Thing 4

• explain why commenting helps create a sense of community and interaction

I know from experience how frustrating it is to put time and effort into writing a blog post, or an entire blog, and getting zero feedback.  You feel as if you are just writing something that no one is even reading, so why keep writing? It also makes you feel like it is not only a wasted effort, but it is discouraging to bother with future posts as well.

• discuss two other points from the readings about commenting that you found important

      A key point from the Cool Cat Teacher Blog that I agree with is that comments can hurt.  In today's world of social media, cyber bullying is a growing concern, and it doesn't just affect teens on Facebook.  It is very easy to sit behind a computer and type hurtful and degrading comments while hiding behind the anonymity of the internet, but that doesn't make them hurt the other person any less. It is important to remember that if you wouldn't say something to the blogger in person, then you probably shouldn't say it in a comment either.
     Another point from the Cool Cat blog was about criticizing kindly.  There will never be a point in your life when every person in the world agrees with every word you write.  There will also never be a time where you agree with every word you read that every one else in the world has written.  Because of these facts of life, it is important to follow that "golden rule" from childhood, and express your opinions only in a manner that you would appreciate that person commenting on your work.  After all, they very easily might track down your blog and treat you according to how you treated them.

• give the names of the seven blogs (5 from our group + 2 others of your choice) you selected to read and comment on and tell why you selected them

   I commented on Jeremy Bucciarelli The Knowledge Angler's post about YouTube and its usefulness in the classroom because of the point he made about junk being everywhere and teachers needing to take responsibility for using it responsibly.
  I also commented on History Quester's post about Wikipedia because of the point that community collaboration is difficult because of controversy and potentially offensive topics.
  Seger's 23 Things offered a great use for online image generators-making signs for use in her Pre-K classroom, which translates easily to elementary classrooms as well.
  Kaiser's 23 Things post about Etsy and it's potential uses in the classroom was brilliant, because it was something original that I had never considered.
  Constructive Cognition Collection Project post #2 because it overall was fun to learn about why he chose his avatar and blog name.
   Problogger's post about how to improve the number of comments your blog receives because well, I felt compelled to comment on a post about comments. 
  Finally, I commented on Drape's Takes post "Edublogger Etiquette- Responding to Comments" because I found it made me think about the importance of responding to comments, and sometimes not responding.