Here I will outline some of the possible topics of conversation for the first workshop in the series. These will be the catalyst for the conversations, depending on the interests and needs of the participants. These topics will be here for those who may not be able to attend and for those who want to come back and revisit this web site/ blog about blogging. These page links will act as an annotated guide to the items covered in the first workshop.

Blogging Basics – defining and contextualizing what blogging is and what WordPress is for bloggers; where to find WordPress spaces; and how to find other educators who blog.

Setting up the WordPress site – this page provides information and ideas beginning from the WordPress DASHBOARD, and guides the building of a blog’s identity and appearance using the APPEARANCES menus – themes, templates, customization, widgets, menus, header, and background.

Blog Design considerations for Educators – this page links to some design considerations that are unique to educational spaces, since many blog sites focus on industry or business blogging as their primary purpose.

Four P’s – this page includes information on the differences between pages and posts while exploring why bloggers use pages and/or posts for their content. The privacy and permissions features for WordPress pages and posts are also shared.

Pages and Posts – same/same but different – these two pages provide the similarities and differences in the functionality and affordances of pages and posts while examining the underlying WHY you would use either of these options for web publication.

Blocks for Building – this page introduces the concept of blocks that are the structural and navigational options with both pages and posts in WordPress. Blocks replaced the classic editor structure, so this will ensure your blogging experience fits both past and future needs when creating pages and posts.

Workshop 1 ends with an opportunity to engage with blogging even if you don’t have a blog of your own.