This document provides instructions for students on setting up and maintaining a blog as part of their Foundation Portfolio for AS Media Studies. The blog will document their research, planning, experiments, works in progress, final products, and evaluations. Students are instructed to post to their blog at least once per week and include various media like links, videos, images, scripts and more. The blog is worth 40% of their practical grade and will be assessed based on the quality and organization of their planning, research, and evaluation demonstrated in blog posts. Students are provided a link to set up a free blog on Blogspot.com and given examples of exemplar blogs to reference.

1. Foundation Portfolio – The Blog
AS MEDIA STUDIES 2014

2. Learning Intentions
 To understand why the Blog is an important
aspect of the Foundation Portfolio
 To understand how to set up the Blog

3. Success Criteria
 I will set up a blog on Blogspot.com and link
to the blogs of other students

4. The Blog
 Online weB LOG focused on research,
planning and practical development
 Includes
 Research
 Planning
 Experiments
 Work in progress
 Final products
 Evaluation

5. Maintain the Blog
 Entries at least once per week
 After every significant practical experience
 Sometimes once a day
 Not just text
 Links to audio, video and images on e.g. YouTube
 Uploads of own material
 “Director’s Commentary”
 Experimental footage
 Storyboards/ animatics
 Scripts
 Production schedules

6. Exam board expectations -
planning
 Worth 20 marks (20% of practical)
 Demonstrates excellent:
 research into similar products and potential target
audience
 organisation of actors, locations, costumes or
props.
 work on shot-lists, layouts, drafting, scripting or
storyboarding.
 level of care in the presentation of the research
and planning
 time management

7. Exam board expectations -
evaluation
 Worth 20 marks (20% of Unit)
 MUST contain element of audience feedback
 either integrated with the presentation of the
research and planning material or presented
separately
 MUST answer 7 questions set by the board
 MUST demonstrate excellent understanding
of key production elements

8. Setting up your account
 http://www.blogspot.com
 Create a Blog
 Fill in the details to create
(or log into) a Google
account)
 Verify account

9. Setting up your Blog
 Name your blog and check
the URL
 Email me the URL
 ear@fram.durham.sch.uk
 Choose a template
 Start blogging

10. Exemplar blogs
 OCR Example
http://cmdiplomayasmin.blogspot.com/
 Official Exam board blog
http://ocrmediastudies.weebly.com/index.html
 Mr Earl’s blog
http://mediaframas.blogspot.com/
 Blogs by previous students
 http://zoeasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/ (Zoe Crick 2013)
 http://katttydx.blogspot.com/ (Kathryn Dowson, 2012)
 http://katiesawesomeasmediablog.blogspot.co.uk/ (Katie Boal, 2011)

11. Linking Blogs
 Click on the “Design” tab
 Add “My Blog List” as a gadget
 Click “edit”
 Click “add to list”
 Type in the URL of the blog (for example
http://mediaframas.blogspot.com/)
 Click “add” and close the window

12. Posting on your Blog
 Navigate to your blog homepage
 Click “new post”
 To include video/ image links, you may need
to use html tags
 Sites like Youtube and Facebook are blocked
at school, although some other video sites
can be accessed
 May wish to set up free Vimeo account

13. First blog task
 Post your pre-course project to the blog
 You have until next Friday to do this
 View at least two projects by other students
and comment on them