Creating a blog activity

LMS Discussions

LMS Discussions can be used as a blog tool and they can be set up to allow students to see each other’s posts and comment on them. LMS Discussions can be graded if required.

There are two ways to set up LMS Discussions for a blog activity, either using Sections or Groups within Canvas LMS.

Students complete their blogging activity within a Section

You can assign a LMS Discussion to each section within your subject where students who are in the same section can share their blog posts and interact with other students' blogs. Students from other sections will not see the Discussion that is not assigned to them. Students' blog posts and replies can be graded in SpeedGrader.

For step-by-step instructions on how to assign a LMS Discussion to a section, see how do I create a discussion as an instructor.

One effective way to manage student blogs with this set up is to request all students within the assigned section to start their blog entries by replying to the main discussion post, where they can find the task instructions. Other students can interact with the blog entry by replying to the individual student discussion threads.

Students complete their blogging activity within a Group

You can set up a group LMS Discussion to allow students within their groups to share their blog posts and interact with other students' blogs. With this set up, there will only be one group LMS Discussion link required. Students' blog posts and replies can be graded in SpeedGrader.

Follow the process below to create groups in your LMS subject and set up a group LMS Discussion.

1. Create a group set in your LMS subject, see how do I add a group set in a course. You have the option to allow students to self sign up to a group, and whether to create the groups automatically or manually.
2. Create a group LMS Discussion by following the instructions in the how do I create a discussion as an instructor guide, ensuring the This is a Group Discussion checkbox is selected and adding the relevant group set.
3. To view different groups in the LMS Discussion, click the Group discussion dropdown and select the relevant group. Note: The navigation thread at the top of the page will change to the Group Homepage when you click on the Group name.

Students can access their group discussion via the Discussion page, via the Assignments page (if grading is enabled in the group discussion settings), or via the Groups icon on the global navigation menu.

One effective way to manage student blogs with this set up is to request all students within their group to start their blog entries by replying to the main discussion post, where they can find the task instructions. Other students can interact with the blog entry by replying to the individual student discussion threads.

PebblePad

PebblePad blogs are private by default. If you want students to publicly share their blog, either with their peers or a wider audience, they will have to configure the access permissions for the blog. Students can use blogs to practise their writing on specific topics for a larger audience.

PebblePad blogs can form part of an unassessed or assessed activity. However, if you are planning to use PebblePad blogs as part of a summative assessment, contact Teaching and Learning Innovation to discuss your needs and request for PebblePad to be linked with your LMS subject.

For further information on setting up or using blogs, refer to the create a blog guide and the create, edit and share blog posts in PebblePad student guide.

FeedbackFruits

The FeedbackFruits Discussion on Topic or Discussion on Work tools facilitate and structure discussion amongst students. Discussion on Topic activities will create individual discussion threads for each student’s response to the topic set by the instructor, while Discussion on Work requires students to submit file(s) that will then be used as a discussion prompt.

While guides with detailed setup instructions for both tools are linked at the end of this section, the following settings are particularly important when configuring these activities for blogs.

• Student Collaboration: Instructors can configure the assignment to require students to complete posts as individuals or as groups, and discussions can take place within or outside of assigned groups
• Required number of posts: Students will be required to complete a minimum or exact number of posts specified
• Required length of posts: Set a minimum word requirement for each post
• Peer discussion:
  • Discussion on Topic activities can be set up as a free form discussion with the option to specify the number of posts students will need to choose to discuss; or assigned discussion, where students can see every post but are allocated to a specific number of peers to review (students will have to discuss all of the posts by each assigned peer).
  • Discussion on Work activities are assigned discussions by default, and will require students to complete the number of randomly allocated peer reviews required in this step before they’re able to access the open discussion that allows students to see every post and optionally contribute beyond the number of required reviews
• Grading: Configure automated grading for whether the student met the required number of posts/reviews. If you would like to grade students based on the quality of their posts/reviews, contact TLI for advice using the link at the bottom of this page.
• Reflections: Adding this optional step will require students to write a reflection on the Discussion activity following completion of the peer discussion step.

For detailed instructions, follow the relevant vendor guide below:

• Discussion on topic: For teachers (setting up)
• For managing an activity once students have started participating
• Discussion on work: For teachers (setting up)
• For managing an activity once students have started participating

If you would like any support with setting up a blog activity, please submit a support request for assistance.