How to Blog in Class
Blogging for class is not the same as blogging for fun. Our purpose should be clear, and there are definitely guidelines to follow when commenting on a class blog. Here are some simple guidelines for all your posts.
Comment Guidelines
Here is a short and simple commenting guide for students:
- Acknowledge the author of the blog post.
- Let the author know if you agree with him/her and why.
- It is also ok to disagree with something, just let the author know why you feel that way.
- One word comments are not very useful. Writing just “cool” or “nice” are not very helpful and don't tell the author of the blog post what you are thinking.
- Always follow “netiquette”. Think if it is appropriate BEFORE you hit the submit button.
- Always be polite. It does not matter if you agree or disagree with what you are reading in a blog. Don't write anything you would be ashamed of saying to someone's face. Don't hurt somebody's feelings.
What good comments look like
Let's see if we can tell the difference between a good comment and a bad comment.
Go to Ms. Ferguson's blog (English teacher at Southside). Choose one of the blog posts with comments and take a look. I liked the discussion of Friendship from May 4, 2011. I especially like how students responded to Ms. Ferguson's post (a quote) with other quotes, followed by their thoughts about the quotes. This class has practiced how to comment.
Read through the following comment starters. Keep a running log of starters your class comes up with on their own in your notebook.
Comment Starters
( from Youth Radio blog Netiquette - which in turn was adapted from - Excellence and Imagination )
- This made me think about....
- I wonder why....
- Your writing made me form an opinion about....
- This post is relevant because....
- Your writing made me think that we should....
- I wish I understood why....
- This is important because....
- Another thing to consider is....
- I can relate to this....
- This makes me think of....
- I discovered....
- I don't understand....
- I was reminded that....
- I found myself wondering....
