This week we were asked to follow the #comments4kids hashtag on twitter and find a few classes to follow and comment on. I went on twitter this afternoon and found a three that I wanted to post comments on. The first was a news podcast created by 3rd graders in Oklahoma. My comment hasn't been approved yet, but I tried to give the children specific feedback about what I liked so they knew I had actually taken the time to listen. The second blog I found was a blog dedicated to book reviews written by the students. I found a book I had actually read and posted a comment to that student, which you can read here. I think peer book reviews are an excellent strategy for promoting literacy in the classroom and teaming them up with blogging is magic! Lastly I visited another 3rd grade blog and commented on a couple of posts that I really enjoyed reading. One of the posts has since disappeared, but the other one can be found here, along with my comment.
During the live session this week, Dean mentioned the power behind a comment from a stranger who had happened on your blog, and cared enough about what you were writing to leave some feedback. This is so true! I have had a couple of strangers comment on my posts and I was so excited that I immediately told my partner about them. It made my work feel important and made me want to write more. I guess in a way I payed that forward this afternoon and I hope my comments inspired some youngsters to keep blogging.