PrintActivating your Penn State Personal Web Space
You can't publish anything online at Penn State (blogs, websites, e-portfolios, etc.) unless you have activated your Personal Web Space privileges.
How to Apply
- Go to the personal.psu.edu website.
- Review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
- Click on the link that prompts you to apply for Web space.
- Complete a five-question quiz. If you answer at least four of the questions correctly, your request for personal web space will be approved and created immediately. You may take the quiz as many times as needed in order to pass.
You must successfully activate your Web space in order to complete course-related Web publishing activities.
Did it work?
Do you want to make sure that your Web space is activated? Then check your public Penn State URL. Go to personal.psu.edu/userid, where "userid" is your Penn State access account user ID. If this comes up "Not Found," something has gone awry, and you will need to contact the ITS HelpDesk.
Sites at Penn State is a powerful Web publishing platform that will allow you to quickly create and publish online.
Easy to learn, there is no Web editing software required. Just open a browser and log in to your blog dashboard.
What is a Blog?
Is a blog a website? Yes. Can a website have a blog? Certainly. Can a website be a portfolio? Sure. Can a blog be a portfolio? Absolutely!
Perhaps we might have stated from the beginning that a blog is what you make it. It is a venue for publishing your work online, so you can share it with others.
Take a look at this informative video (2:42) by the creative folks at Common Craft that explains their view on the what's and how's of blogs.
What will Blogs be used for?
Within the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, there are two ways in which blogs will be used: course blogs and personal blogs.
1) Course blogs are blogs where every student in the course is an author and everyone is publishing together — either for gathering information, sharing resources, expressing opinions, or sharing reflections. Course blogs are maintained by the course instructor.
2) Personal blogs are websites that are maintained by you. Personal websites or blogs may be required by a course. Or, you may also decide to maintain a site of your own that chronicles your journey through your program of study. Why do this? Well, if you think about it, this would be a very efficient and powerful way for you to:
- share examples of your work with advisers, faculty, mentors, or potential employers;
- master valuable information technology skills; and/or
- demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and attributes gained beyond the classroom.
Why not take advantage of what the Internet can do for you? The Internet is certainly the most powerful communication medium that the planet has ever witnessed. Participating in it should be one of your overarching communication goals.
Visit the Sites at Penn State help page for detailed instructions on everything you need to set up and manage your blog.