57.491-07:00Welcome CURR 580!By the time you read this, we will have already started exploring the basic terrain of this course in person, face-to-face. And now we begin our online adventures together...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJqNVjc6O_By4_VhuQ8iis4XSOrCDuiQKPiQ5R4v3b3rrdqr0W2X4EPA9ge1DpISY8kiDStoLY_7PbFU05z9gWgCNH_uZ4Sw0yTuoaTkdVNxmuY1p6s9G1v71v-tvEsUlsf6NZdJ9uFPq/s1600-h/blog_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 120px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJqNVjc6O_By4_VhuQ8iis4XSOrCDuiQKPiQ5R4v3b3rrdqr0W2X4EPA9ge1DpISY8kiDStoLY_7PbFU05z9gWgCNH_uZ4Sw0yTuoaTkdVNxmuY1p6s9G1v71v-tvEsUlsf6NZdJ9uFPq/s200/blog_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352049646332806162" border="0" /></a>A <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog">blog</a> is your very own, personal online journal. It is public, in that I and your classmates can read it and comment on it, but it is your space and you can control most everything about it. (If you want to make it private so that *only* members of this class can read it, I can show you how to do so).<br /><br /><br />In the context of this course, your blog has two purposes:<br /><br />1) Your blog will provide a space for you to keep all of your thoughts and analysis over the course of our week together. You will not hand in written assignments to me each day; rather you will post them on your blog. In this sense, your blog is merely your assignment notebook.<br /><br />2) Creating your own blog will also introduce you to the blogisphere if you don't know this place already. I hope that you will discover creative educational uses for this online medium. You will see how easy it is to use blogger.com, and perhaps it will inspire you to bring blogs into your own classroom in the fall. (Or at least you will be all the more hip for knowing about them!)<br /><br />So here's how it works:<br /><br />Right now, you are going to set up your own blog. If you don't think of yourself as very "tech-saavy," don't stress! The site below makes it very easy for you to get your own personal space up and running in no time at all.<br /><br />Once you get your blogs up and running, I will provide a blog-roll on the right column of this page. You can come here to this page (my blog) to read what I write, or to read one another's blogs as well.<br /><br /><br />To start your own blog, you will go to:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">www.blogger.com</span></span></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT5VEMnVtAkqXitENeAcMtQTTCLrZHmlH5Kw6g9P7Az_VI5YtsOZ6lSGoOVom0n4em-liShJUstMmUJPuUrfsQqB90iQZNCdxDOjIXCLkvsNKXG-mQr1DuCy0BbjLzqdT5muh6g8k-2v4l/s1600-h/Blogger_home.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 151px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT5VEMnVtAkqXitENeAcMtQTTCLrZHmlH5Kw6g9P7Az_VI5YtsOZ6lSGoOVom0n4em-liShJUstMmUJPuUrfsQqB90iQZNCdxDOjIXCLkvsNKXG-mQr1DuCy0BbjLzqdT5muh6g8k-2v4l/s200/Blogger_home.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352052205584247666" border="0" /></a>The big orange button at the right of the page will direct you to creating your own blog on a site called blogspot.com. Follow the instructions to open up a free account. (If you already have a Google Account, just log in at the top of the page.)<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsLkvUiC-cCWjCbFwGxIJDYowQJ9vn1OyoC7nvbJxE8E4nLi00RWZ8S5EnEYmY7ubI1l8aqdsjXhW6eIPTERMmUfxqLJrbofjytbMZJnLea_dma1_lAMZY43gFKrb_SiAcxMYkQti7mlY/s1600-h/Google_Account.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRsLkvUiC-cCWjCbFwGxIJDYowQJ9vn1OyoC7nvbJxE8E4nLi00RWZ8S5EnEYmY7ubI1l8aqdsjXhW6eIPTERMmUfxqLJrbofjytbMZJnLea_dma1_lAMZY43gFKrb_SiAcxMYkQti7mlY/s200/Google_Account.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352053543104215330" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Don't forget your Username and Password!!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">You will need them to login everytime.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="mediaobject"> <br /></div>As you fill in the info, you will be asked to <span style="font-weight: bold;">name your blog</span>. This title will appear at the top of your blog. (Mine is called "Media Literacy 2009")<br /><br />Then, you need to choose an address:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">http://_______.blogspot.com</span><br /><br />This will be the web address associated with your site. you can call it anything you like. Be clever or simple (or both) -- it is up to you.<br /><br />You will also need to<span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">choose a design template</span> for your blog. Look through the options listed and see what appeals to you. You can change this later and can even find fun, creative templates at sites like <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.pyzam.com">PYZAM</a>.<br /><br />Once you have the account set up, you can <span style="font-weight: bold;">start posting</span>. A “posting” is an entry on your blog. (For clarification, you have one blog, but many postings). Give the post a title and then compose as you would any journal entry. When you are finished, hit the button at the bottom that says <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">Publish Post</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">.</span> It will not appear on your blog until you publish it. You can always go back and edit old posts and create new ones.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" >Your First Post:</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" >Your first post should be a short introduction to you: who are you, where you teach, what do you do when you are not in class, etc. </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" >(Just a short paragraph — no big deal). </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Then, drawing from our discussion on <a href="http://www.marcprensky.com">Marc Prensky</a>, talk about how you see yourself in relation to the digital and mediated world. Do you think of yourself as a "digital native?" What kinds of media do you include in your daily life, and do you bring those media into your teaching at all?</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnf13efbhlnU5zooaOIM_G4-ABp9aCdCvds833SFy-bstL8_TWBZTH1fSiWwr_SBG3aQJTyAdMgljKHMaqZWGpCovT6FjI45HOxunHURq1l7iMFcP5zHhEwK0N5DUxSGSEJh36kj8EWC5/s1600-h/to_blog_or_not_to_blog.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnf13efbhlnU5zooaOIM_G4-ABp9aCdCvds833SFy-bstL8_TWBZTH1fSiWwr_SBG3aQJTyAdMgljKHMaqZWGpCovT6FjI45HOxunHURq1l7iMFcP5zHhEwK0N5DUxSGSEJh36kj8EWC5/s200/to_blog_or_not_to_blog.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352056013849431506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" >Y</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" >our First Comment:</span><br />When you are done creating your site and posting your first entry, please <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">come back to this blog</span> and <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" ><span>post a comment</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> at the end of my first posting (scroll down) that includes your blog address so that I can post it in the link list to the right.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;"><br />Some Tips and Helpful Hints:</span><br /><ul><li>Once you are in your blog, look at the top right corner of the screen. If you click on the word <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);font-size:130%;" >CUSTOMIZE</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">,</span> you will be able to make design changes, create new posts, edit old posts, etc.</li><li>Once you are in the CUSTOMIZE screen, you can do all kinds of things to make your blog a bit more interesting. Change your fonts and colors, edit a post, change your settings. See the tabs at the top of the screen for all kinds of options.</li><li>Poke around online and make a list of websites related to education, diversity, social justice or anything else relevant and post them on your blog. You can add all kinds of things by <span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">ADDING A GADGET</span></span> from your LAYOUT tab.<br /></li><li>Just do the best you can with this. If you get stuck, don't fret... I am happy to help you anytime as you work on getting this started. And remember: you can't break it. It is just a blog. Everything can be changed if need be!</li></ul> Good luck!!<br /><br />LB :)Dr. Lesley Bogadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01304182571326626786noreply@blogger.com15