Comments...A Conversation

Image: 'Conversation'

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Edublog's Student Blogging Activity 3 is about teaching quality commenting to student bloggers.  What is a quality comment?  Why is it important to teach this skill?

Comments are the life of a blog and a connection to the world.  Without comments, a blog is nothing more than a journal.  With comments, a blog becomes a conversation.  The quality of the comments determines the quality of the conversation.  Comments should explain a connection made to the writer's thoughts, add new information about the topic, and/or ask a question to continue to the conversation.

Writing comments is like any other genre of writing; it must be taught to students through modeling and guided practice.  Ms. Edwards' from What Else has a great motto about commenting that sums up the importance of quality commenting:  "A blog comment is your footprint...a path back to you...prepare your path wisely."

As part of the instruction process, I created my very first glog "Writing Quality Comments." 

How do you teach quality commenting to your students?