Edvibes Blog

Embedded below is a slide show on Classroom Hand Signals that is meant to be printed out and hung up in the classroom. This is a sign language code the kids and I created that cutts down 99% of all disturbances in the classroom. These procedures are at the core of my classroom management and are used hundreds of times a day saving those precious minutes of instructional time on task. Please post a comment below, I welcome your feedback if you found it useful our you have some suggestions to improve it. Enjoy.

This blog thing is finally started to catch on and spread with some other teachers at my school so, I have decided to backtrack and log some of the big customizations I had done to set up this blog in order to leave a path to make it easier for some of the newbie bloggers to follow. (Note: I am not going to get into super detail on how to go through each step, rather I am pointing you in a direction for you to focus on)

1) Learn on how to upload and install themes and pluggins (for wordpress) Hint: do a google on these keywords “Screencast” and “How to Install Themes and Plugins” and “Wordpress”

2) Then Change your theme

3) Try to install a plugin (ok here is one link How to Install Plugins in Wordpress ) by installing my favorite gotta have plugin: Wordpress Widgets trust me it will make your life so much easier

4) Install your first widget with everyone’s favorite Clustrmap

5) Start the site counters and trackers right away, I swear by Google Analytics

6) Burn a feed for your blog at Feedburner so that readers can subcribe and keep up with your blog via RSS or email updates. I also used the chicklet rss button maker widget and got the email subscribition code and drop into into my wordpress widget sidebar.
7) Register your blog with atleast Technorati and Mybloglog and drop their tracking/pinging code into your blog

8 ) Add your network badges and build your profile. What I did was my LinkedIn with a picture

9) Share stuff. Add your Delicious bookmarks Google Reader Blogroll and Google Reader Shared Items (Hint get a google reader account)

I hope this saved you some time get started. Have a question or suggestion, please comment below.