Thing #4

I think commenting helps create a sense of community and interaction because of the ideas that are being shared and discussed. Typically, people comment on blogs or statues because they are intrigued by what an individual has to say in either a positive or a negative way. By commenting on the status or blog, one makes himself or herself an instant member of that conversation. People interact through conversation and learn about varying things. In some ways, this creates a community because the people who are interacting have something in common.

There are two other points from the readings about commenting that I found important. I liked the idea in the Cool Cat Teacher Blog about making hyperlinks to things that bloggers have written about. I feel that this is important because it helps the reader to understand more of what the blogger is referring to in the blog. For example, if I said that I really liked this intriguing new website that I found for teachers, it would be highly beneficial for me and for my readers to have a hyperlink to the website that I speak of so that they understand what I am talking about. Also, a hyperlink cuts down on a lot of unnecessary description in the blog. Another thing that I found important was from 10 Techniques to Get More Comments on Your Blog; it said to interact with the comments left on your blog. I absolutely agree with that. Commenting on the comments keeps the conversation going, and it makes people feel good to know that their opinions are valued and their voices are heard.

This comment is from Hayley Carney's 23 Things Journey regarding the usefulness of a blog for education. I said,"I must concur with Brandy; your blog ideas are wonderful! I had not thought of so many ways to use a blog for the classroom. It seems like you put a lot of thought into this. :) You are right that children spend much of their time on the Internet these days. The adults do too, so it would not be a problem for most of them to get on your blog and browse the things that you have up for a certain week or ask questions. With your permission, I would like to organize my blog in a similar way as you have described here. It is one of the more efficient ways that I have heard of to use a blog for education."  
I made this comment on her blog because I liked the ideas that she presented and wanted to express my approval of her post.

I commented on Alena's post at http://asglassford.blogspot.com/ concerning YouTube videos. I said, "Alena, you make some very good points about YouTube for education. I also believe that it can be a tool to utilize in the classroom to help the students understand a concept. There are many helpful educational videos on YouTube, but there are also some very inappropriate videos as well. Unfortunately, schools may not allow YouTube access due to such available videos. It would be great if there were a link to all of the educational things on YouTube to avoid the improper images all together during the search for good teaching materials."

My comment on Jill Hutchison's 23 Things pictures that she made from Comic Strip and Image Chef read "I could not figure out how to work the online generator. Your images are fun and compelling though. I think it is a good idea to start your day off with a funny picture or inspirational message. Many of the kids don't want to be at school when they are in the classroom. I think the funny pictures might help lighten their moods just a little and maybe bring a smile to their faces. :)"

 

I also commented on Mary Ann Swaney's blog about the Flikr letters and said "Mary Ann, I love your idea to use the Flikr letters to spell out words! The kids could be creative while they enjoy the various shapes and colors during the learning process. The Flikr letters might also be used to create signs or labels for things throughout the room."

The final comment that I left on the education blogs was at Bailey's 23 Things about using the Mosaic Mashups. I said, "Bailey, I have seen many great ideas while browsing through the blogs. I have said it before, and I will say it again. I love your idea to compile some of the students' works at the end of the year! That is a very creative way to use Flikr for an educational purpose. It might also be fun to make a collage using Mosaic Mashups of your students doing various activities in the classroom throughout the year."

I chose each of these people to comment on because I found their ideas intriguing. Some of the blogs I added to the idea if it was possible. These future educators used good grammar and punctuation for the most part and seemed to know what they were talking about. Because I am somewhat technologically challenged, that is something that compelled me to read some of their blogs. I wanted to see if they offered any advice on how to go about creating the things that they had posted.

I tried to leave encouraging, positive comments on each blog. Each of my comments mentions something about their particular posted item. If I could add to their ideas, I would give advice on other possibilities for the tool.

"This sounds like a wonderful book to share with students. Thank you for posting such a thorough and intriguing review. I will look for it to buy nearby. :)" was the comment that I left on Waking Brain Cells blog about the review called Review: Miss Moore Thought Otherwise by Jan Pinborough.

"These photographs are beautiful! I, too, am guilty of snapping pictures with my phone wherever I go and doing all of my editing from my phone. It is so accessible, but we sacrifice the beauty for the sake of the time." are the words that I left on http://anhsfoodblog.com/2013/02/eat-analogue-visits-to-pope-joan-brunswick-east-melbourne.html/#comment-10925 blog about photography.

I chose the sites and blogs to comment on because they are topics that I am interested and am invested in.