How well do you comment?
Back in May, some students in our class took part in a comment challenge, which was mainly set up for adults. I tried to adapt the challenges to fit what students could do. Now that you have had your blogs for a couple of months or more, what would you suggest we could use to run a competition just for student bloggers?
Remember, we are trying to improve our blogging skills which should include:
- having a great conversation
- improving your reading audience
- improving your blogpost writing skills
- learning about the big world out there
Please tell me some ideas you think we could include in this competition and perhaps what we could have as a prize. Also how could this competition be judged? What else have I forgotten?
Way to go!
The four points in green are spot on.
Points to explore, with a focus on literacy and learning:
Blog writing as conversation, collaboration
Blog writing-what are its features
Blog writing with a limit like Twitter, that makes for concise writing. Text message language can be discouraged, if you want.
Issues of role, audience and purpose
A topic set to follow.
Have you found any good student blogs?
Prize
perpetual award, trophy as part of a school-based initiative.
Plus more fun things! Blogging bookmarks etc. Should be simple!
How to judge.
A student-designed marking guide to match quality criteria determined before you start. I like the UK idea of WALT and WILF - to guide class work. We are learning to … and what I am looking for.
I wish I had taken a little more notice of the Water’s comment challenge. It was a very useful idea. I followed the posts each day and filed them for later and …
I will follow your project tweets on Twitter.
Elaine
[Reply]
Hi, Miss W.
First I have to deliver this message from Filipa, my student, whom you have invited to go on commenting on your students blogs, in past June:
She was just going away for holidays and her parents were taking her to the South and then to Spain, where she couldn’t be able to have an internet available. She asked me to tell you that, when she will return in mid September, she will come back to visit your students.
Hopefully some more will come, as I’m planning to introduce your students to mine in the classroom, now that we have been provide with a wide screen and a projector.
If you allow us to do it, we will be 28 students reading your students blogs at the same time! We always have one or two students that can translate from English and help the others to participate.
By doing so, I would be allowing them to discover what blogging is all about and I could more easily show them the “Ethics of Blogging” in action.
I would also like to ask you if I may translate your posts about Blogging that you have specially dedicated to young students. Filipa also told me not to forget to ask you where can we find the Avatars site that are appropriate for under 13 years old? She was eager to have an avatar and we couldn’t find an adequate site.
My “blogging pioneers” were just starting when school year got too messy with the final examinations and assessments, so I hope to start anew from mid September with their enthusiasm and your participation.
Thank you for listening,
Ines
[Reply]
G’day Miss W
I can’t wait to start out this Student Commeent Challenge, so that this time us students can show everyone our talents. Really don’t think your missing anything! This competition should be judged by how well people write comments, how MUCH comments they have altogether, keeping up the conversation, and if that person makes EXCELLENT comments to do with the post. That is all I can think of. Thanks for your comment, here is what I said, I also replied to you on my blog:
No worries about the comment, thank YOU for nominating ME, it means alot me even though I didn’t win -which was sad of course- but to have been nominated by a wonderful teacher like you is an honour, so thanks again!! Yes, I’d love to help organise another one, then I can be prepared and a participant. Okay, Pina, Lisa me and yourself can all help each other to come up with instructions…
The page you wrote for that Comment- Challenge was so good with such simple and clear instructions that I actually thought it too was a student version. Can’t wait till next year so we can all sort this out, maybe we could win!!
P.S Who DID win Miss W?
Nadine
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