ADDING GADGETS AND WIDGETS

Adding Gadgets to a Blog Site Gives It Life!   

See a great simple Tutorial for Adding a Gadget
See another Tutorial    Adding Gadgets - Textbox, Link List, Cluster Map

Tips 

Add gadgets that are relevant to the purpose of your blog site.  For future teachers and current teachers, you blog site demonstrates your knowledge about teaching and about resources for teaching.   

Gadgets to Avoid (and serve little purpose for future teachers or literacy content)
Calendars - meaningless for now
Gimmicky gadgets - fish floating -- what's the point?   Might be fun for students - but your blog should be for adults. 


Recommended Gadgets and Widgets for Course at FGCU.

Textbox with a headshot, professional- looking photo of yourself and basic information and contact info.   Your name, email address, Graduation Date, School if you are teaching, Grade if you are teaching.   (Near top of column)

Search bar   So reader can find posts about topics you have written about. (This will be worthless if you do not label your posts.   After posting - move to the right and use key words for labeling.  AND add Gadget called LABELS.  A reader can search a term and find posts.  Try it out on my page.

Good Reads or Shelfari gadgets.   Search to find information about them on this site.  Practice the search command.   For these widget/gadgets you need to sign in for an account and you can search their site for the code to add their gadget. 

Ready-Made Gadgets from Websites.   Be cautious in choosing these.  (These do not demonstrate that you have researched resources)     Check out Reading Rockets -- they have one.  

Weblinks.  For the course at FGCU, you are provided with many resources from the course materials on Canvas or from the textbooks with links to important reading and writing websites.   Create a category - i.e. Best Books Websites (Honor Books) .   Then you can add many links to this category.  Create weblinks to author interviews.   See tutorial . Adding Gadgets Textbox, Weblinks, Cluster Map and Rearranging Gadgets

Blogrolls.   Many teachers are blogging these days.  Some provide great resources for teaching.   Check out resources provided on the website for this class or on Canvas and create a list of blogs site that are very current and detailed.    Examples :  see list of resources on the syllabus.  Jen Robinson's Book Blog and Planet Esme Blog have great blogs.  

Lists.    Create lists of your books.  I recommend you include title, author and grade level. 

For Advanced User    

Add a videobar.   See Embedding Videos: Dr. Slick Children's and Adolescent Site 

Create a Unique Feature such as:   Voki to introduce yourself.   Word Cloud using Tagxedo or Wordle.  Create a Storybird to introduce yourself.  See Storybird Introduction on Blog Site