During this lesson I found an opportunity to give some commenting pointers with the use of an online video created by students in California. It is truly amazing to me to see how much students value hearing from other students their age. This brief four minute video gave them all great ideas on how to comment and it showed them that other students are out there across the country waiting to learn and connect with them! The video I used, I found here:
http://educational-blogging.wikispaces.com/How+To+Teach+Commenting+Skills
We want to develop a blogging community in which students understand that blogging is as much about the initial sharing of information as it is about the responses and conversations that it sparks. Armed with a completed paper blog post and sticky notes, students had the opportunity to rotate around the class commenting on their classmate's posts. Because students had self selected their topics, everyone was genuinely interested in what others had shared. Students used the comments to share things they had in common, making connections with their peers about various topics. They also asked questions and left compliments.
This lesson was also an excellent example of how technology is just one tool that supports learning communication skills. Students gained a genuine appreciation for: how their writing is perceived by others ( the importance of it making sense, being interesting, etc), and why providing feedback needs to be detailed and relevant.
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Thanks so much for commenting on the RES Enrichment blog--your feedback increases student engagement and interest in writing and sharing! These comments are moderated to keep our students safe. Once Mrs. Rankin has reviewed the comment, it will show up on the blog feed. Come back and comment again soon!