Using Blogs Within Blackboard
"Blog" is short for Web Log, and is a term used to describe a journal or diary that is online. You may use blogs in your Blackboard course. A course wide blog can be used, and additionally you may use any number of group or personal blogs for your students. Depending on how you configure these blogs comments may be added to blog entries, and users may subscribe to blogs using RSS (Really Simple Syndication) news feeds.
Getting Started
Getting Started with Blogs within Blackboard
This web page provides a basic introduction to the types of blog available within Blackboard and gives a few suggestions on their use.
Configuring Blogs in your Blackboard Course
How to Create a Central Course Blog
You may set up a single course wide central blog for your Blackboard course. This can then be accessed through an item on your Blackboard course menu.
Any number of group blogs may be created. These can be set up to be accessible by any number of students enrolled on your Blackboard course. The blogs are added to content areas within your course. With a private blog students will only see their own posts, but instructors will see all student posts. This is useful for exercises in personal reflection where privacy is important.
You may export a blog and save it onto your computer. The exported file will contain all the entires within the blog and any related files such as pictures.
When setting up a blog, you can arrange for an entry to be added to your Blackboard course's Grade Centre. These instructions describe how to enter a grade for a blog.
Managing Blogs
How to Recycle Blogs in your Blackboard Course
You may wish to clear out all posts to a blog, without removing the blog itself. This can be particularly useful if you have rolled over course materials to a new academic year and wish to clear out the blog materials that were added in the previous year.
Using Blogs in your Blackboard Course
Blogs are made up of any number of entries, like entries in a diary. This guide explains how to make a blog entry.
How to Subscribe to an RSS Feed for a Blog
Depending on how a blog has been set up, it may be possible to subscribe to its RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed using your preferred RSS aggregator.
How to View the History of Blog Entries and Recover Earlier Versions
Use these instructions to review the history of a blog entry, find out what has been edited, deleted, or changed. You may recover earlier versions if you wish.
News feeds