The Art of Commenting

We believe in the power of sharing ideas and recognize that words can be of harm to others. This can be intentional or unintentional. As commenters, our goal is to act responsibly in our online conversations. We will do this by:

• Treating all bloggers with respect.• Seeking to understand what is being said• Celebrating others accomplishments.• Using school appropriate language• Rephrasing ideas in the blog that made me think, made me feel, or helped me

to learn.• Let the blogger know his/her voice has been heard• Commenting positively and without criticism • If I disagree, I will comment appropriately, politely stating my perspective• I will be mindful always that I may be a role model for the audience of

reading• I will make no reference to, or link to, or give any information that may be

inappropriate for a school setting• Asking questions in my comments with the hope of continuing a conversation

and deepening thinking• Triple checking before submitting comments. • Knowing that I would feel happy and proud for my mother, father,

grandparents, favorite teacher to read the comments.

Asking a good question is so important in our classroom. We use them o guide our discussions and push ourselves to higher level thinking. The questions and discussions is vital in blogging. Commenting on blogs has the potential to push learning, and it is how the conversations keeps going.

Suggestions for commenting starters• This made me think of…• I wonder why…• Your idea helped me understand…• This post was important because…• I wish I understood why…• This is an important question or hint because…• Another thing to think about is…• I discovered…• I don’t understand…• I was reminded that…• I found myself wondering...

If you are interested in keeping the blog conversation going, (as your teacher is), be sure to finish your comment with a question to the blog’s author.