Blog or Journal in Blackboard
The Blog add-on to Blackboard facilitates private journals, group blogs, individual blogs, and other variations of public and private depending on the options selected when creating a blog. The Blog tool is an add-on capability provided in Blackboard by a building block created by Learning Objects. For more detailed help, see the Learning Objects Blog documentation in PDF format.
Accessing the Blogs
Each course has one Central Course Blog and can also have many individual and group blogs.
To access the Central Course Blog: Select Course Tools from the Tools menu on your course home page, then select Blog Tool. The Central Course Blog exists by default.- To access individual or group blogs, select the appropriate content area (i.e., Documents, Assignments), click on View. These blogs must be created.
Create an Individual or Group Blog
- Select Control Panel
- Select the Content Area (i.e., Documents, Assignments) you wish to have a blog or create a new menu item for this area and then select it.
- Choose Blog from the Select dropdown list in the upper right.
- Select the Go button and you'll be presented with the Create Blog configuration page.
- Fill in the Name and Description areas and whether the blog is available
- Select Group Blog or Private Journal to determine who can view the blog. A Group Blog allows visitors to view the blog whereas a Private Journal allows only the author or authors to view the blog
- Select how users are to be addressed (User Name, Person Name, etc.)
- Choose Member Settings to determine the individuals or groups that have editing and commenting privileges
- If you wish to grade the student's work in the blog, select Create a Grade Book entry for this blog, then fill in the remaining choices for the Gradebook.
- Select OK
One-on-one discussion option
If the instructor wishes to have multiple one-on-one discussions with their students, the Private Journal option allows for this.
- Create a Private Journal
- Select Allow blog members to view the Instructor's entries
This allows each student to view the instructor's blog and comment on it, but prevents the students from seeing each other's comments.
