OCA Spaces Support & Guidance
This activity contains support and guidance regarding the use of OCA Spaces, including how to access and sign in, creating a new learning log and subsequent blog posts, to more intermediate and advanced features available.
Jetpack
Jetpack is an all in one toolkit which offers security, performance and site management tools, however and more importantly for OCA students, provides the following benefits;
- Additional block types when using the Gutenberg editor, most specifically;
- Slideshow: A rotating image carousel.
- Tiled Gallery: Display multiple images in a mosaic, grid or column format.
- Access to your OCA Spaces learning log via WordPress.com and the free WordPress mobile app.
- Ability to connect your account to Google Photos and thereby insert images directly, and without the need to manually download and reupload them to OCA Spaces.
Connecting to Jetpack and WordPress.com
Begin by accessing your learning log followed by the WordPress Dashboard. Upon accessing the WordPress Dashboard, next select ‘Jetpack’, located in the left hand menu.
On the following page, next select the blue ‘Set up Jetpack’ option, where you’ll then be prompted to sign in using the ‘Continue with Google’ option; selecting this option whilst signed into your OCA email account will automatically create and sign into your Jetpack account. Having successfully signed into Jetpack and authorised the connection, you’ll next be prompted to select a preferred ‘Plan’, however, can instead select the ‘Start with Free’ option, located towards the bottom of the page.
Having successfully followed this process, you’ll then be redirected back to your learning log on OCA Spaces and with Jetpack enabled, where you can immediately benefit from the aforementioned benefits. However and please note that Jetpack is connected to your learning log on an individual basis, and in the event you've multiple and/or recently created a new learning log, may wish to connect your Jetpack account to each learning log in use.
Connecting to Google Photos
Connecting to Google Photos will allow you to immediately access and insert images into your blog post(s) from Google Photos, and without the need to manually download and reupload them.
Begin by either creating a new or accessing an existing blog post using the Gutenberg editor and insert any image related block, such as an ‘Image’ or ‘Gallery’ block. With an appropriate block inserted, next select ‘Select Image’ followed by ‘Google Photos’. Within the pop-up window, next select ‘Connect to Google Photos’, whereby you’ll be prompted to sign in using your OCA email address.
If done correctly, your Google Photos Library will now be visible, and selecting any image(s) can be inserted into your blog post.