Quizizz is an app and website that is quite similar to Kahoot with a few interesting additions. Like Kahoot, a user can create a series of questions to ask a group of people who compete to answer them correctly and speedily. Scores are determined according to whoever answers correctly first.
Quizizz, unlike Kahoot, adds some additional features to the game itself including different Theme choices and Power-ups. And in Quiz creation, whereas Kahoot only has two “free” question types (multi-choice and true/false), Quizizz has a total of FIVE possible options:
Multiple choice (one correct answer)
Checkboxes (more than one correct answer)
Fill in the blank (correct answers + alternatives)
Open-ended (no correct answers, opinion based)
Poll (multiple choice – or checkboxes – opinion based)
Quizizz also adds the option of connecting to Google Classroom to assign quizzes for homework to your classes.
Recommendation: As with Kahoot, Quizizz also has an app where it is possible to create and edit quizzes. However, I it is still slightly easier to find everything on the website (the screen is larger), and you will likely be hosting your quizzes from the computer. So it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the website first.
Step 1: Sign up / in
Sign up
Google sign up
Role
Location
Dashboard
Go to quizizz.com and click “Sign up”
Sign up with your Google account (or email)***
Select your role (Teacher)
Select how you are using it (At a School)
Welcome to the Dashboard
*** Important note about “Sign up”
In the Sign Up screen, you have TWO options:
Sign up with Google
Sign up with email
Whichever option you choose to sign up with MUST be used to sign in later (and they do not overlap each other). For example:
if you sign up with Google, you CANNOT use Email / Password to sign in later
if you sign up with Google, you MUST use Google to sign in later
Why “Google” and “Email / password” are not the same
The reason for this is because of the authentication (sign in) method used by the website.
Google Sign In log you in with an authentication TOKEN
(A separate window opens where you log in to your Google account separately. Once you authenticate (login) with Google, your email service sends a unique authentication TOKEN to Quizizz in order to confirm your identity. So, in this case, Quizizz does NOT store your password at all, but rather relies on the TOKEN provided by Google to log you in.)
Email / password will remember both your email AND your password
(The password is actually passed through a hashing algorithm in order to scramble it so it can’t be intercepted by another user. The scrambled password is matched with the scrambled password stored in the database for your user ID, and if the two scrambled passwords match, your identity is confirmed and you are logged in. So, in this case, Quizizz stores BOTH your email AND scrambled password in their database.)
That is why the two sign in methods are not compatible (interchangeable).
Google = uses a TOKEN (and remembers only your email)
Step 2: Search for / Create a Quiz
Dashboard
Search
Single Quiz view
Create New
Ask question
Question Types
1. Multiple choice
2. Checkboxes
3. Fill in the blank
4. Open-ended
5. Poll
Finished quiz
“Done” – add details
My Library
Open single quiz
“Search” for quizzes to use
You’ll be shown a list of relevant search results
Select one to view (you can also Like or Save them to a Collection). From here you can Play Live, Assign HW, or Practice
“Create” a new Quizizz of your own
Write your own question at first to familiarize yourself with the Question Types
There are FIVE Question Types shown above:
Multiple choice (one correct answer)
Checkboxes (more than one correct answer)
Fill in the blank (correct answers + alternatives)
Open-ended (no correct answers, opinion based)
Poll (multiple choice – or checkboxes – opinion based)
After you finish creating questions, you’ll still be able to Edit them
Click “Done” in the upper-right to finish the Quiz (you must choose a grade level, and can also add additional details)
The Quiz will then appear in “My Library”
If you click on your finished Quiz, you can Play, Assign HW, or click “Edit” in the Quiz details box to edit it further
Step 3: Play / Assign a Quiz
Single Quiz view
Assign Homework
Play Live
Teacher: Join my Quiz
Student: Join my Quiz
Student: Nickname
Teacher: Start Quiz
Student View
Student answer
Teacher View
Teacher Finished
Student Finished
To Play or Assign a Quiz as Homework, first select the Quiz you want either from Search or from “My Library.”
From Single Quiz View
Assign HW – brings up options for date, time, and class (linked to Google Classroom)
Play – gives a few options like Team, Classic, and Test (choose Classic)
The Teacher’s View shows the Quiz ID students need to enter to join the quiz
Students navigation their Internet browsers to joinmyquiz.com and enter the ID
Students may choose a Nickname (and other options)
Then, select a Theme
From the Teacher’s View, once the students have all joined, they may now “Start” the Quiz
Students are show a question
And may click their answer – they are awarded points and bonuses depending on their answers and time elapsed
Teachers can watch student progress through the quiz
And at the end of the quiz, they are shown a report with statistics from the quiz results
Students also can review their own performance after the quiz
Step 4: Quiz Reports + Google Classroom
Teacher Finished
Student Finished
Reports Dashboard
Single Report Results
Connect Google Classroom
As mentioned above, at the end of a quiz:
Teachers can immediately view the quiz results
Students also have their own quiz results review page
Additional Reports can be found in the “Reports” link in the left sidebar
A single report view shows the full list of students who took the quiz as well as all their answers, and statistics about the quiz. It’s well worth investigating.
Finally,Google Classroom can also be linked to Quizizz from the “Classes” link in the left sidebar
I hope that gives you a good overview of using Quizizz in your classrooms. There is much to explore, so just take some time to familiarize yourself with the program. Again:
I recommend getting familiar with the website FIRST
And then going back in to the app to learn it
Once you know what is available in Quizizz through the website, it’ll be a lot easier to find it in the app.
Kahoot is an interesting app and website that allows one user to create a series of questions to ask a group of people who compete to answer them correctly and speedily. Scores are determined according to whoever answers correctly first (points are allocated in decreasing amounts to second place, third place, and so on).
Recommendation: Although the Kahoot App also makes it possible to create and edit Kahoots, I remember doing MOST tasks on the computer because it is slightly easier to find everything (the screen is larger), and you will likely be hosting your Kahoots from the computer. So it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the website first.
In the Create Account screen, you have THREE options:
Email / password
Sign up with Google
Sign up with Microsoft
Whichever option you choose to sign up with MUST be used to sign in later (and they do not overlap each other). For example:
if you sign up with Google, you CANNOT use Email / Password to sign in later
if you sign up with Google, you MUST use Google to sign in later
Why “Google” and “Email / password” are not the same
The reason for this is because of the authentication (sign in) method used by the website.
Email / password will remember both your email AND your password
(The password is actually passed through a hashing algorithm in order to scramble it so it can’t be intercepted by another user. The scrambled password is matched with the scrambled password stored in the database for your user ID, and if the two scrambled passwords match, your identity is confirmed and you are logged in. So, in this case, Kahoot stores BOTH your email AND scrambled password in their database.)
Google and Microsoft Sign In log you in with an authentication TOKEN
(A separate window opens where you log in to your Google or Microsoft account separately. Once you authenticate (login) with Google or Microsoft, your email service sends a unique authentication TOKEN to Kahoot in order to confirm your identity. So, in this case, Kahoot does NOT store your password at all, but rather relies on the TOKEN provided by Google or Microsoft to log you in.)
That is why the two sign in methods are not compatible (interchangeable).
Google / Microsoft = uses a TOKEN (and remembers only your email)
Step 2: Create / find a Kahoot
Discover
Check the questions
Create
Use a Template
Create a Question
Question Types
View My Kahoots
You may wish to investigate Kahoots that have already been created first to get an idea for the kinds of things that are possible. Click “Discover” in the top menu to do so. Later, you may wish to “Create” your own (top-left button).
“Discover” Kahoots (top menu button)
Search for a Kahoot that looks interesting
Select it to view the questions
Some Kahoots you may be able to Edit, or add to your own Library. Others you may only be able to Favorite and Play with your class
“Create” your own Kahoot (top-right button)
Create a New Kahoot or use a Template
You can modify an existing Template
Or, if you are creating a New Kahoot, type your own questions and answers
Question Types:
Quiz (4 choices)
True / False (2 choices)
Typing (premium)
Puzzle (premium)
Poll (premium)
Slide (premium)
After creating a Kahoot (or using a Template), find it in your Library of Kahoots under the “Kahoots” button in the top menu
Step 3: Host your Kahoot
View My Kahoots
Play or Assign
Game options
Input ID
Input Nickname
Wait for all students to join
Begin game
Question with answers
Question results
Leaderboard
To host / play your Kahoot:
View your Kahoots Library
Click “Play” on the Kahoot you want to host
Click “Teach” to play it in class
Select “Classic” in Game options (you may also want to change or disable the Lobby music toward the bottom of the screen)
When you Start the game
The screen on the right will appear on your projector / computer
Students should go to kahoot.it to enter the Game PIN on their devices
Students can choose a Nickname (caution: some students may try to choose joking or rude nicknames)
Once all students have entered the Game PIN and a nickname, Start the Game
Questions will be shown on screen with a timer
Students select the correct answer from the group of symbols on their device
After all students have answered (or time is up) the correct answer will be shown on screen
Finally, a leaderboard will be shown and tally up each player’s points
Step 4: Kahoot Reports
Reports Tab
Played Kahoots list
Analysis
You will also be able to see a detailed analysis of the results of a played Kahoot in the “Reports” tab.
Click “Reports” in the top menu
Select the Kahoot you want to view reports for
Detailed analysis includes:
Correct %
Difficult questions
Students who need help
Students who didn’t finish
I hope that gives you a good overview of using Kahoot in your classrooms. There is much to explore, so just take some time to familiarize yourself with the program.
I recommend getting familiar with the website FIRST
And then going back in to the app to learn it
Once you know what is available in Kahoot through the website, it’ll be a lot easier to find it in the app.
This slideshow is accompanied by my own “WordPress as LMS Roadmap” paper that gives step-by-step advice and instructions for building a (basic) WordPress LMS.
Although in the talk, I highlighted the major selling points for using WordPress as an LMS, I’ll refer you to my previous LMS talk titled “WordPress as LMS (Learning Management System)” for more information on WHY you might choose WordPress over the other available options. For the remainder of this post, however, I’ll focus on the practical steps involved in building your own class website in WordPress.
Communicate with Students (Comments, Forums, Wikis, Chat)
Provide Ongoing Resources (in some sort of library or collection)
Step 0: Get a website
You basically have 2 options: FREE or PAID and both have their upsides and downsides:
FREE Advantages and Disadvantages
(+) It’s FREE
(-) Themes, plugins, and design options are limited. Plus, your URL will be either yourclass.wordpress.com or yourclass.edublogs.org – you won’t own your own .com
PAID Advantages and Disadvantages
(+) You can choose what to pay for and how much you’re willing to spend. You can buy your own yourclass.com URL, and can basically make any theme, plugin, and design choices you want
(-) You pay for it. Some highly specialized themes, plugins, or features are sold separately
If you want a completely FREE site, you can still build a very functional classroom website in WordPress. I used a totally FREE installation of WordPress for the first 2 years of my LMS.
The remainder of this post will focus on creating a FREE WordPress LMS, although I will highlight some of the paid options you may wish to consider.
I’ve used Dreamhost.com since 2009 and have hosted dozens of personal and client websites there. You can manage every aspect of web hosting from there including:
Setup Step 1: Buying your URL Domain name
Setup Step 2: Installing WordPress with a One-Click Installer
Setup Step 3: Setting up email inboxes @yourclass.com
Support: They have a very helpful support staff and are active on Twitter
If you want to go with Dreamhost, I can offer 2 months of FREE hosting on a year plan if you sign up with this link AND enter the code WPMUJJ as a discount code when you sign up.
Step 1: Communicate Objects (Posts)
After getting setup with a WordPress website and logging into the backend, you have the option to customize your Theme (design), add Plugins (extra functionality), or play with any of your other Settings. It’s probably a good idea to at least familiarize yourself with the WordPress backend menu.
In your LMS class site, you can use each like this:
Pages = semester-long use (static) – use for Class homepages, Syllabus pages, About pages, Resource pages
Posts = daily use (chronological) – use for Class lessons, Homework assignments, or Reviews
Categories = folders – assign each Class a separate folder to store all Class materials within it
Tags = keywords – tag Posts with grammar points, topics, or subject content to allow easy searching and linking of related Posts later
Media = upload your PPTs, PDFs, DOCs, Images, Videos, or other content here – and don’t forget that WordPress also does a GREAT job of supporting native embeds from sites like Twitter and YouTube. Click this link for a complete list of all the filetypes and embeds WordPress supports
Step-by-Step
Gather your teaching materials and content
Create a NEW Post for every Lesson
Type (or copy-paste) your Lesson into the Editor and give it a Title
Upload class materials and media
Assign a Category using the Name of the Class (Freshmen Conversation 1B, for example)
Add Tags based on the subject matter (be verb, introductions, conjugation rules, etc)
Schedule the Post (if you want it to be available later, not immediately)
After publishing a handful of Posts/Lessons (or possibly before), you may want to create a Class PAGE specifically for containing the Syllabus, Lesson Plans, and Links to those Lessons. The best way to do this is to create a WordPress Page.
Pages are unique in WordPress in that they DO NOT have Categories nor Tags. However, they are hierarchical, so you could create a Freshmen Conversation Page that has multiple “children” like the list below indicates:
Freshmen Conversation
Freshmen Conversation 1A
Freshmen Conversation 1B
Freshmen Tues/Thurs
Freshmen Student Center Class
If you use “Pretty Permalinks” (go to Settings -> Permalinks in the WordPress sidebar menu) URLs of each Page will follow after their “parent” Page like so:
Therefore, you could simplify your Class Page names under the “parent” Page to only include the section number, date, or location of the class if you want (of course, you could also modify the URL by changing the “slug” under the Title of any Page as well).
Step-by-Step
Create a Page for each Class
Optionally create one “Category” main Page and Sub-Pages for each Class under that
Copy-paste in your syllabus OR type it up in an unordered list OR table (using a plugin)
Link each Post/Lesson from your Class Category to its syllabus item
OR simply link the entire Class Category to the top of the Page (when students click the main link, it’ll take them to the Category Page which will show a chronological listing of each Post in their Class from most recent to latest)
Plugins that may be helpful
Easy Table (can be used directly in the Post/Page Editor with the syntax required)
TablePress (has its own interface, slightly more complicated and versatile)
Websimon Tables (similar to TablePress with its own interface)
“Drip Content” is a term that means “sequential delivery of content.” This basically means that students don’t (or should not) have access to later Lessons before they complete (or are taught) previous Lessons.
This is very useful in fully automated online Learning Management Systems where a course creator simply sets up the system that unlocks later Lessons as users progress through and complete the Lessons in order. There are a number of good plugins to help you accomplish this.
However, for a simpler system – and one in which the teacher is a more active participant as the course progresses, the simplest method for “dripped content” is simply creating and Scheduling each Lesson/Post for the date that Lesson is to be taught or made accessible (this is akin to simply writing a new Lesson and Publishing it every Monday, for example).
Step-by-Step
Write a Post (Lesson) for you Class
Assign it a Category (Class folder) and add Tags (topics / keywords)
Change the “Publish On” date in the Publish Meta Box
Search the Plugin Directory for “Drip Content” or “Show Hide Content”
Step 4: Assess & Track Students (Comments / Authors)
There are numerous ways you can track and assess student work in WordPress. Two of the easiest you can set up with no additional plugins are:
WordPress Comments on Class Posts
Giving students a username and login as an “Author” on your Class site where they can write their own Posts (as essays) which you then edit and approve before they go “Live” on the site
Step-by-Step
Add Authors
Register new Users on your site by going to the Users -> Add New menu item
Assign student roles as “Author” and register them
In recent versions of WordPress, self-registration seems to be disabled, although there are some plugins available that will allow students to register themselves (see below)
Allow students to login and write essays (Posts) in their Class Category – under a Sub-Category of your choice
Edit their work and Publish it – you can write comments in the Post itself or in a Comment below it
Optionally, don’t Edit the Post yourself, but just leave Comments and assign the student the work of coming back in and fixing their mistakes
Take Comments
Go in to the Settings -> Discussion menu to adjust Comment settings appropriately
“Allow people to post comments on new articles”
“Comment author must fill out name and email”
“Comment author must have a previously approved comment”
Assign students the homework of reading a Class Post and Commenting on it
Additionally, when I was in grad school, I was assigned not only my original Comment about the article, but 3 “Reply” Comments to other students in the class. This is a good way to get a Discussion going.
Grading Student Work
Personally, without installing any additional plugins into WordPress, I have previously just kept records of student work in Excel spreadsheets or Google Sheets (they’re better for calculating numbers on the fly). However, there are a number of plugins available for grading, quizzes, and other things that you may want to try (see below).
Step 5: Communicate with Students (Comments / Plugins)
One thing that WordPress makes exceptionally easy is communication between people. Whether this is using a Commenting system (as discussed above) or Plugins that add extra Social Networking style features, WordPress is has many powerful tools available to customize communication.
Step-by-Step
Enable Comments on your site (discussed above)
Add Plugins that enhance both your Comments and other forms of communication
Enhance your Comments
Add a Contact form
Add Polls or Surveys
Add Forums, Wikis, or Chats
Add a Social Network plugin
Plugins that may be helpful
Akismet (the #1 spam comment blocking plugin in the world)
Finally, it is important to keep an organized space for resources and references for your classes. The easiest way to do this is to create a dedicated Resources Page that you continually update as new resources are found or added.
Your WordPress Media Library houses everything you upload to your site (in chronological order) so it can get rather messy after a while. However, there are a few ways you can help yourself keep things organized in the Media Library:
Be sure to NAME your resources appropriately so that they are easy to Search for in the Search box
Install a plugin to help with organization (see below)
Another option for creating a list of Resources that are simply links to various other locations online is to create a Blogroll (list of other blogs) on a page or in a Sidebar Widget.
Step-by-Step
Appropriately name/label every file you upload
Create a Page called “Class Resources”
You might also create Sub-Pages for each Class like “Freshman 1A Resources”
OR if there will be much overlap, simply divide your Main Page with different Headings for each class
Update your “Class Resources” Page as you find/upload new material
Create a Custom Menu called “Blogroll” or “External Resources” or something
Add links to external sites in this Menu
Add the Menu to a Sidebar Widget (or possibly a Page – you might need a plugin)
We are living in the middle of an age of educational and technological revolution. Will you get swept away, left behind, or ride the riptide of edtech into the future? Join me as I look at various successful models of online schools and classrooms, the major components that make up a successful online Learning Management System, and how to create one for yourself using WordPress.
This is a talk I presented at the Jeonju-Jeonbuk KOTESOL Chapter meeting for March 2015.
*Audience Note
I may have addressed this talk (and presented it) to a slightly wrong audience at the time. The meeting was small and contained people who are primarily ESL teachers – who may be familiar with certain web technologies.
However, I designed this talk for an audience who already understand the basic concepts of an LMS (Learning Management System) and want to implement it themselves in their classrooms.
Therefore, this talk is primarily an argument for WHY WordPress is the BEST solution for an LMS – as opposed to other possible solutions (including Moodle) – and introduces some basic concepts about how to put WordPress to work for you as an LMS.
WordPress as LMS
define:LMS/ Learning Management System: A digital learning environment to manage all aspects of the learning process.
In this talk, I will present THREE basic ideas about WordPress as LMS:
Recall again that an LMS is “a digital learning environment to manage all aspects of the learning process.” The following is a list of 6 basic aspects in the learning process:
Traditional classrooms usually involve a great deal of printed paperwork and in-class interaction with the teacher.
On the other hand, LMS-assisted classrooms may help reduce (or entirely eliminate) papers and increase student-to-student interaction both in and out of class.
Another reason LMS-assisted classrooms are beneficial for teachers:
No more lost USBs.
I personally haven’t carried a USB in 3-4 years because I store all my lessons, PPTs, documents, and resources on my classroom website (or in Google Docs which can be used in collaboration with my website). Besides that, simply by relying on a USB stick, you are risking spreading viruses between unprotected PCs or even absentmindedly leaving it behind after class.
Are you smarter than a College Freshman?
And another reason to start looking into setting up an LMS is because high-schoolers these days are learning this kind of technology themselves as graduation requirements.
In a document (created in 2006) I downloaded from the San Diego Unified School District that outlines High School Technology Compentencies, the following are the THREE level of Web Authoring competencies they seek for their students:
Basic: Understand web authoring terminology, how to use templates, and district policies on copyright, ethics, privacy, and security
Intermediate: Identify, prepare, create, and upload materials to a web publishing platform
Advanced: Understand and be able to use CSS code, Flash video, downloads, forms, and databases
EdTech is transforming K-12 learning with an intensity and at a pace that is disruptive, creative, and unpredictable.
Students are no longer content to be passive recipients of information. Few kids can sit behind a desk when they have smart phones or iPads in their possession.
The higher education business model is threatened by the need for cheaper delivery of services, content, and learning.
Pricing, Access, Connectivity, Competition – It’s all about Economics.
Actually, what we’re talking about here is the FUTURE of education. Every other industry in the world has seen a radical technological reformation and evolution. Education is now also beginning a radical change in the way school and learning happens, but where will our place be in this period of transition and change?
I think the main reason that more people don’t get more involved with EdTech is FEAR. They are afraid of the unknown, afraid of learning (difficult) new things, or afraid of being left behind.
But, I want to alleviate your fears a bit and argue that WordPress is a (comparatively) easy solution for beginning to get more of your own classes online.
Step 1B: Why WordPress?
define:WordPress/
The #1 web publishing CMS (Content Management System) in the world – powering 23% of all the world’s websites.
FREE. unlimited. awesomeness.
But what about some of the other LMS’s you may already be familiar with?
I think there are at least 6 primary considerations to keep in mind when choosing a suitable LMS. Each of the above is excellent in some of these aspects, but only WordPress rocks all of them:
available for WordPress. How much more power do you need?
3: Flexibility
Thanks to WordPress Multisite (a nifty optional feature in the WordPress core), the software is infinitely scalable. A couple of good examples of this are:
WordPress.com that serves up over 500 million sites using only ONE code base
Best Buy which uses ONE base installation to power their 1000s of store sites
WordPress is not “easy” as in “post-on-Facebook-easy” but compared to the many other options out there, it is surprisingly easy. I’ve even transferred clients to WordPress fromJoomla and Moodle after spending significant time with them in the backend trying to fix things how they wanted.
The WordPress Post editor closely resembles a Microsoft Word document editor and is just as easy to publish with.
If you can Word, then you can WordPress.
In fact, in a 2014 survey of WordPress users around the world, the company found out that 91% of WordPress sites took less than 4-5 weeks to make. This is comparatively easy! And I have experience putting together basic sites with all the elements in only ONE week or less.
5: Support
WordPress already powers 1 in 5 sites you visit on the web, and it’s still growing.
2014 was the first year that non-English downloads surpassed English downloads
WordPress.tv that contains filmed WordCamp presentations
6. Reliability
WordPress.com gets roughly the same number of monthly unique visitors that Facebook.com gets so up-time and security are big deals. The WordPress.com development team pushes updated code to the core between 60-80 times PER DAY, so both of those facts should give you a feel for just how reliable this service and software are.
If you choose to go self-hosted, however, all that depends primarily on your web host. But the following is a list of some of the top hosts in the world:
Step 2A: How does an LMS work and how can we use it?
define:Blended Learning/
Education that integrates online and in-person delivery with some element of student control over the time and place in which they access the course content.
I’m NOT an advocate for a strictly MOOC-style LMS. These systems conduct courses primarily online with minimal teacher-student interaction except via the forums. Granted, some teachers are very participatory in the forums, but not all are – and online forums still leave something to be desired compared to the traditional model of in-class, face-to-face, teacher-student and student-student interaction.
Besides that, MOOCs are COMPLICATED to implement, especially without a dedicated team behind them.
I feel that, at least as far as online course websites are concerned:
Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication.
Leonardo da Vinci
Therefore, when considering the following options for course website preparation, I’d recommend:
Level of Instruction: prepare a SINGLE course (at least a first)
Time (Schedule): allow a modified time schedule for students to access the site
Role of Online Components: enhanced
Teacher role: Teacher supports
Student role: Teacher-guided learning
Student support: School mentoring
Student to Teacher ratio: 2-3x Traditional
But, for simplicity’s sake, here are the TWO MOST PRACTICAL ways you can implement an LMS website in your classroom:
Go paperless
Make homework include online interaction
Step 2B: How can we use WordPress to create an LMS?
There are TWO options for using WordPress to create an LMS:
Is a hosting SERVICE where you can get a FREE site and username at their domain (http://yourname.wordpress.com)
Is limited in freedoms, but provides paid upgrades and is still a viable option for class websites
WORDPRESS.ORG
Hosts the (downloadable) SOFTWARE and all documentation, but you are required to find your own self-hosting solution (http://www.yourname.com)
Is virtually unlimited in customization options
If you go self-hosted, many of the top hosting providers offer a “One-Click Install” from the CPanel (Control Panel) of their site. It’s a simple matter of point-click-wait-5-minutes and you’ll have the FULL WordPress software up and running on your domain.
Here’s a list of recommended hosting providers again:
In WordPress, you will only need to understand (a minimum of) 5 key concepts to be able to effectively communicate the above 6 aspects to your students. They are:
Pages
Posts
Categories
Tags
Media
1. Pages
Pages are hierarchical, “stand alone” articles on your site. Though they have publication dates (and can be scheduled for automatic future publication), they do not “flow” as a blog would. Pages are not inherently “related” to each other and they ARE NOT categorized by Categories nor Tags (more later).
If you want a Page to have some kind of relation to another Page, you must assign it a “Parent” in the Page Attributes widget in the Page editor.
Pages will therefore act like individual menu items (they will be automatically added to your main menu if you don’t create one manually) – and “Parent” Pages will act as the top-level dropdown menu containing any “Child” Pages beneath them.
Pages may also utilize “templates”. These will give your Pages a different output on the front of the website and may look like any of the following:
Home page
Landing page
Contact page
Clients page
About page
Full-Width page
And so on
2. Posts
Posts are chronological (non-hierarchical) articles that “flow” along the Blog page, Home page, or Archive pages as they are written and published.
Posts are grouped together by Categories (that act like “buckets” or Folders), and Tags (keywords that are used to Search the site).
Posts may also utilize “Formats” that style certain Post types differently. For example, you may have different styles for:
Regular (Standard) Posts
Aside Posts (without a title visible on the Blog archive Page)
Image Posts
Video Posts
Quotation Posts
Link Posts
Gallery Posts
Status Update Posts
Audio Posts
Chat Posts
3. Categories
On the front-end of a site, Categories may be visible as Folder names for Month or Topic, or in the Breadcrumbs (the “You Are Here” collection of links at the top of a Post), or as individual Menu items.
(On the front-end, you won’t really be able to SEE the difference between Categories and Pages as they appear in the menu unless you click on the link. If it’s a Category, there will be a long list of Posts; if it’s a Page, there will be only ONE Page.)
With Categories, I usually assign each of my Classes to a separate Category. That way, when the students click on the Category name, they are taken directly to an ongoing blog list of ONLY Posts for their class.
4. Tags
On the front-end of a site, Tags may be visible in a “Tag Cloud” (a collection of frequently used keywords throughout the site), or in the footer meta (a collection of data at the bottom) of a Post. You can also Search for Tags as these are WordPress’s “keywords.”
With Tags, I usually add the keywords for the lesson subject – such as a grammar point we’re studying or the key concepts to understand.
5. Media
WordPress Media is unique in TWO primary ways:
You can Drag-&-Drop media from your Desktop directly into the Post editor window to upload files.
You can Copy-Paste URLs from popular websites like YouTube and Twitter to get immediate, automatic embeds of those videos and tweets (among other things). No more copying over embed codes!
The WordPress editor also provides you with a view of what your Post will ACTUALLY look like on the front-end even as you type it and before publishing it.
Step 3B: Plugins add Power
The above 5 functions are available both on WordPress.com and with the WordPress.org software. However, if you REALLY want to power-up your LMS, going self-hosted and installing your own plugins is the best way to go.
The following lists provide (at least) FOUR plugin options for EACH of the 6 aspects of learning previously discussed:
