(BloggerSchool): Blog Creation Basics

This is an idea about a school for all people who all want to learn about computers through a specialized program that gives no school credits but offers computers at a reward for completion.

So Far The Courses Are:

Blog Creation Basics

Writing and Fundamentals

Blog Creation Experts

Short Descriptions for these are:

BCB [cpu +1, hum +1]

(computer vs human credit system, see soon).  

Basics of Blog Creation

George Stephanololis

What makes a blog?  

What makes it commercial?
What makes it useful?
What makes it easy to read?

Those questions will be answered over the course of a series of blogs, each more strange than a foreign planet, with the intention of what ties these parts together:  Media.

Writing and Fundamentals

Sonya "Annie" Testa

How do you produce good writing?  

What makes things interesting?
When does it become to wordy?  

Why should you edit?

Pictures and Fundamentals

Taught by the Randal

What makes a good subject?

How do I understand focus? 

Standard Image Sizes

Compression and Dimensions

Graphics and Fundamentals

Taught by the Applegate

What is a Pixel
What is Index Transparency

What is Resolution

Blogger Gadgets

Learn about how to impliment some Blogger Gadgets.
Learn about how to customize some of the <Insert HTML> Open Gadget

Advanced Blogger Gadgets

How to 'hack' Blogger to make it perform functions which normally only Wordpress can use.
How to make advanced code by referring to .JS files (And hosting JS files outside of Blogger)

[End Transmission]

Kids will brainstorm the ideas for the widgets after being assigned homework:  to compare peoples' blogs.  They will be assigned to dissect the blogs of several other local and international Blogger pages, such as to determine the reading level for these blogs, as well as the understanding of the content.  Questions about content will include:

• Is this first hand or second hand information
• Does this exist somewhere else identically on the web
• Is it part of a "circle" (group of blogs that cross-reference)

The work will be performed by requesting that kids click "next blog" and read at least 2 pages from each, during the time it would take normally to watch a 1 and 30 minute, like Back To The Future.

The students will then essentially be expected to create their own blog.  They will have to consider all of the following information, and be critiqued in the ways that Stunk and White would be proud of, with their "Elements of Style" video (a local classic).  

Taking off to the next level, they will also have to have Graphics 1 and 2 completed by this point.  These different elements essentially will be imported into the background and banner design (which is essentially Graphics 3).