Thing #4

When people write, they write for a purpose. When bloggers write, they hope to have their work read by those with similar interests. The icing on the cake is a positive comment or even an acknowledgment from a reader. Many of us have mini experiences with commenting or reading comments on Facebook and Twitter. Those of us in college have experiences with our peers commenting on our online forums. Writers need to feel a sense of community as they express and perfect their skill. Blogging is a perfect medium to build that skill, so I encourage you engage in reading and commenting on my blogs whenever you feel the need to help me perfect my skill.

I found the Cool Cat Teacher blog and Darren Rowse's blog rather insightful on commenting on others' blogs. Cool Cat's king and queen approach was straightforward. I would have never thought of hyperlinking someone else's blog into mine—a very validating approach. Although I would never fear commenting on another's blog, I can understand why many may linger in fear.  Darren Rowse's blog really drew me in and made me look at commenting in a different light. I will use his invitational approach from now on in my blogs. I also thought the comments on being humble and gracious was spot on. If we are going to put our thoughts and feeling out there on the web, we must develop thick skin, accept criticism, and move forward. Rowse is right humility is attractive.

I found two blogs outside of my technology class that were interesting. The first one was the Nashville Scene food blog called "Bites." I love to try new restaurants; moreover, I love to try good Mexican food. Chris Chamberlain (one of the multiple food bloggers on the sight) posted on the restaurant Taqueria y Papuseria Lupita on June 4, 2012. I can't even say the name, but I plan on visiting this inviting place on my next trip to Nashville. They even have sopes and green chili. I can just hear myself getting fatter.

The next blog I found was entitled A Boy, A Girl, and the U.S. Marines. I read the sweetest story ("Broken Teacup") about a girl who received a teacup from her grandmother. This teacup had such sentimental value to it. I had to comment on her post. It was beautiful. I can hardly wait to see if she comments back. This blog has really inspired me to continue blogging after this educational technology course is complete. WOW! I linked it, but the link has been removed.

The following are the five comments from the peer assignment:

I blogged on Scott Atchley—“Seeking Harmony” because I thought his Thing #2 was comical. I love a good sense of humor and Scott has that endearing trait. I had to respond to his personal ad, since mine has some “personal-ad-like” similarities. I did agree with him that this medium is an instrument (no pun intended) for free expression. His response back to me was hilarious too. God Bless his wife!

Of course I blogged on Katy’s 23 Things; she is my partner in crime. We sat together and pulled each other’s hair out while setting up our blog. I chose to comment on Thing #2, since I could feel OUR pain as I read through her blog. I think we both got it going on now. Go Katy! What I also commented on was her background. Katy is such a spunky and fun person and I thought her blog fit her perfectly. Her students will love this quality in her, and I am thankful to have shared this initial experience with her too!

The third peer blog that I commented on was Wms Troop to Teach 23 Things. Stephanie commented on Thing #1 about her transition from military life to civilian life. If you get to know her a bit and listen to her story, she is like a student-hero. I have the utmost respect for women who serve their country for 20+ years. What a challenge—I am sure it has had its ups and downs, but she seems to be a strong woman with a heart of gold. She will make a great teacher. Love commenting on posts like this.

I commented on Thing #6 in Melanie Reese’s 23 Things Life Long Learning. She focused on Pandora as a tool for the classroom. I, too, just downloaded this and can see that it might be useful while students are working in groups. Most students listen to music while doing homework and Pandora can at least allow the teacher a reasonable station to pick from for the classroom. I would use it to listen to classical music while teaching in my literature units.

The last of my five comments is on Thing #2 in Killebrew123. She quoted as saying her avatar looked awkward just like how she often feels. I told her it was as cute as a button. Jennifer has a secret acting skill that no one in class knows about…well maybe a few people from 5501. We put on a show last semester, and I pleasantly reminded her how well she did.

When people write, they write for a purpose. When bloggers write, they hope to have their work read by those with similar interests. The icing on the cake is a positive comment or even an acknowledgment from a reader. Many of us have mini experiences with commenting or reading comments on Facebook and Twitter. Those of us in college have experiences with our peers commenting on our online forums. Writers need to feel a sense of community as they express and perfect their skill. Blogging is a perfect medium to build that skill, so I encourage you engage in reading and commenting on my blogs whenever you feel the need to help me perfect my skill.

I found the "Cool Cat Teacher" blog and Darren Rowse's blog rather insightful on commenting on others' blogs. Cool Cat's king and queen approach was straightforward. I would have never thought of hyperlinking someone else's blog into mine—a very validating approach. Although I would never fear commenting on another's blog, I can understand why many may linger in fear.  Darren Rowse's blog really drew me in and made me look at commenting in a different light. I will use his invitational approach from now on in my blogs. I also thought the comments on being humble and gracious was spot on. If we are going to put our thoughts and feeling out there on the web, we must develop thick skin, accept criticism, and move forward. Rowse is right humility is attractive.

I found two blogs outside of my technology class that were interesting. The first one was the Nashville Scene food blog called "Bites." I love to try new restaurants; moreover, I love to try good Mexican food. Chris Chamberlain (one of the multiple food bloggers on the sight) posted on the restaurant Taqueria y Papuseria Lupita on June 4, 2012. I can't even say the name, but I plan on visiting this inviting place on my next trip to Nashville. They even have sopes and green chili. I can just hear myself getting fatter.

The next blog I found was entitled "A Boy, A Girl, andthe U.S. Marines." I read the sweetest story ("Broken Teacup") about a girl who received a teacup from her grandmother. This teacup had such sentimental value to it. I had to comment on her post. It was beautiful. I can hardly wait to see if she comments back. This blog has really inspired me to continue blogging after this educational technology course is complete. WOW!

I will come back to this post after blogging on five of my peers' sites.

I will come back to this post after blogging on five of my peers' sites.