Thing 4: Commenting Community

It is very important to comment on other blogs in the blogosphere because it creates a sense of community. You know that you are being heard, and it allows you to hear feedback on your posts. You may find people who agree with you wholeheartedly, and then you may find people who can open your eyes to completely new ideas. A point I find very important in one of the readings is that people want feedback, no matter how much they proetest. If we did not someone to comment on our blog, we would have chosen to keep it private. Another point I find interesting and important is you comment because it is the right thing to do and you want to join the conversation. The purpose of commenting is not to attempt to "troll" or destroy someone's belief; the purpose is to talk about something that you care about.

The five student blogs I commented on are : Belofatto's Blog, Cookie's 23 things blog, Finger's Blog, 23 Things Every Future Teacher Should Know by Samantha Fargis, and Tori Hickman's 23 Things. The two outside blogs I commented on were Preparation and Problem Solving by Maggie Perrino and Are We Writing Loud Enough? The Diary 21 Project by Nicole Lorenzetti. In the student blogs, I focussed on the things I liked that they had done in their blogs. In Samantha's I talked about how I enjoyed her mash ups, in Cookie's I commented on the use of comic creators in the classroom, in Finger's blog I commented on having confidence in our work and how we share a common problem, in Samantha's blog I commented on our avatars, and in Tori Hickman's blog I commented on using a blog effectively in a classroom. In the outside blog, Preparation and Problem Solving, I commented about my apprehensions on entering the profession of theatre education. In the other outside blog, Are We Writing Loud Enough? The 21 Project, I commented on the importance of inventiveness and creativity used when students create their own work.