Kidblog
Kidblog is a tool teachers can leverage for cultivating discussion, encouraging writing and
developing collaboration among students. Students publish posts and participate in academic
discussions within the secure classroom blogging community. Teachers maintain complete
control over student blogs and user accounts. BCPS has an Admin Pro account license for
teachers in grades 1 – 5. Kidblog is free for other teachers for 30 days with a paid upgrade
available.
Creating an Account*
* BCPS teachers for grades 1 – 5 should follow the Kidblog Migration Directions (found on the BCPS
ODL Resource Wiki Kidblog page) to create and join your account to the BCPS Admin Pro account.
Create a teacher account at kidblog.org
1. Click on Teachers: Sign up for Free
2. Enter your name
3. Enter a Password and your Email
address
4. Indicate you are not a robot
5. Click on Sign Up
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Baltimore County Public Schools
Office of Instructional Technology: Kidblog
March 2016
1
Teacher Dashboard
You can always get back to your dashboard by clicking on the K in the upper left or clicking on your
name and choosing Dashboard from the dropdown menu.
Baltimore County Public Schools
Office of Instructional Technology: Kidblog
March 2016
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Student Dashboard
Creating a Class Blog
1. From your Dashboard, click on
Create New Class
2. Enter your class name (make sure
this is as simple and memorable as
possible because it becomes the
blog URL)
3. Choose Baltimore County Public
Schools as your organization. Not
an option? Log out and follow the
Kidblog Migration Directions
(found on the BCPS ODL Resource
Wiki Kidblog page) to join your
account to the BCPS Admin Pro
account.
Baltimore County Public Schools
Office of Instructional Technology: Kidblog
March 2016
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Students Logging on to Kidblog
1a
Option A- Clicking on or typing the direct blog URL:
1a. Type the direct URL for your class
blog site into the Internet address bar
(or click on the shortcut).
2a. Click Log In in the upper right of the
screen.
3a. Select your username from the dropdown menu and enter your password.
4a. Click Log In.
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1b
Option B- Searching for the blog:
1b. Click the Login tab in the
upper right of the main
Kidblog page.
2b. Enter the teacher’s username or
email and click Go.
3b. Select the correct blog link.
4b. Select your username from the
drop-down menu and enter
your password.
5b. Click Log In.
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Baltimore County Public Schools
Office of Instructional Technology: Kidblog
March 2016
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Class Blog Main Page
Baltimore County Public Schools
Office of Instructional Technology: Kidblog
March 2016
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Adding a New Blog Post

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Use the draft button (A) to save
unfinished posts.
Use review (B) to submit a finished
draft to the teacher for review.
The publish button (C) makes the
post go live within the parameters
set by the teacher and chosen on the
following screen:
o Only the teacher can view
o Classmates can view
o Class blog followers can view
o The general public can view
Things to note:
 Teachers may “pin” a post so it always appears at the top of the list on the main page
 Class blog settings allow teachers to limit the publication audience as well as enable
or disable teacher review of posts and comments
 Teachers may publish a post to more than one class blog at a time
Baltimore County Public Schools
Office of Instructional Technology: Kidblog
March 2016
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Adjusting Class Blog Privacy Settings

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Click on the privacy icon from the dashboard or in the settings’ navigation bar
Post and Comment privacy settings have the same options:
o Teacher- only the teacher can view and comment on posts
o Class Members- only class members can view and comment; approval can be required
o Connections & Guests- approved followers of the class blog as well as invited guests
may view and comment; approval can be required
o Public- anyone who goes to the class blog may view and comment; approval can be
required to post
Adjusting Other Class Blog Settings
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General information such as class name, URL, description, location and class Avatar
Themes (colors and backgrounds) and the order and visibility of sidebar widgets
Categories help filter blogs into topics like subject areas or content
Connections allow you to view and manage your followers and those you are following
Baltimore County Public Schools
Office of Instructional Technology: Kidblog
March 2016
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Adding Users
Click on the Users icon from the dashboard or in the settings’ navigation bar
Option 1: Join-Codes
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Click on Join-Codes to access codes for
various user roles. Codes will automatically
become disabled in 14 days, but may be reenabled.
Provide students the URL to your class blog and
have them select Enter your Class Code
Once they enter the code they can set their
usernames and external passwords. They should
NOT enter their email addresses or last names
Option 2: Manual Entry

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Click on Create Students
Enter the students’ display names and external
passwords. You should not use students’ last names
Option 3: Bulk Upload
 Click on Create Students
 Click on Bulk Upload
 Follow the directions to upload an
Excel CSV file with your students’
names and passwords
Existing Kidblog Users can add your
class to their account by logging in to
Kidblog and entering your Join-Code
from their dashboard.
Baltimore County Public Schools
Office of Instructional Technology: Kidblog
March 2016
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Moderating Posts
1. From the class blog main page, click on the Posts view tab.
2. Use the filters to view published posts.
3. Any post that is yellow and lists “Teacher” as its status needs to be approved.
4. Click on the post to view and in the upper
right corner, click on Status: Published
to post.
5. In list view, you can also use the check
boxes to select multiple posts and use the
Edit button to approve more than one at a
time.
Moderating Comments
1. From the class blog main page, click on the Comments view
tab.
2. Use the filters to view unapproved posts.
3. Any post that is yellow needs to be approved.
4. Use the excerpt view to easily read large numbers of comments
or click on each comment to
view, edit, and respond
individually.
Baltimore County Public Schools
Office of Instructional Technology: Kidblog
March 2016
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Student Profile Settings
1. Click on the account name in the upper right corner.
2. Select My Profile
3. From the profile menu you can:
a. Choose your avatar
b. View your classes and connections
c. Change your display name
d. Change your email address and password
e. Change date and time formats
f. View all of your blog posts under your portfolio
4. Teachers can access student profiles and portfolios by clicking Edit next to their name in
the Users section of class settings.
Baltimore County Public Schools
Office of Instructional Technology: Kidblog
March 2016
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