Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Jones, and I'm really pleased that you're here today to learn with me.

Today's lesson is called, Use criteria to develop a blog, and we're going to look at what a microblog is and how they are used, as well as what a rubric is and how to use that to assess and improve your blog post.

So let's get started.

Welcome to today's lesson from the unit, Using media to gain support for a course.

Today's lesson is called, Use criteria to develop a blog, and by the end of this lesson, you'll be able to create a microblog post and use a rubric to assess the quality of your blog post.

There are two key words to today's lesson.

Microblog.

A microblog is a type of short-form content on social media platforms, typically consisting of brief posts, often with links, images, or hashtags to engage the audience.

And rubric.

Rubric is a guide that outlines criteria and levels of achievement to evaluate work fairly and consistently.

There are two sections to today's lesson, the first is, Create a microblog post, and the second is, Use a rubric to assess your blog post.

So let's start with, Create a microblog post.

John is asking, "I'm creating my blog post, but what are the short comments people make on some social media platforms?" Short comments on social media platforms are often called microblogging posts, and these are brief messages designed to share thoughts, updates or opinions quickly.

A microblog post is a short form content designed for quick engagement.

It is found on social media platforms where users share brief updates.

It often includes text, images, videos, or links to encourage interaction.

And it is created to encourage quick reads, but can also contribute to doom scrolling, endlessly consuming short posts.

And used to share opinions, updates, or raise awareness about a topic.

Let's have a quick check.

True or false? "A microblog is short-form content designed for quick engagement." Is that true or false? Pause the video to consider your answer and then we'll check it.

Let's check your answer.

The answer was true.

Microblogs are concise and focus on immediate engagement.

Well done if you got that correct.

Microblogs are sometimes written to make people aware of blog posts.

Microblog posts use a limited number of characters, and a character is a letter or a number or a symbol or space, so anything that we press on the keyboard can be a character.

So a microblog can have multiple microblogs that are actually short messages that are date-stamped that drive the audience towards a blog post.

Articles that are also date-stamped.

A microblog post will have some of these following aspects.

A hook.

This is a powerful opening to grab the attention to make you want to read all of that microblog.

A message, a clear, concise explanation of the course.

A call to action, a direct link to a blog post or a petition or a donation page or further reading.

And it might have enhancements, hashtags or images or emojis.

Let's have a quick check.

Which of the following strategies is most effective for engaging an audience in a microblog post? Is it, A, writing a lengthy, detailed explanation of the topic? Is it, B, using a strong hook, a clear message, and a direct call to action? Or is it, C, avoiding the use of any images or hashtags? Pause the video to consider your answer and then we'll check it.

Let's check your answer.

The answer was, B, using a strong hook, clear message, and a direct call to action.

Well done if you've got that correct.

This is an example of a microblog post.

You have a title at the top with some emojis around it used.

"Rethink Plastic.

Innovative solutions are changing how we reduce plastic waste.

Where plastic is essential, it must be recyclable.

Discover creative ways to tackle plastic pollution in our latest blog.

Read more, insert blog link.

And we have "#ReducePlastic, #EcoSolutions, and #SustainableLiving." We have a title to capture attention.

We have a hook, innovative solutions to reduce plastic waste.

We've got the use of emojis and hashtags, and there is a direct link, call to action, all directly taking you to a new blog post where more detail is shared.

We're gonna look at an activity now and you're going to need to go to the Raspberry Pi blog using this link.

You need to read three blog posts that you find particularly interesting or relevant to your learning, and then you're going to create a microblog for one of the blog posts, focusing on the key points and main ideas.

Pause the video, go back through the slides to look at what you need to include in your microblog, go to the Raspberry Pi website on that link, look at those posts, and write your microblog.

Then we'll go through an example.

Let's have a look at an example.

So this example of a microblog has got the emojis.

"Dublin's digital future is bright," nice title.

"This month, Coolest Projects Ireland 2025 showcased incredible young talent from AI-powered Irish language games to lifesaving event safety tech.

Imagine creating solutions to real-world problems before you even leave school.

These young creators aren't just coding, they're innovating, collaborating, and inspiring us all.

Want to see what the next generation can do? Check out the amazing projects and get involved." And then there's a link to click.

#CoolestProjects, #DigitalSkills, #Innovation, #FutureTech.

This is an example, and yours will look different, but do check that you've got that hook, you've got the information and a link, a direct link.

You'll have hashtags, emojis, making it directly link to the blog post that it's going to direct traffic to.

Well done on completing your microblog.

We're gonna move on to the next section of today's lesson, Use a rubric to assess your blog post.

Laura is saying, "I finished my blog post, but how will I know if it's good? How will it be assessed?" Which is a really good question, and a rubric may be used.

A rubric is a clear guide that explains how your work will be assessed.

It helps you understand what is expected and how to improve your work.

The rubric for your blog will focus on four key areas, the audience, sources, formatting, and images.

Laura is saying, "Why use a rubric?" Well, it helps you to check your own work before you submit it.

It makes feedback clear and fair for everyone.

It can show you how to make improvements to your blog writing.

Let's have a quick check.

"What does a rubric show you about your blog writing?" Is it, A, it can show you how to avoid feedback from your teacher? Is it, B, it can show you how to make your blog longer? Or is it, C, it can show you how to make improvements to your blog writing? Pause the video to consider your answer and then we'll check it.

Let's check your answer.

The answer was, C, it can show you how to make improvements to your blog writing.

Well done if you got that correct.

Laura is asking, "Why is audience a key area when using the rubric?" You have to consider, well, who are you writing it for, and is your language and content suitable for them? And we can use a rubric to look at this, and you can self-assess yourself and identify areas of improvement.

There are three headings there, emerging, expected, and exceeding.

If you are emerging, then there is some evidence of thought for the audience.

If you are expected, it has appropriately identified the audience and there is some evidence that content is tailored for the audience.

And then there's exceeding, has identified the audience and it is clear that the content is fully appropriate for the audience.

By using a rubric, you'll be able to decide which one of those your blog post fits in, and also help to identify if you can improve it.

Laura's going on to ask why a source is a key area when using the rubric.

They add credibility and support your argument.

They show that you have researched your topic.

So let's have a look at the rubric for this.

In the emerging section, "Has used at least one source to support the argument, but it's not fully or appropriately referenced, and there is no indication of credibility." In the expected section, "Has used two or more sources of information, which are referenced appropriately, and it can be proven that some information came from credible sources." And the exceeding section, "Has used a range of sources to support the argument, and all sources are fit for purpose and referenced appropriately, and their credibility has been justified." Laura is asking, "Why is formatting a key area when using the rubric?" Good formatting makes your blog easier to read.

It helps highlight key points and makes your blog look professional.

So let's have a look at the rubric for this.

In the emerging section, "The blog has a number of formatting errors still left to correct.

It has some additional features added to the document, but not always appropriately." In the expected section, "Blog has been formatted appropriately with few improvements needed, and it also has appropriately included most of the following features.

There's bullet points, alignment, font style and size, titles, and colour." And in the exceeding section, "The blog has been formatted appropriately with no improvements needed.

It has appropriately included a range of the following features, bullet points, alignment, font style and size, titles, and colour." And by using this, you can review your blog post to see if you can add any more features or any more improvements to move yourself up into the expected or the exceeding sections.

Laura is asking, "Why are images a key area when using the rubric?" They make your blog visually appealing and support your message.

Correct attribution ensures ethical use of media.

And again, let's look at the rubric.

In the emerging section, "Images have been added, but they're not fit for purpose other than resizing.

No image editing has taken place and not all images are attributed to the author." In the expected, "Images are mostly suitable for the blog.

At least one image has being edited, which could be cropped or text-wrapped or recolored, appropriately to fit within the text.

And all images are attributed to the author." In the exceeding section, "Images are all suitable for the blog.

Where appropriate, the images have been edited, which could be cropped, text-wrapped, or recolored, to fit with the text.

All images are attributed to the author." Jun is saying, "I'm really happy with my blog.

Now I really want the audience to see it.

How do I do that?" It's a very good question.

Once your blog is finalised, you need to consider how you're gonna share it effectively.

You could create your own online blogging platform, but the audience may not be aware of it, and if they're not aware of it, they won't be able to find it and read it.

There are ways to publish your blog, and that could be on a school website or in a newsletter.

You could share your blog with your school community.

You could look at social media.

You could post a microblog post on a social media account that is popular with your audience.

You could look at community groups and reach out to a local organisation or advocacy groups.

Let's have a quick check.

True or false? "Publishing your blog on a school website or in a school newsletter is a way to share it with your school community." Is that true or false? Pause the video to consider your answer and then we'll check it.

Let's check your answer.

The answer was true.

School websites and newsletters are effective ways to reach a school audience of adults and children.

Well done if you got that correct.

Let's look at an activity.

"Use the assessment rubric to improve and complete your blog post from last lesson.

The assessment rubric and an example blog are provided in the additional materials." And the second part is, "You may want to publish your blog on a blogging platform or use other ways to share it." Pause the video to use the assessment rubric to look at your blog post and try and improve it before you finish.

There won't be an example to show you on this one, but there are materials shared with you to look at for the assessment rubric.

Pause the video to complete this activity before we carry on.

Well done on using the assessment rubric to improve and complete your blog post.

In summary, microblogs are short form blogs commonly found on social media, used for brief and frequent updates.

An assessment rubric is used to effectively assess blog content and understand how to apply clear criteria to evaluate blog post quality.

Well done on completing this lesson, Use criteria to develop a blog.