Thing #4

Commenting helps create a sense of community and interaction.  In a collaborative learning environment, commenting on the posts of others encourages student interaction that sometimes is lost in an online learning environment.  Additionally, comments encourage the students to help one another learn, instead of relying solely on the instructor for feedback and learning. 


Two other points form the reading on commenting that I found important were 

1. The idea that the author should always say "thank you" to someone who comments on your posting.  I like this idea.  The reading emphasized the importance of this saying that one should be grateful to the person who took their time to contribute to your post and to be sure to express that gratitude.  
2. The comment that individuals who say they are blogging only for themselves or for their own personal growth still want comments.  I liked the author's note that if they truly didn't want feedback from anyone else, then they would be writing in a spiral notebook somewhere.  If they are putting it out there on the internet, they are asking for feedback of some kind.

I have read several blogs from our class.  7 of those blogs are:
http://hyams23things.blogspot.com/
http://jamieflemings23things.blogspot.com/
http://kristinas23things.blogspot.com/
http://andreas23things.blogspot.com/2011/10/thing-12.htm
http://magistrameganmeadows.blogspot.com/2011/10/thing-12.html
http://jodidavidson0.blogspot.com/2011/10/thing-12.html
http://ashleeappletons23things.blogspot.com/2011/10/thing-12.html


I chose to comment on Emily Hyams post for Thing #8.  She made a mosiac of pictures of her daughter Lily.  I commented that her daughter was adorable.