In the summer of 2008, I began a personal blog powered by WordPress and quickly fell for the ease and extensibility of the platform. As an educator, I had tried a number of tools to power course websites, but had to be satisfied with the results. With the fall semester approaching, I decided to try WordPress in the classroom. As the academic year progressed, I found that I was able to effectively mold WordPress to fit the needs of my students.
In recent years the popularity of WordPress has exploded. It is estimated that nearly 15 percent of the top million websites and 22 percent of all new websites are powered by WordPress (http://wordpress.org/news/2011/08/state-of-the-word/). These staggering numbers can be attributed to the WordPress community, which has built thousands of useful plugins atop of the already impressive WordPress core.
As an increasing number of educators use WordPress in the classroom, the
education-specific plugin library grows, making WordPress an ideal solution
for educators.
WordPress is typically known as a platform for blogging. However, the versatility and simplicity of WordPress makes it the perfect solution for the needs of professional educators. WordPress for Education guides readers through the practical applications of WordPress in a classroom setting. Readers will gain an understanding of the WordPress platform and how it can be used to create powerful classroom websites
WordPress for Education guides educators through the process of setting up a typical class website, creating student blogs, and using WordPress to power a learning management system. WordPress for Education provides clear and practical examples for using WordPress within the classroom. It will empower educators to create useful and engaging e-learning websites.
Through the examples given in the book, you will gain an understanding of how to use WordPress to build an engaging and easy to update e-learning website. You will also learn about a variety of WordPress plugins that extend its abilities and usefulness in an educational environment, such as creating student blogs, keeping track of classroom events, managing coursework, and developing a classroom social network.
What will you learn from this book
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Install and configure WordPress
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Set up a standard course website with WordPress
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Install and manage a variety of useful education plugins
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Create a network of student blogs or portfolios
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Install a classroom social network with BuddyPress
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Use Open Courseware to turn WordPress into a learning management system
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Maintain, backup, and secure a WordPress installation
Approach
WordPress for Education is full of screenshots, practical examples, step-by-step instructions, and best practices for using WordPress in an educational setting.
Who this book is written for
WordPress for Education is written for educators and education personnel interested in implementing WordPress in a classroom setting. You are not required to have previous experience of WordPress or any other content management system.
