I think that often people are not sure of HOW to post a comment! I have been on Edublogs for coming up on a year and I kept wondering…How can people comment on this? I thought there would be an easy-to-see spot (like this one here) but you actually have to click on the word “Comment” in light print over the actual post. I had no idea!

I had a few slideshows made up on PhotoPeach and at the end of the slideshow it asks for a comment, and then adds the comment to the slideshow…I have had several responses to those…but still, not a ton.

Yes, earning extra credit points has help students understand that there are levels of commenting. They are able to recognize the difference, even though they are only in third grade.

My students seem to love that their parents are a part of the blog. They get to read the parent comment out loud during Language Arts and get a Comment Counter point, too.

We are out of school on June 17, so there are not that many opportunities left for commenting, but I will start the extra credit commenting program in the fall.

Overall, I am pleased with the comments. I will say, it takes work to keep students and parents regularly coming back.

Thanks for all your ideas and support this year!
Linda

PS do you mind if I follow up with a post telling people how this point system has impacted on the quality of the comments?

Your idea of giving extra credit points for comments is really working with my third graders!
Below is an excerpt from the parent letter I sent out introducing the idea:

* * * * *
I’m sure that you have noticed that I have started to include blog commenting as a grammar homework assignment. I feel that reading a post and composing a comment is more valuable than any grammar worksheet I could assign. I hope you support this and help monitor your child’s Internet activity. Please review a comment before your child clicks publish. Proofreading with your child strengthens his/her writing skills in an authentic way and ensures that a comment will be published.

This week, I also have allowed students to earn EXTRA CREDIT for their comments. Here is how it works. If the assignment is to post a comment, your child gets ONE point for doing so.

A SECOND point will be added for high-level vocabulary and content. In class we have talked about quality content…making an observation, connecting ideas together. Here is an example of a high-level comment recently published by Taylor S. in the Halloween Stories post:

Dear Shane F.

When Boo said, “I look cool,” I think he was acting like the ugly step sisters! I love your story so much, it’s awesome. The funny part was that Boo went to Toy R Us!

Taylor S.

This comment demonstrates that Taylor read Shane’s story and connects his character to the evil step-sisters we’ve been reading about in our unit on Cinderella folk tales from around the world.
* * * * *

Each day we evaluate the comments from classmates. Students rate the comment by putting one finger up for a basic comment and two fingers up for a high-quality comment. I then call on individuals to justify why it is a worth two points. The possibility for extra credit and the ensuing discussions have greatly improved the quality of the comments from students AND parents!

Thanks for a great idea, Sue!

From,
Linda

Please let me know how you go with extra points for better comments and especially if you end up creating a system for it that I can share with others.

We regularly read new comments as part of our Language Arts time, and I will add the new point system to the mix.

This week I added commenting as part of the grammar homework, rather than the traditional grammar worksheet. Each student had to comment on at least one post.

I will introduce the idea that extra points will be given and ask them for ideas about how to earn them. The next day, we will examine the comments and together decide if a comment is worthy of two or more points.

Thanks for a great idea!
Linda