I guess I better start reflecting on all of the days for the 31 Day Comment Challenge–May is almost over.  I’ve actually done most of the activities, but have not had three seconds to reflect.

I like the new layout for Edublogs dashboard.  The only glitch I see so far is that the blog tabs at the top of the page have ALL of my students (whose blogs I set up) and so I can’t add another blog and actually see it.  Even though it was a pain to scroll down, at least I could eventually get to all of the students’ blogs–now I can’t get to all of my blogs.

I was just about to add another blog, but I wouldn’t be able to get to it because of the critical mass of student blogs already attached.  I’ll have to ask Bill if there is a way to get rid of some of the blogs on MY account without deactivating them.

OK, other than starting this thing at the beginning of the semester, I keep meaning to write down a few things that I want to have my students do differently on their blogs next year.

1. categories–I want them to have categories–that way I’ll be able to easily track research, reflections, documentary ideas.
2. listing their own comments on their blogs–I know there is a way to do that, I just have to figure out how.
3. posts–one thing per post, even if that means multiple posts per day
4. having more time for reflections in class on their blogs
5. reminding them to go back and edit (spelling, missing info, grammar) instead of clarifying only in comments
6. blogroll–having at least my blog linked, if not everyone else’s blog
7. blogroll categories–having them divide the members into segments and labeling them
8. hand subscribing blog partners to the e-mail alerts–I think that will help with people remembering to comment
9. expert interviews–reminding them to follow-up and get that interview
10. doing more explicit teaching of filmmaking to writing connections
11. blog voice–doing more to insist on non-text/non-email constructs–an informal, but academic voice
12. blog specifics–do more with prompts to make sure that they have specific things to write about

I’m sure I’ll think of more, but right now I have to grade my seniors’ late work because they finish in two days.