Today, May 1st, is the start of a month long comment challenge. I’m not sure what I’ve gotten myself into but I’m up to the challenge. Kim Cofino sent out tweets about the challenge so I checked out the wiki and wanted to get involved. There are currently 77 bloggers challenging themselves to be better at commenting or at least be more prolific for the month of May.
Welcome to the 2008 Comment Challenge!
Challenging bloggers to become better blog citizens. Challenge runs from May 1 – 31, 2008.
Coordinated by Sue Waters, Silvia Tolisano, Michele Martin and Kim Cofino
Sponsored by coComment and Edublogs
We would like to challenge participants to be better blog citizens tracking who is the commenter with:
- The most comments on a wide range of blogs (not just the “top” edubloggers)
- The most high quality comments that thoughtfully reflect on the topic
- The comments that provoke and promote the most learning
- And one more – we need your input! add to the activities page please
As I looked through the wikispace I noticed a page devoted student groups and student activities. Because I’m always looking for ways to expand my students writing and use of Web 2.0 tools I joined the student groups. My students leave comments to other classes but like anyone they need to learn how to write good comments. I sent out the challenge to my class on our class blog this morning. I now need to think of any easy and efficient way to keep track of their blogs. I’m looking forward to this challenge. Let the comments begin!
3 responses so far ↓
inpi // May 2, 2008 at 7:49 am
Hello, classroom Queen!
I’m just beginning this long journey of Comment Challenge and I would like to share some suggestions about how to manage the writing of our students.
First of all, I must say I’m a beginner in web 2.0 and my ten years old students are starting with me, trying to create blogs at http://stora.edublogs.org.
(See? I can’t even put a link correctly…)
Secondly, as my first language is not English, you must be patient with my faults; thank you!
I’ve been reading on your class blog and I’m wondering if I could bring my students here, to make acquaintance with yours.
I was particularly touched by your suggestion to keep some students commenting more intensely to a small group of colleagues, in order that their conversation may go deeper and turn perhaps to be a real dialog, where each of them unveil his true personality and engage himself in the written words.
This is real communication, this is a humanizing activity; in fact, it is an advantage not to change our partner very quickly, but to walk along the way with him, to take our time, listening and pushing everyday words up to where they can show us more than the trivial “bunch of hi- lols” as you put it, when addressing your students.
I’ll try to go along those 31 days doing the same: trying not to repeat myself all the way, but taking this journey as a continuous path, as an entire whole, as if I was facing the same friends, at the same table, in order that the conversation may unfold and the goal of authentic communication be recognised and attained.
kibrown // May 4, 2008 at 6:00 am
@inpi. We’ve all had to start somewhere. I first started with a class blog in February 2007. I started using wikis with my class in the fall of ‘07 then my whole world expanded in January ‘08. I enrolled in a grad class classed “Computers in the Classroom.” I was exposed to Twitter, Bloglines, Nings and so on. I love being networked around the world and I love getting my students involved as global citizens.
Kim Cofino // May 13, 2008 at 5:39 am
Fantastic! So glad to have you and your class aboard for the challenge! I would love to hear feedback from your students about the challenge. I’m curious to know if they appreciate thoughtful and meaningful comments as much as we do!