The fabulous Miss Wyatt, from The Student Blogging Challenge, asked if I would guest post about commenting. I ♥ commenting and am happy to contribute!
Blogging has many parts: the post, the comments, and the sidebar.
If you do a good job with all of the parts, your blog will be more interesting.
Today we will focus on quality comments!
Content is key!
In our class, we evaluate our blog comments.
A one-point comment is a general comment that doesn't add very much to the post. Example: I like your blog. Please visit mine! A two-point comment adds something to the comment conversation. A commenter might compliment the writer in a specific way or add new information. Another idea is to make a connection. Maybe the post reminds you of an experience that you've had. Share that connection! Try to end your comment with a relevant question. That way, an interesting conversation can develop.
Here is a video we made with tips to help you take your comments to the next level!
How to Compose a Quality Comment! from mrsyollis on Vimeo.
If Vimeo is blocked, here it is on YouTube.
We like to open our comments with a greeting and end with a closing. We choose to do this as it makes it easier for us to follow the conversation within a comment section.
Mrs. Smith, from Ontario, Canada, adds another excellent idea:
Give some information about where you are from and what grade you are in.
Thanks for a great tip, Mrs. Smith!
-For Advanced Bloggers-
In our class, we evaluate our blog comments.
A one-point comment is a general comment that doesn't add very much to the post. Example: I like your blog. Please visit mine! A two-point comment adds something to the comment conversation. A commenter might compliment the writer in a specific way or add new information. Another idea is to make a connection. Maybe the post reminds you of an experience that you've had. Share that connection! Try to end your comment with a relevant question. That way, an interesting conversation can develop.
Here is a video we made with tips to help you take your comments to the next level!
How to Compose a Quality Comment! from mrsyollis on Vimeo.
If Vimeo is blocked, here it is on YouTube.
We like to open our comments with a greeting and end with a closing. We choose to do this as it makes it easier for us to follow the conversation within a comment section.
Mrs. Smith, from Ontario, Canada, adds another excellent idea:
Give some information about where you are from and what grade you are in.
Thanks for a great tip, Mrs. Smith!
-For Advanced Bloggers-
Some bloggers like to use HTML code to make their comments better. Learning to write HTML code, or HTML tags, is a somewhat simple way to take your comment to the next level.
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is a language.
* * * * *
To write HTML code, use the following symbols:
Important: Do not add a space between the HTML tag and the word or sentence.
1. To put text in italics, place this HTML code around the text:
Bloggers should always proofread a comment before publishing.
The sentence will look like this when published:
Bloggers should always proofread a comment before publishing.
2. To make text bold, place this HTML code around the text:
The sentence will look like this when published:
Bloggers should always proofread a comment before publishing.
Bloggers should always proofread a comment before publishing.
3. To make a hyperlink, it gets a little tricky.
Use the following HTML code around the URL and add your own link word/words:
[The URL is the address of the web page. It starts with http://www…]
The HTML code below:
Will become this hyperlink when published:
Sometimes it is hard to remember the HTML codes. I keep an HTML word document on my desktop with all the common codes, especially the one to create a hyperlink. Here is a video demonstrating how easy it is to a create a hyperlink if you have the code set up in a Word doc.
If you like to add fun shapes...here are those codes!
Challenge #4:
This week, try to visit ten blogs and leave a quality comment on each one. End each comment with a question. Check back in a day or two to see if you get a response! Try to get a conversation going! Here is a list of student bloggers. Look for students around your age and drop them a quality comment!
Ask us for help if you need any!
Dear Mrs Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteWow! I thought that was a fantastic post! You explained how to write quality comments so well!
I must say I learnt all about quality commenting from Mrs Yollis and the students in 2KM have always used the students in Mrs Yollis' class as their role model when it comes to commenting.
I ♥ your video about quality commenting more than words can say! I would give it a 10/10 and I think you should win an award for your performances! You all spoke so clearly and used fantastic expression. I cannot wait to show it to my students.
I also loved my mention in the video! Having a conversation is terrific.
Well I'm glad it's the weekend because I think you all need a rest after working so hard on that amazing post!
I have one question for you. Where did Panda come from? Did Mrs Yollis make him? I think he is terrific class mascot!
Your friend,
Miss McGeady
Dear Mrs Yollis and students,
ReplyDeleteThankyou for your informed post about commenting. I will take every tip you mentioned on board.
I would like to congratulate you all on the wonderful way you presented yourselves and spoke on each section of commenting.
I am so impressed.
I have taken your blogging challenge and have visited three blogs which were BB,your blog and Mrs Lynchs.
I just l♥ve Panda.
Is Panda your only mascot?
Keep up the great work,
from your friend down under AA.
Dear Mrs Yollis and students,
ReplyDeleteI thought your post was brilliant. The tips were great.
I thought your students spoke clearly and very confidently. I hope to use those tips and I hope to improve on my comments when I am commenting and writing a post.
I have some questions for you all what is your mascots name?
Does panda have a favourite blog?
From Bianca. (bb)
Dear Miss McGeady,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your compliment about our video and about our commenting skills. We work very hard to earn two-point comments consistently, and I'm glad it shows!
Excitement was high when we filmed our movie, and your high praise is appreciated! The students came up with examples of different types of comment additions, and your conversation about leaves in our Fabulous Fall post was a meaningful exchange. She wanted to use it as an example of a conversation! :-)
Panda has been with me for 24 years! :-) We met at a teacher supply store and together we've taught many students. Whenever you need help or advice, Panda is there for you. We ♥ Panda!
Your pal,
Mrs. Y♥llis
@ AA,
ReplyDeleteWe are glad you liked our informative video about commenting! The process of creating a script, practicing the lines, and then being filmed was exciting. We are happy to hear that you enjoyed it and got something out of it!
Although we have lots of friends in our classroom, Panda is our oldest and truest friend. He is always there to give writing reminders to students like Don't forget to capitalize sentences. He also gives us words of wisdom. For example, one of his favorite things to say is Actions speak louder than words.
Thanks for a great two-point comment! :-)
Sincerely,
Mrs. Y♥llis
@ Bianca,
ReplyDeleteWow! Thank you for such a fabulous review of our movie!
I'm glad you liked the tips and are going to apply them. I have noticed that your writing has really improved! You are writing longer, more descriptive sentences in both your posts and your comments! You're a great proofreader too!
Panda's name is Panda. Not very creative...but that is what we call him.
You asked if Panda has a favorite blog. He does enjoy visiting blogs and leaving lots of comments as you maybe saw on our post Word Problem: Hoppy and Panda He recently discovered a great blog written by a girl in Australia called BB’s Awesome Blog. Maybe you've heard of it?
Keep up the great writing, Bianca!
Your pal,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteThe video turned out very good. Everyone did a great job of saying their lines. I think the funniest part was when Ryan said What's that Panda? Those were some great tips. Are we going to do a lot of videos?
From,
Jaden♠
@ Mrs. Y♥llis,
ReplyDeleteThat video came out wonderful! I like how every♥ne's voice was not too loud, as well as not too soft.
Your student,
Iman
@ Jaden♠,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you! The video is a good one!
You have a very good comment here. I like how you mentioned what your favorite part was of the video. That is giving a specific compliment, and that takes your comment from a 1-pointer to a 2-pointer!
Yes, we will be doing lots of videos this year. Some will be longer and more planned like our How to Write Quality Comments! video, and some will be less formal like our math tutorial.
Now I would like to invite you to go to our sidebar and visit three blogs. Be sure to leave a quality comment on each.
Be sure to have your parents check your comment before you press publish! Proofreading is important!
Your friend,
Mrs. Y♥llis
@ Iman,
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting on the voice quality of the actors. I agree with your assessment.
Like I said to Jaden, I would like to invite you to go to our sidebar and visit three blogs. Be sure to leave a quality comment on each.
Also, be sure to have your parents check your comment before you press publish! Proofreading is important!
Your pal,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteRyan's video was amazing! I like how he used his sense of humor when talking to Panda. Also, I love how he taught us how to use capitals at the beginning of sentences and punctuation when needed.
Mrs. Yollis, I will definitely use the HTML codes you provided us with. I wrote them down in my journal so I can always go back and find them.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us!
Warmly,
Grace♔★☀
Dear Mrs. Yollis and students,
ReplyDeleteThank you for that fantastic post about commenting. You put everything bloggers need to know about leaving quality comments in one place. I will share the post and especially the video with my students next week. I'm sure it will improve their commenting right away.
The video was fabulous! You all spoke clearly and seemed very relaxed in front of the camera.
You're lucky you have such a smart mascot in Panda. We have a few mascots in our room (Yoda, Juan Pablo, and Perezoso), but sometimes they have more questions for us than answers...
Thanks again for the excellent tips.
From, Mr. Salsich
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI think the video was exceptional. I like how Lindsay and Grace were very clear. Finn and Iman never spoke too softy. I also like how Adia and Hannah never forgot their lines. I think you spoke perfectly. Panda told me great proofreading tips. I would give everyone 5 stars.
What was your favorite part of the video?
If you could give Hoppy another name what would it be?
From,
Ryan ♠ ♥
@ Grace,
ReplyDeleteWell, I would say it was our video, but I certainly enjoyed Ryan's segment with Panda! :-) Yes, Panda's punctuation tips are so useful! I noticed you used all of them!
I like your idea of writing the HTML codes down in a journal so you have them. Good one! The three you used in your signature look great!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Y♥llis
@ Mr. Salsich,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the compliment about our post! Learning how to leave a quality comment is an important skill for bloggers. Quality comments help make a blog more interesting, and they help a blogger develop relationships with his/her readers.
Yes, we are lucky to have Panda in our classroom. He is always there with reminders like... Don't forget to proofread before you publish. Last year, we added a new friend to the classroom, Hoppy. He does not have a lot of classroom experience yet, so it's too soon to tell about him.
Your mascots, Yoda, Juan Pablo, and Perezoso, are great guys. I've met them over at your classroom blog. I've noticed that Perezoso can be very helpful...when he's awake! :-)
We always enjoy getting comments from your class! :-)
Sincerely,
Mrs. Y♥llis
@ Ryan ♠ ♥,
ReplyDeleteThank you for such a super compliment! Exceptional! Wow!
A ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ rating is tough to get!
My favorite part of the video was the way everyone spoke clearly. That is difficult to do because people were a little nervous in front of the camera. I also like that Panda was able to remember his lines. :-)
If I could give Hoppy another name it would be Frederick von Hop.
Your teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting back to me. I am also very glad panda remembered his lines. If he didn't we would be making the video over and over again!
I think the name Frederik von Hoppy is a fabulous name.
That name reminds me of a famous artist named Van Gou. I hope next video hoppy can have some lines.
I have some questions for you:
If you could give panda another name what would it be?
What would you give everyone from a 1/10 rate? (Ten as the highest)
From,
Ryan ♠
P.S. is panda a girl or boy?
Dear Mrs Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing how to create quality comments with the whole world!
We are a class in New Zealand. We have a blog too, at learningstuff.wordpress.com . We are learning to create quality on our blog. We would love to see you visit our blog too!
Have you ever been to New Zealand? Some of us have been to the USA.
Congratulations on making such an interesting post.
CS11 and Vashti
Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteI am Jaden's PaPa Charlie form New Yrok. I watched your video on blogging and learned a great deal. I hope you continue to send me these videos in the future. Continued success!!
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI think our video turned out great! It's nice to get so many compliments from other bloggers outside our classroom.
I think everyone did a wonderful job, I especially liked Gracie and Lindsay's presentation. They spoke clearly and they did not look nervous!
I visited Mrs. Levy, Bianca and the Ugandan Global Project blogs and left what I hope are quality comments. I followed all the tips in our video!
I noticed that you commented On Mrs. Levy's blog about her swim from Alcatraz to San Fransisco. I thought it was amazing! My mom tells me that the water is very cold and I also heard that there are sharks in those waters! Would you ever want to do that swim?
Thank you for allowing me to be in the Quality Comment video.
Sincerely,
Hannah★
@ Ryan,
ReplyDeleteYes, it was good that Panda had prepared his lines and was ready for the filming. You can always count on him being prepared!
If I were to give Panda a different name it would be ...Frederick von Hop, Sr. His alternate name reminds you of the famous artist, Vincent van Gogh? That's a nice connection!
You asked me to rate everyone's performance on a scale of 1 to 10. I would have to give everyone...an eleven. :-)
@ CS 11 and Vashti,
Thank you for visiting our blog and for leaving such a nice comment! We love blogging and it has really improved our reading and our writing skills. Plus, we have made friends all over the world!
You asked if I have ever been to New Zealand. No, I have not. I would love to one day. One of my former students (who is now grown up!) spent many weeks in New Zealand over the summer/your winter. She published lots of pictures from her trip and I must say, New Zealand is beautiful!
Which states have you or your students been to? What kinds of things did you do here?
I saw that you had a post from ULearn10 in your blog. I was there for about 5 minutes! I Skyped with Mr. Webb from Room 8. :-) Do you know him?
Your friend,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Greetings Mrs Yollis and class.
ReplyDeleteWe are a class in New Zealand back for our first day after our two week holiday break.
We have just read together and viewed your video on commneting. We all agreed it was outstanding, both in quality of presentation and the quality of the commenting tips. Isn't it amazing how in todays world we can influence classes thousands of miles away! One tip I have for students is to copy it before posting. I don't know how many times I have had something go wrong, lost the comment and have had to start all over again!
A question to Mrs Yollis. What did you use to video (type of camera) and what did you use to edit it?
Thank you to you all for this wonderful post, as a teacher it inspired me.
Miss T
Mrs Yollis
ReplyDeleteComments are wonderful to receive for work, from all around the world but quality comments are even better! They are so valuable for students and its wonderful that you've had this lesson with your students as they are always such good commentators! Also I'd like to thank you personally for being available to talk to the teachers from New Zealand last week they loved it and I thought that it went really, really well so thanks for taking the time from your busy schedule to talk to us.
Mr Webb and Room 8, Melville Intermediate, Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand.
Dear Mrs> Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI really liked the video. I liked how well Ryan did with Panda. Everyone did a great job. I have a question. Where do you find the great music you use in the videos?
Your student,
Ben
Hi Mrs. Yollis.
ReplyDeleteThankyou for the great post and it has helped to make my comments and posts on my blog more interesting. ♥ Teegan 8)
@ Miss Trask,
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting and I hope everyone had a lovely holiday!
We are glad that you enjoyed our video and found it useful! Thank you! Yes, I am amazed at the number of people we have met and how far reaching blogs can be. I ♥ it!
You bring up an excellent point about copying your comment before you publish it. I, too, feel so frustrated after I compose a quality comment for someone, forget to type in the anti-spam words, press publish, and it erases all of my words. Thank you for that tip, it's a good one!
You asked how I film and edit. My laptop is a Mac and I just use the iSight camera. I open up iMovie '09 and record. I do all the editing in there too. Although my MacBook is only two years old, the iMovie gives us trouble sometimes. We had to keep filming and refilming to get the shots.
I really appreciate your kind words. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Y♥llis
@ PaPa Charlie from New York,
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that you not only visited our blog, but also left a comment! Thank you! Jaden is becoming an excellent writer due to all of his blogging! You should feel super proud!
@ Mr. Webb, (from New Zealand)
You are very welcome! I thoroughly enjoyed joining you for your presentation. What an amazing world we live in where I can sit at my kitchen table and be a part of teaching other teachers in another hemisphere! Wow! Looking forward to seeing what you do next!
@ Hannah★,
What a beautifully written comment! You complimented in several specific ways, you shared some relevant information, and even made a connection with me! Super job, Hannah! What a model comment...plus, you've made Panda proud too!
See you tomorrow!
Your proud teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
@ Ben,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the nice comment about our video. You will be in one soon! You asked where I get the great music for the videos. The music comes with the editing software I use. It's called iMovie. I'm glad you like it! Music can add so much to a video, as long as it doesn't overwhelm what's being said.
@ Teagan,
I'm glad you can use the information in our video. Already, you are a fantastic commenter! Great use of the HTML heart!
Your friend,
Mrs. Y♥llis
@Adia and Hannah,
ReplyDeleteThat video was great! I liked that you spoke loud and clear. I just visited Science girl Blog and left a quality comment just like you instructed us to.
Which blogs did you visit? Did you like any of them?
From,
Miriam ♥
Dear Miriam,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughtful compliment. I am glad that you were able to use our instructions to post a quality comment.
I visited Mrs. Levy, Bianca and the Ugandan Global Project blogs. I liked all of them, they were all very interesting. I especially liked Mrs. Levy's post about her swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco. You should visit her blog.
Your friend,
Hannah★
G'day Mrs Yollis and students,
ReplyDeleteThank you so very much for creating this informative and fascinating video about commenting.
I know you will have lots of visitors from the student blogging challenge check out your post as this is the first thing they have to do for week 4 of the challenges.
I am one of those people who have to learn how to use HTML code in my comments.
Here is the link to my class blog called Kids in the Mid
Crossing my fingers that it worked.
Miss W.
Dear Mrs Yollis
ReplyDeleteThank you for answering my question about your camera and editing tools. We have PC's so I think I am going to have to explore the tools I have and see how that works.
I do love Mac computers. We had them in the early times of computing, but new Principals and Boards changed that. I felt disappointed about that, however we still have alternatives. When I purchase my own computer I think I will get a Mac. In NZ we get laptops as teachers funded jointly by the government and our Boards.
Your quality video has inspired me and even if it takes awhile I want to see what we can produce in the future. Your video is a quality gem.
Your teaching friend
Miss Trask
hello!, we're still on it!
ReplyDeleteDear Mrs. Yollis and Class,
ReplyDeleteWe watched your wonderful video about making comments. Here is what we learned:
Ethan learned to always use one exclamation point.
Amy learned to make sure that no one has made your comment.
Parsa learned to make a specific compliment about the post.
Room 125 has a question for you. What is it like being in third grade?
We hope you have a great time with your blog and commenting.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Levy's class
Hi Mrs Yollis,
ReplyDeleteOur class was very excited to receive your quality comment on our blog!
In answer to your question, recently one of our students visited California and Hollywood. I personally have been to New York and New Hampshire. We do hope you or your students will get a chance to visit New Zealand some time!
I was at ULearn10 but did not meet Mr Webb. I see that his blog link is in the comments, though, so I will go and take a look at his work.
We hope your class enjoy reading all the comments on their blogs. What is the most surprising visit they have had on the blog so far?
Vashti and CS11 :-)
PS: We don't have someone like Panda in our class but we do have a mouse called Fluff. We tried teaching him reading but he prefers to chew on books!
Thank you class for explaining about How to Blog. I enjoyed hearing all the student speak.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if the class knew that in this month of October, it is the first time in 800 years that we will have 5 weekends in this month?
Hey my name is Nathalie I am from Melville Intermediate room 8. Its so great to see you guys in the blog challenge. I hope you do well.
ReplyDeleteMelville Intermediate Room 8,New Zealand, Hamilton,Waikato
@ Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteThank you for replying to me. I have visited one blog so far. I'm going to try to visit more. My mom has shown a lot of my relatives this video. I think that the video is a good way to show how to make a quality comment. Also Adia and Hannah said if you get a conversation going tell them and I got a conversation going with Miss W. I was excited about getting a conversation going. Have you ever gotten a conversation going with Miss W.
Sincerely,
Jaden♠
Dear Mrs. Levy and Class
ReplyDeleteI am Amitai in Mrs.yollis' class. I am also Ethan's brother.
Here is the answer to your question.
Third grade is a blast! We have a lot of homework. For example: We do our homework on Monday and have to bring it back on Tuesday.
In Mrs. Yollis' class we blog often and that is so much fun. We also get to meet other people all around the world.
I have a question for you:
1.Do you blog a lot?
Your friend in third grade,
Amitai
P.S.I love your comment.
Dear Mrs.Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI liked your tips about commenting. I have some questions.
1.Was it easy making the video?
2.Did you like making the video?
Your Student,
Kristen
@ Hannah,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! Mrs. Levy just featured a comment you left on her blog! She said it was an excellent example of how to write a comment!
Well done!
Here is a link to where you are featured!
Hannah’s Quality Comment!
How do you like my HTML code complete with a hyperlink!
Your proud teacher,
Mrs. Y♥llis
@ Miss W., (from Tasmania)
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome! We loved the invitation and we certainly learned a lot from making the comment movie.
I am happy to report that you are a successful HTML coder! I followed your hyperlink...and it connected with your blog! I really recommend that you have the Word doc open with the hyperlink codes. I can never remember it!
@ Miss Trask,
Thanks, again, for your kind words about our video. We learned a lot making it!
Yes, the movie making software on Macs is quite good, especially the '09 version. Although I love Macs, they are a lot more expensive! Upgrading...memory...it is quite a bit more. That has to be considered as well. Good luck with your movies! If I can help, please ask!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Y♥llis
It would have taken ages and ages to read through all your comments. Your blog is certainly popular.I really enjoyed watching your video on tips for effective blogging and I am sure my students will love it too. This is one of the magical things about blogs - students getting to collaborate and share their ideas with others children across the world ! We look forward to reading more of your work and making some new international friends!
ReplyDeleteKa Kite( Good bye in Maori: pronounced ka keetay)
Andrea Fale
Dear Ms Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteYour blogging tips are fantastic. I love the way you've presented your ideas in so many ways too.
The students in my 5th grade class are learning about blogging for the first time this year. We are on holidays at the moment, but as soon as we are all back at school I'm going to show them some of your ideas. I know they can learn a lot from listening to your ideas and suggestions. Hopefully we'll have something to share back with you soon.
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteWe are from Mrs. Ranney's class. We think your video was astounding! Now we have a blog mascot too. It is a penguin. We hope we made a quality comment.
Your blogging buddies,
Ella and Leah in Mrs. Ranney's class
@ Ms. Young,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your fabulous comment! I am very happy that the video was useful. Do you like blogging? Do your fifth graders like blogging?
Warmly,
Jaden
@ Ella and Leah,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your great comment! You did make a quality comment. That is cool that you just got a blogging mascot. Tell us about him. Do you guys like blogging?
Sincerely,
Jaden
I learned this from my older sister but it still helps to refresh the memory
ReplyDeleteDear Mrs. Yollis' class,
ReplyDeleteUse one exclamation mark! Use more words in a sentence. I loved the video because I learned a lot. Why do you use only one exclamation mark?
From,
Alie
@ Jaden
ReplyDeleteI think we are going to do lots of videos. Do you want your own blog?
From,
Kristen
Dear Mrs.Yollis
ReplyDeleteI think that when Ryan was talking to Panda, it was funny. I learned that you never put more than one exclamation point. It is better to add more interesting words, than more exclamation marks.
I have a question for you:
What was your favorite part of the video?
@ Kristen,
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting to me. I really want my own blog. Do you want your own blog?
Warmly,
Jaden
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI learned in the video that you should start a conversation in a quality comment. Quality comments are longer than regular comments. I also learned that you should end a quality comment with a question.
Here is a question for you: Did you like the Quality Comment Video?
Your friend,
Andrew
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI remember learning how to write a comment when I was in your class! Now I'm in Mrs. Kruass's class. I am having a great time in forth grade.
From your former student,
Trent : -D
@ Ella and Leah,
ReplyDeleteThanks for a terrific comment! Yes, I saw that you have a new mascot. He is an old friend of Panda's!
@ Andrea Fale,
Thanks for your lovely comment! We will visit your blog and leave a comment as well. We know a little Maori because we are friends with Mr. Webb's class in New Zealand. Last year we learned the Maori stick game from his class!
Ka Kite( Good bye in Maori: pronounced ka keetay)
Mrs. Y♥llis
@ Alie,
ReplyDeleteYou asked why you should only use one exclamation mark. The exclamation mark shows happiness, or that you're shouting something, or it can show surprise. That is what the mark means. If you are asking a question, you end with a question mark. One mark says it all. Those are the rules we use for the English language.
@ Andrew,
Good for you! You said you were going to go home and compose a quality comment and you did it! Well done! Yes, I enjoyed the video. I liked it because it gave ideas to help people write quality comments and it stressed the importance of proofreading. Plus, I ♥ Panda!
@ Trent,
What a special treat to have you visit and leave a comment! What kinds of things are you learning in fourth grade?
Your friend,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Fantastic job explaining how to write comments. So many people do not take the time to do it well. I also love how well everyone did presenting themselves on camera. I know how hard it can be, and I wish I could do it half as well as you all did.
ReplyDeleteDear Mrs. Yollis' Class,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed watching your video on commenting! It was very informative and interesting to watch. you should be very proud of yourselves!
Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteWe watched your video on making good comments today. We liked how the children gave us good information.
Next week, we will be visiting other people's blogs and we will remember your advice.
Are there any other things we should know about commenting?
From all of us in 2T
Dear Mrs. Yollis' class,
ReplyDeleteI loved your video about quality commenting - very clear and such great tips! I am going to show it to my students tomorrow - we are just starting a class blog so it is perfect timing. My favorite part of the video was the student talking with Panda - he was very expressive with his, "What's that Panda?". Awesome.
We are signed up to the edublogs blogging challenge - I hope we can learn to be great bloggers like you are. I think we will be coming back to your blog to learn more from you!
I'm wondering how you made the video - did you use a flip cam, regular video camera, or in-computer camera?
Sincerely,
Ms. Gartside
Mrs. Yollis (and class!),
ReplyDeleteThank you for your great post. I have shared it with my 6th graders here at the American School of Doha, Qatar. I've even placed your video on my site, and shown it to my students! If you have the time, would you comment on one of the comments that you read? It would help us a lot!
Thanks again.
Joseph Teague
Spectacular production Mrs. Yollis and class. You have done a great service to student (and adult) bloggers everywhere! You've managed to sum up every important element of commenting in a wonderful and informative video.
ReplyDeleteYour lesson on HTML tags is perfect and very helpful for my students. Thank you again and we look forward to reading what you are writing!
Mr. Miller's Class
Hi Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteThose were some great tips about commenting. Panda is extremely smart bear. My own class wrote commenting guidelines on our blog. To do that we got split into groups and after all the groups had made some guidelines we decided to take a vote about the ones that we liked best. It was a lot of fun. When I was younger i found it very hard to present in front of a camera and audience, and your class did a GREAT JOB! I remember also when I started blogging that I found it hard to leave a comment but after practicing it came so much easier to start a conversation with the writer. Do your students have blogs yet. Here is my link if you would like to visit my blog: http://greysonh4.edublogs.org/
Bye for now :)
Dear Mrs Yollis
ReplyDeleteOnce again a fabulously informative and helpful blog post. I am wondering if it would be ok if I used one of your videos and linked through to this post for The Blogger's Cafe?
At The Blogger's Cafe we are trying to increase the quality and content of our student bloggers. his post would be a great help to many of them.
regards
mrs Miller
Dear Mrs Yollis
ReplyDeleteNow that I have learned to follow your html instructions I will have to be careful not to become a shapes junkie!
♥
All it takes is the time to give it a try.
fr ♠ m Mrs M ♔ Kenzie
PS Please don't publish if it doesn't work!
hey my name is Emily and I am a part the blogger s cafe by Mrs miller.I saw your you-tube video and have now taken on your tips.From now on i will follow what you say..If you want to have a look at my blog the URL is http://maxifookes2017.edublogs.org/
ReplyDeletebye
Dear Mrs Yollis & Students
ReplyDeleteWhat an informative video you made. I am going to show it to my class next week. We are a Year 5 (Grade 4) class of students in the lower North Island of New Zealand (I'm a friend of Mr Webb although we live about 500km away from each other). We have a class blog and individual blogs too. The one thing we need more practise with is proofreading our posts and comments. Your video will help us all. (And I learned something too - I will have to stop using too many exclamation marks when I write!)
Our class blog
Our individual blogs
Hi Mrs Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteI have spent quite a lot of time today reading and watching the videos on your post about making quality comments.
I feel inspired and I have sent the link to other teachers I know, hoping that they might find it useful too.
One thing I think I might do after reading your post, is ask Kohuki, our class pukeko, if he might start to give a few punctuation reminders to my Y1&2 class (6&7 year olds). I suspect he might be better at that than me.
Kohuki
As you can see, I am trying out a bit of HTML. <♥>
Thanks for a great post.
Ms Donnell, Kaipara Flats, NZ
Hey Its Tarlea,
ReplyDeleteI ♥ your blog.
See ya
Tarlea
Dear Mrs Yollis
ReplyDeleteI really love your blog you give very good information about blogging. Nice work
I never thought that leaving a comment like this could be so easy.
ReplyDeleteThis is very fun.
I never would of thought of changing by writing to italics or bold.
I &heart; Blogger.
Dear Mrs Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteYour tips are really wonderful! The one that helps me the most is to proof read your comment. Once I wrote a comment and I said ‘that’s so billy’ Instead of ‘that’s so silly’ Ops! I am going to try really hard to use your tips!
Thank you so much for your tips!
From Sophie!
Dear readers,
ReplyDeleteThanks to all the people who have visited our blog and for taking the time to leave fantastic quality comments! We appreciate you!
@ Katy, I made the video using the iSight camera on my MacBook.
@ Mrs. Miller, You are certainly welcome to post our video on your fabulous Blogger Cafe blog. We ask only that you link back to this site. :-)
Thanks, again, everyone for such great support of our video!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs Yollis
ReplyDeleteYour videos are really great you give so much good information about
blogging.
Keep it up.
Dear Mrs. Yollis' class,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your video. You did a great job on it. I wish I knew how to make a video.
How do you make videos?
Sincerely,
Emily Hicks
Dear Mrs. yollis' Class,
ReplyDeleteYou had some great advice on "How To Make a Comment."I think that the advice is very usfull.
Are you guys going to make another comment? I hope so.
I can't say enough about how well you guys did on the video.
Bye!
Rachael
Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteFinn S. left a comment on my blog, MicroBricks, and suggested that I connect back to this blog. It looks like you've got a great class project going. I've been blogging as a hobbyist for a little over five years now and really enjoy connecting with others about my hobby (LEGO). It's good to see the next generation of bloggers learning the ropes here. BTW, I lived in Los Angeles for 14 years as I went to graduate school at UCLA and then taught at Cal State University Northridge for several years.
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteI love that you taught the kids about making quality comments. I have noticed that this is a skill that Jaden and his friends have taken beyond blogging. In teaching this lesson, I have seen Jaden and his friends complementing each other and asking interesting questions when emailing each other. I have also noticed that this has been a lesson about blogging, but these skills are used in every day communication and I've realized that Jaden has been asking more questions about other people and that the blogging skills you have taught have helped him in his everyday conversation skills. I love how you have used blogging to excite the kids, but that there are so many more lessons here than just "how to blog" or "how to make a quality comment". Thank you for finding creative ways to keep the kids learning and yearning for more!
Sincerely,
Marcie (Jaden's Mom)
Dear Brick Tales,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the nice Lego comment. How cool that you have lived in Los Angeles for 14 years. I love the blog. It is great. I have some questions for you Brick tales:
How long have you been blogging?
How old is MicroBrick?
From,
Finn
Dear Mrs. Yollis's Class,
ReplyDeleteThat was a very interesting post on quality comments. We liked it because it showed expression and taught us how to write quality comments. You pronounced your words very clearly. We know this will improve our commenting.
We enjoyed watching this interesting video, and hopefully you will visit our class blog at:
http://mjgds.org/classrooms/5thgrade
Hopefully you will post more videos on your blog. We are the 5th grade class at Martin J. Gottlieb Day School in Jacksonville, FL.
We can't wait to read your next post.
P.S. Thank you for telling us to proofread our comments. We had a lot of mistakes.
What a fantastic blog post and tutorial! I can't wait to show this to other teachers and students so that they too can learn from you all.
ReplyDeleteOne tip I would love to share with you all that I use when commenting during the proofreading part is (on a Macintosh) I can hold down the control and option button then click on a word. If I misspelled it corrected spelling suggestions appear. That way I know my message will be clearly understood.
Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteI have learned so much! I haven't gotten a chance to use all of the magnificent symb★ls but I am hoping to in this comment. I think your blog is so phenomenal because you put up so many posts each month, and they're all fantastic posts!
Happy Holidays!
Regards,
J♥mie (from Mrs. Ranney's Class)
Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteMy students and I really enjoyed your video about quality comments. My students especially liked the zippy music in your video. Most impressive was how comfortable your students appear in front of the camera. They seemed like they were having a conversation with a good friend.
Our class is working hard to leave quality comments on each others blogs and hopefully we will be able to start commenting on other students' blogs, too. Everyone is very excited about the fun possibilities that blogging brings to our classroom.
Mrs. Yollis, I have a question specifically for you. My students seem very enamored with commenting, but they seem to be using the commenting as more of an instant messaging/email device. I have to approve all comments so they don't even get the instant gratification that they want. Did your students do this when they began blogging and how did you push them along and develop their commenting content? We watched and discussed your video on commenting several times and made our own list of tips for commenting. Am I being impatient? :)
Thanks so much for your terrific blog that allows you to share with other classes. Merry Christmas!
Miss Loose
3rd grade teacher
PA
@ Miss Loose,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words about our blog and the video we made! Commenting is a major part of our blog and is a skill that must be taught, modeled, and practiced.
Below is a link to an educational blogging wiki I created. I'm linking to the
How to Teach Commenting Skills.
This will show you the steps I took with my class over the years.
Again, thanks for the comment and let me know if you need any more help!
Your friend,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Thank you Mrs. Yollis and class for teaching me so many things. I am super excited because I just used html in my comment to place a link. Want to see? I can't wait to learn more! Are there more tips that you think will help me learn more about responding?
ReplyDeletePS I love your blog and am excited to introduce more people to it. Thank you.
@ Tracy,
ReplyDeleteGood for you with the HTML code! Your link went right through! Exciting, no?
You asked about responding tips. The best advice I can give is to comment back to your readers. If people take the time to stop, read your blog, and then comment, I try to always comment back to them here or on their own blog. Sometimes it is difficult with time constraints, and I accept that. Commenting back builds relationships.
Ending a post or comment with a relevant question helps start a conversation as well.
Are you on Twitter? If so, I'm
@lindayollis.
:-)
Mrs. Y♥llis
Thanks for putting this post out Mrs. Yollis. I used the video today for a commenting lesson that I taught to my 8th grade students. They loved it....and learned quite a bit, too. In my blog, I write about the ways that I use technology with my class. Would you (and your students) give me permission to include your video in my next post?
ReplyDelete@ Steve Fulton,
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely you can use our video to help your students learn to become quality commenters! It is an important skill for all bloggers to understand, and I'm glad we could help.
Let us know when you publish. I'm sure my students would love to see that they are helping others. Plus, they'd love to leave a comment for your class! :-)
Sincerely,
Mrs. Y♥llis
@Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteGreat! I'll let you know when I publish the post where I'll discuss using your students' video.
I just read the comment you wrote back to me with my students, and they're excited that your class would want to read their blogs. We don't have a class blog, but here's the link
to all of my students individual blogs.
This has helped me alot thanks Mrs. Yollis. Your post has helped me on how to coomment on other bloggers post. MyBlog
ReplyDelete@ Steve Fulton,
ReplyDeleteAre you on Twitter? If so, I'm @lindayollis. Twitter is a great way to connect with like-minded educators and learn from other people. I also use it to encourage others to leave comments for my students. Using the hashtag #comments4kids is a great way to promote student blogs and get feedback.
Comments 4 Kids Blog was set up by @wmchamberlain on Twitter. I highly recommend it!
Happy blogging!
@ Zachary,
Thanks for leaving a comment and including an HTML link to your blog! Well done! I left you a comment!
How do you like blogging? What's been the most difficult part for you?
Sincerely,
Mrs. Yollis
Dear Mrs. Yollis' Class,
ReplyDeleteWe are juniors and seniors in physics class at Wilton High School in Connecticut and our teacher used your video to teach us about making quality comments.
We think you guys are really adorable! Not only that, but you had some excellent advice for anyone who is learning to blog.
Have you continued using blogs for learning?
Sincerely,
Mr. James' Physics 2 Class, Period 3
Hi Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteWe really enjoyed this video. We are learning how to add comments to our classmates' paper blogs before we start blogging for real. Maybe we can be blogging buddies when we get going. Was it hard to make this video?
Ms. Naugle's 4th Grade Class
New Orleans, LA
@ Mrs. Naugle and class,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment...all the way from Louisiana! :-)
So often, people read a post, but move on before commenting. The comment section can be a fun place to learn more, make a contribution, and start a meaningful connection with another class. I can see that you are excellent bloggers already! :-)
My school starts next week, and we will begin learning about blogs. My third graders are new to blogging as well, so lets try and connect!
The video took a lot of time to create. First, we wrote ideas down, and then we wrote a rough script. We had a lot of trouble with our camera freezing, so the filming and editing took a long time. Luckily, we persevered!
Happy blogging!
Your friend,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Hello, I'm a highschool student whose class is working with blogs right now and our teacher showed us this video in order to leave the best and most well thought out comments we could. This is a very insightful and well thought out tutorial for people who are just getting started on blogging. Keep it up!
ReplyDelete@ chriscummings6,
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and for taking the time to write us a comment. :-)
I told my students that a group of high school students were using our video to learn how to comment and their eyes got as big as saucers! That really made their day!
Hope you enjoy blogging as much as we do!
Your friend,
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis and Class,
ReplyDeleteI thought is was a very interesting, yet educational to teach us how to post comments. I would never have known how to do that otherwise. Thanks you for your help.
Hello Mrs. Yollis and students-
ReplyDeleteWOW-I really enjoyed you movie about how to write a quality comment. I'm very new to the idea of blogging and you have given me super ideas to use with my 5th grade class. You should be very proud of your movie.
I have a question for you: If you could choose a cartoon friend for Panda, who would you choose?
Wish me luck teaching my class about blogging.
Very Sincerely,
Mrs. Navaira
mrs. yollis--
ReplyDeletei frequently run into blogs that say that certain html tags are allowed, just as at the bottom of your comment box. but when i try to sign my comment with an html anchor tag, never show up as hyperlinks. what is happening? i see other comments on the same blog where the hyperlinks show. i look at the source code, and their hyperlinks are there, while my comment just contains the text, ie, the part between the open anchor and the close anchor. any ideas? thanks
@ Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteIf you are trying to publish a hyperlink and it is not working, I'd say you are using the wrong code. You have an extra space or you're missing a quote.
Go to the top of my blog and click on the page called "Learn HTML code". The information is there.
Or, watch the video on this commenting post for more information.
Good luck!
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeletethe video about how to comment was awesome, informative, and entertaining. We learned a lot about internet etiquette. We are going to remember this video. Thanks so much. We wonder how you came up with so many great ideas, and how long did the students have to practice?
The Knights.
Thanks Mrs. Yoliss and your class!
ReplyDeleteI learn alot from your video, alot. I had visit your blog, do you want to visit our class blog sometimes??
6B Blog
Rosalinda
Thank you Mrs yollis.the video about how to comment was awesome and to understead.I think my comment is unskilful.But I endeavor for my comments
ReplyDeleteDear Mrs Yollis & Students,
ReplyDeleteI found the information provided in this blog very informative and I intend showing it too my grade 5/6 students in Australia. We are starting to learn how to blog and have made our first contribution just last week. I think your video was well presented and will really engage the students in my class and help them to provide interesting responses. I was wondering how often you blog, Mrs Yollis and if you have a new class this year to help you with your blog?
Regards, Katherine (Grade 5/6 teacher)
Dear Mrs. Yollis and Students,
ReplyDeleteWow! What an amazing blog! I know I have only scratched the surface in naviagating through and reading your posts!
I especially like your "How to Make a Good Comment" video and information provided by you and your students. We have watched the video several times as a class and the students really like hearing it from a student's perspective. My class is a grade 4/5 split and they are amazed (as am I) on how well-spoken the students sound.
I am completely inspired by what you do! I've just started my classroom blog this year and I appreciate all that you share!
What would be your number one tip for a teacher new to blogging with her students?
Thank you, again!
Laura Steinhoff
P.S. If you'd like to check out our blog, we are at http://room4learninglounge.blogspot.ca We are in Winnipeg, Canada and we'd love to hear from you!
Dear Mrs. Steinhoff,
DeleteThanks so much for stopping by and for leaving us such a quality comment!
The students wrote the text for video and practiced it over and over before filming. So glad that the hard work paid off!
You asked, "What would be your number one tip for a teacher new to blogging with her students?" My advice would be to teach directed lessons about how to comment. Students don't always know how to participate in an online community and that's where we can help! Here is a link to my tips about teaching commenting.
Happy blogging!
Mrs. Y♥llis
Dear Mrs Yollis
ReplyDeleteyour video about commenting is terrific and full of very helpful information.
We live on a sheep and cattle station in outback New South Wales and our School of the Air has started using Moodle to share our work. Thanks to your video, we can make our best comments when looking at each other's work.
How did you get all the kids to remember their lines?
Cheers,
Brigitte and Miss Penny
Your videos about how to write a quality comment are great. Your students did a nice job showing us what they know! Kudos to you!
ReplyDeleteHello Mrs Yollis,
ReplyDeleteThank you for such an informative post about 'quality commenting'. I have learnt so much from your blog along with 4KJ @ Leopold Primary school.
I am a grade 2 teacher at a school in Melbourne, Australia. I have just started a classroom blog 2 months ago and I am going to begin teaching my students about 'quality commenting'. I have put your video on my blog along with using your tips to help me make a handout for my students. You can see this on my blog here.
http://mbates.global2.vic.edu.au/quality-comment/
I am also just beginning to use Skype in the classroom and I would love to either Skype with your class sometime this year or even begin commenting on each other's blog.
Thanks,
Miss Bates
Dear Mrs Yollis, Panda and Class,
ReplyDeleteYour post "How to Compose a Quality Comment!" was just what we needed. Thank you so much.
Your post was recommended to us by another class in our school. As we are all pretty new to blogs and commenting we wanted some assistance on how to get started and your video was perfect.
After watching your video a couple of times we were able to become brave enough to begin. Our topic was Refugees, especially boat people. If you are able to watch Australian news you will know that reports about refugees and 'Boat People' are regularly featured.
We decided we needed to inform ourselves from a variety of view points, not just the news but personal accounts and from other resources. We are reading the story of Anh Do's family in the book "The Happiest Refugee". Ahn's family fled Vietnam in a tiny boat after the end of the Vietnam War and eventually settled as Refugees in Australia. To gain another perspective we invited two Customs Officers to our school to talk about their work with refugees who attempt a dangerous sea voyage, like Anh's family, in a bid to live in Australia.
You can check out our first attempts at commenting after the Customs Officers' visit to us on our blog at http://year5and6t.edublogs.org/
Thank you again for such wonderful help and keep up the good work.
Ms T and Year 5/6T
Hello Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteDid you know that your video about quality commenting inspired us to make one about commenting too? Your video taught us a lot about commenting. We learnt as much as we could to make our film. I really enjoyed watching and learning about comments in your video. When I write a comment I always think of your video and what your students had to say. I just wanted to say that your video was excellent.
Thank you for inspiring us to make a video.
Samuel Rm10 Glen Innes School, New Zealand
Hello Mrs Yollis and students,
ReplyDeleteThank you! We all know how to leave a quality comment on a blog post now. We even have your video on the sidebar of our blog so that it is there all the time to help us. We make maths and grammar videos but we have never thought about making a 'How to' video. We are inspired to try to make 'How to' videos about debating, cookery, writing playscripts and lots of other things too.
We think having a mascot in the classroom is a good idea but we are not sure what our mascot should be. How did you get to have Panda as your mascot?
Please visit our blog and leave a comment if you can. http://glaitnessclass520132014.blogspot.co.uk/
Thank you, from Miss Mackay and Class 5 in Orkney, Scotland
Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteEven though this is an old post, I am still going to comment on it. I love HTML and I taught my mom how to do it. It makes comments more creative. l have memorized some of the codes.
What is your favorite code?
From,
Troy ♦♥♣★
Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,
ReplyDeleteI think the tips were helpful I enjoyed watching your video on how to write a quality comment.Your blog is helpful when learning how to leave a comment
From,
Taylor
Dear Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for writing this post on how to write blog comments! I found it very helpful. Thanks again!
Bella
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI thought this post was very informative and helpful! Thanks for writing a post like this!
Hi! This post was really extravagant. I learned a lot, and I decided to practice. Where did you get all of you're amazing information? Something that I would suggest is correcting grammar in blog posts, and comments. One of the most common mistakes I see is people saying, "Your," when they really mean to say, "You're." This was a really enlightening post.
ReplyDeleteCooper
http://cooper8mds.edublogs.org/
Hi Mrs Yollis’ Class
ReplyDeleteThank you for your informative video about Quality Blog Comments. We are a Year 5/6 class in Perth, Australia and we have just launched our blog in the last few weeks. Your video has helped us to construct our own list for blog comments and we are going to continue to modify this list as be become better bloggers.
Have you changed your advice since the video was first posted in October 2010?
Thanks
Room 5 Year 5/6
Thanks very much for sharing your great video about Quality Commenting. My class had a good discussion about what makes a good comment and put together our ideas in this small video: http://gr56bps.global2.vic.edu.au/2015/05/28/quality-blog-commenting/
ReplyDeleteHello Mrs. Yollis,
ReplyDeleteMy fourth graders from 2015-2016 just watched this video. They are being introduced to their new blogs today. Hopefully they will remember the great advice about leaving quality comments when they start adding comments to the blogs of others.
Your friend,
Ms. Naugle