Activity 4

Activity 4

The next task for this short training course is about using camera feature of your smartphone for blog posting. Please follow these steps!

•  Read the blog post "Using your smartphone for blog posting! Is it possible?"
• Follow the steps given in the above mentioned blog post and download the blogger app (if you haven't done that yet).
• Use camera feature of your smartphone and take a picture which is relevant to the title of your blog.
• Write 150 or more words about that picture. Give your blog post a good title and publish this post on your personal blog. Please do not plagiarize!  

This is the time when you can publish as many posts as you want. Do not download a picture from somewhere else rather take a picture using your smartphone.

Activity 3

Activity 3

• Read the blog post "Using your smartphone for blog posting! Is it possible?"
• Follow the steps given in the above mentioned blog post and download the blogger app (In case you have not done that yet).
• Choose one of the following pictures and write 150 or more words. You are also required to give a suitable title to the picture. Use your own thoughts and avoid copying from any other source (Your task will not be considered completed if your work is plagiarized). 
• Publish this post on your personal blog. 

Activity 2

Your first blog post!

This is the second task for this short training course. Please follow these steps!

•  Read the blog post "Using your smartphone for blog posting! Is it possible?"
• Follow the steps given in the above mentioned blog post and download the blogger app.
• Choose one of the following topics and write 150 or more words. Publish this post on your personal blog. Do not plagiarize! Do not copy others work! 

1. If you could invite five people to a dinner party, who would they be? What is each guest like?
2. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Describe it and explain why you’d choose it.
3. What’s one thing you could never live without and why?
4. Talk about five specific goals you want to accomplish in 2017, and explain how you are going to accomplish them.
5. If you could get one gift for everyone in your family, regardless of the cost, what would you get them and why? 

Do not restrict yourself to 150 words. Write as much as you like.

Using your smartphone for blog posting! Is it possible?

Yes!

It is very easy to use your smartphone for blog posting. Just follow following simple steps!

Step 1

• Download the Blogger App using Google Play Store

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2

• Once you have downloaded the App, click on "Open" button.
• You will be asked to choose your existing gmail account or add another gmail account.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Step 3

• After choosing your gmail account you will be directed to your blog where you can see all of your posts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 4

• Publishing a post is very easy. Choose an appropriate title for your post. Then, type the content. There is a camera button on the right, which allows you to either capture a photo or use one from your smartphone gallery.

My first blog post

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Watch following video tutorial in Urdu

 

Activity 1

Set up your personal blog

This is the first task of this short training course. For this task you are required to complete following steps:

• Read the blog post "How to setup a personal blog?"
• Follow the steps given in the above mentioned blog post and set up your personal blog. You can choose your own theme, title, and design for your blog.
• Once your personal blog is ready, copy and paste the link of your blog in the comment section of this blog post. 

Deadline for this task is 28/11/2016.

How to setup a personal blog?

What is a blog?

A blog is described as a personal diary or a journal which is updated and maintained frequently. It is a place where you can share your thoughts, opinions, passions, etc. with the rest of the world. Now a days blogs are being used in almost all fields of life. Many online platforms provide free services to setup your blog, such as www.wordpress.com, www.blogger.com, etc. 

 

How to setup a personal blog using your smartphone?

Setting up a personal blog is very easy. You just need to follow these steps and your blog will be ready in a few minutes.

Step 1 

• Type "www.blogger.com" in the internet browser of your smartphone.
• Click on "CREATE YOUR BLOG"  

Step 2

• You will be asked to sign in using your gmail account. If you don't have one, you can easily create a gmail account.

Step 3

• You can choose a title for your blog.
• After choosing a title you have to select an address for your blog. You can play with the name of the address until you see that it is available for you to use for your blog.
• Now you have to choose a template for your blog. Template is the appearance of the blog. You can choose any form the given list.
• Once you have selected the template, hit the "Create blog" button.

  Step 4

• This page is showing the overview of your blog.
• Hit the button "My blogs" and you will be directed to the home page of your blog.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Hurry! My blog is ready!

Still struggling?

Watch the following video in Urdu!

WELCOME!

Course Information 

This course is a part of PhD research being conducted by Shaista Rashid at School of Teacher Education, University of Canterbury, New Zealand. The course is aimed at exploring the effect of training in using smartphones for English language learning on the perceptions, attitudes and practices of tertiary students in Pakistan. The training will be focused on the use of smartphone for independent learning for English language by the participants. This course is built around online activities and places the learning responsibility on the participants.

Learning Outcomes

Participants completing this course will be able to

·       Setup their personal blogs.

·       Publish different posts on their blogs.

·       Follow and comment on others' blog posts.

·       Practice and improve their reading and writing skills by using blogs. 

·       Enhance their motivation level by using blogs of learning English language.

·       Develop critical thinking about how to use their smartphones more effectively for English language learning.

Pre-Requisites

The participant must

• Be an undergraduate student at a public or private university in the Punjab province of Pakistan.
• Have access to a smartphone with internet connectivity 

Course Coordinator: Shaista Rashid

Tasks

• Weekly publishing a post on your personal blog
• Reading and giving feedback on at least three blog posts by your peers