Posts for teachers

Misty Flowers

May 29, 2018 15:40

Posts is a great way to power teacher blogs. With Posts, you can create one dynamically updated template page for each of your teachers, or any other group with content to share. This article will offer some tips on how to create visually engaging template pages that teachers can update using Posts, without having to touch Composer.

First, create a folder containing all the teacher boards you want to have.

Creating a board directory

Dynamic pages for each teacher blogs start off with a directory that links to each teacher’s board and points to the dynamic page. Whether you use a Constituent element or a Board element, this is vital to seeing each teacher’s content on your posts page.

Using a Board element

One way to make a directory of teacher pages is to use the dedicated Board element. This gives you the opportunity to showcase more information about the board itself, including the board thumbnail and description. Follow these steps to create a board directory with the Board element.

Place a Board element (found under Module) on the page and edit the element settings using the gear icon.
Choose the List or Grid format.
Under “Content Filters,” set the element to display the folder where the teacher boards are located.
Refer to the Board element article for other content and formatting options, as desired.
Under “Link To,” select “Page.”
Optional: Select your teacher posts page template. If you select a page here, all boards in this element will open on that page. Otherwise, boards will open on whatever page is set as the Default Board Post Page in the Board Settings.

Using a Constituent element

If you’d like to include links to teachers’ pages in the online staff directory, you can do that with the regular Constituent element. Follow these steps to add a board link to the Constituent directory.

Place a Constituent element (found under Module) on the page and edit the element settings using the gear icon (or edit the settings of the Constituent element that’s already there).
Select the Directory format.
Under “Constituent Details,” select “Display link to boards.”
If teachers have more than one board, choose “Selected folders” to display the correct set of boards for those in the element. Choose the folder where the teacher boards are located.
Under “Open In,” choose “Open boards in a Page.”
Optional: Choose your teacher posts page template. If you select a page here, all boards in this element will open on that page. Otherwise, boards will open on whatever page is set as the Default Board Post Page in the Board Settings.
Refer to the Create a directory page article for more details on the rest of the settings for this element.

Using featured/non-featured posts

Another way to allow teachers to display content in different ways is to allow them to “feature” certain posts, and have those “featured” posts appear in a different element. This lets teachers highlight timely content when it is new and fresh, then archive it elsewhere when it is no longer current.

For example: Announcements slideshow

In this example, a slideshow appears at the top of the page with announcements, which only display as long as they are featured. Follow these steps to reproduce it on your teacher page.

Place a Post element (found under Module) on the page and edit the element settings.
Choose the Slideshow format.
Under “Content Filters,” select all boards in the folder from “Display posts from Boards.”
Then, select to show “Only Featured” posts from the dropdown menu.
Refer to the Post element article for other content and formatting options, as desired.
In Posts, set a “Featured Until” date for a post on one of the boards in the folder. That post will appear in the Post element you just created until the date selected has passed.

Using tags to separate content

In most cases, teachers will only have one board on which to add all of their content, like a blog. One way to move that content around on a template page, however, is to use tags. Using different Composer Post elements that display content from different tags, all teachers can use the same tags to target content to different locations on their page. The following example uses a number of different tags to put content in different places on the page, including a set of tabs.

For example: Tabs plus tags

This example shows you how to create tabbed content on your teacher page, using a tag for each tab. Teachers may have one tab for “Homework,” for instance, and another tab for “Resources.” Follow these steps to replicate this layout on your teacher page.

Note that for this approach to work, the tags must be applied to the Posts already! It’s worth double-checking to make sure your Posts are appropriately tagged before you begin.

Place a Tabs element (found under Layout) on the page.
Add a tab for each type of content you wish to feature and rename them accordingly. Refer to the Tabs element article for more information about this element’s settings.
Go to Posts and create a tag for each of those tabs. The best way to create a new tag is to add it to a new or existing post under the “Category & Tags” section.
Returning to your Composer page, add a Post element to the first tab and edit the element settings.
Under “Content Filters,” select all boards in folder from “Display posts from Boards.”
Then, choose “That also belong to Specific Tags” and search for the tag that goes with the tab name.
Click on the tag when it appears underneath the search field to add it to the element.
Refer to the Post element article for other content and formatting options.
Repeat steps 4 through 8 for each tab.

Using the Board Single element

A way for teachers to have some “evergreen” content on their page that doesn’t get updated very often is to make use of the Board Settings with a Board element in Single format. This content will remain on the page and won’t be pushed down when new posts are published.

For example: “About the teacher” section

In this example, an About the teacher section is displayed for each teacher, showing the board name, board thumbnail, and board description. The description field is a rich-content editor, so teachers have plenty of control over text formatting, adding images, and so on. Follow these steps to make an About the teacher section on your teacher page.

Place a Board element (found under Module) on the page and edit the element settings.
Choose the Single format.
Under “Content Filters,” select all boards in the folder from “Display posts from Boards.”
Under “Content Details,” select the checkboxes for “Board Title,” “Description,” and “Thumbnail” to display.
Refer to the Board element article for other content and formatting options, as desired.
In Posts, click on the three-dot Action Menu next to each board’s name and choose Settings.
Enter desired content under “Description.” Include any formatting, images, or other content desired.
Click “Browse under “Thumbnail” to choose an image to use as the board’s thumbnail.