Recently, I started a new course on ICT in TESOL. In this course, we are required to use a blog to document our thoughts on the learning process. This marks my first venture into the world of blogging.
I took a close look at Zhenya Polosatova's blog, and her content and layout greatly inspired me. I will analyse her blog and share my own experiences. I hope to document this as the first entry in my blog and revisit it after using the blog for some time, perhaps discovering different perspectives.
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| click the picture to see Zhenya Polosatova's blog |
Organisation and Layout
Firstly, the organisation and layout caught my attention because the entire blog layout is very clear, making it easy to understand the content and functionality of each section. Her blog's main menu has four pages, and the sidebar is filled with various gadgets like search bar, recent post and other useful blogs, making it convenient for readers to find desired content. She also uses gadgets that classify posts based on their publication time, a useful feature for frequent readers to search for specific content. Perhaps, I will consider using time-based archives and labelling to help readers locate content more efficiently.
Content and Features
The content and features are quite good actually, because the blog primarily features teaching reflections and reflective practice activities, which are highly valuable for novice teachers. I particularly appreciate a unique feature called "It's in (Y)Our Hands," where all that's needed is a piece of paper and your own hand to create an outline. In this feature, the blogger shares a variety of engaging practice activities that I find quite interesting. The "About Me" page is also crucial; through this page, I can directly understand the blogger and her blog's content. For first-time visitors, this serves as an important introduction. Perhaps, I'll consider adding a similar page to my own blog.
Ease of use and Navigation
Although I think the layout of the blog is clear, there's a slight concern: for first-time visitors, while she categorizes her articles, if I click on one category, like "learning thoughts," it takes me to one post. If I want to continue reading other articles in that category, I'm not sure where to click, which might be a bit confusing. For the "Teacher Training Essentials" button on the main menu, there is something wrong with it, which we can't find anything on that page, so that would be a little problem.
Target Audience
The target audience is obviously teachers and educators interested in English teaching. Both novice teachers like me and experienced teachers can learn something valuable from the blog.
Summary
Zhenya Polosatova's blog is really good for me to learn how to set up my own blog, especially in terms of using catchy titles and nice pictures to attract readers and make the whole page look clear.
Finally, if you also want to set up a blog, here is a really good video from Russell Stannard showing how you can have your own blog and everything you need to know about posting a blog.
