Step 5: Adding Widgets

 Step 5: Adding  Widgets
  This step explains how widgets are used on class blog. The aim of this step is to:

1. Explain how widgets are used on class blogs.
2. Introduce you to the commonly used class blog widgets.
3. Show you how to change widgets and add widgets to your sidebar.

What are widgets ?
   The term widget refers to any tool or content that you add, arrange, or remove from the sidebar(s) of your blog — these are the blogs that make up your sidebar.Widget
How widgets are used on class blog?
   Widgets are used for a wide range of purposes including to:

• Help students, parents, and visitors find information on the blog — e.g. Search widget, pages widget, category widget, tag widget
• Track visitors to the blog. Visitor tracking widgets are used to highlight a blog’s global audience. This can be incredibly motivating for students and provides a built in geography lesson — e.g. Flag Counter, Revolver Map
• Increase student engagement — e.g. Pet widget, Wonderopolis
• Provide information to help other classes learn more about your class — e.g. date widgets, date/time widgets, weather widget
• Share the latest news — e.g. Twitter widget, Dogo Current Events widget
• Share links to helpful resources, students blogs, and other class blogs — e.g. Links widget, Pinterest widget
• Help parents, caregivers and other visitors translate your blog — e.g. Google Translate widget
• Show an Events Calendar for important dates — e.g. Google Calendar
• Compile book lists — e.g. Shelfari bookshelf, and Goodreads bookshelf
• Encourage signing up to email notifications of new posts — e.g. email subscription widget
• Display comments or posts recently posted — e.g. recent comments widget, recent posts widget
• Allow students to safely search for resources on the web — e.g. Photos For Class, KidRex Search Widget

  Examples of widgets on class blog
    The most popular widgets used on class blogs are widgets from other websites that are pasted into a text widget in the sidebar using embed code. We have set up Widget demo blog to showcase the most popular widgets that educators and their students like to add to the sidebar.