Sunday, June 1, 2008

Top 5 Lessons from The Comment Challenge

Drumroll Please.....
Not wanting to miss the final wrap-up of the challenge I never really completed...
Here are my Top 5 Lessons Learned:
5. A 31-day challenge with tasks to be completed each day is just a bit too much for me to undertake, no matter how good my intentions.
4. It doesn't matter that I didn't do each and every activity. I think I have left more comments on blogs during the month of May 2008 than all of my previous blog comments combined. 
3. Soooo....it was definitely worth the effort. And look, here I am at the end, albeit a day late. 
2. I think I understand RSS feeds a bit better than before. 
1. Blogging is the same as everything else. You get out of it what you put into it. Not a huge surprise, but I feel that I have begun some real interaction with real people out there in the edu-blogosphere. I think that participating in the challenge jump-started my commenting. I find myself leaving comments whenever I feel like it now, rather than worrying over what I might say and how it might be perceived. 

3 comments:

Blogger In Middle-earth said...

Kia Ora Andrea

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Carry what you can but make it light for the journey is long.

What I carry is made lighter by meeting people like yourself. What you carry will likewise be lightened by meeting others so that you fly like a kite. But first you must let go and let the breeze lift you with the clouds.

Enjoy the journey. We will meet on the way.

Ka kite
from Middle-earth

Britt Watwood said...

I feel your pain! :-) And you are one of the many new bloggers I met this past month, which also made it worthwhile!

Andrea said...

Ken and Britt,
Thank you for your comments! I feel so happy to have "met" you both, too. These connections have definitely made the comment challenge worthwhile for me.

It's funny-- When I started blogging in January I called my blog edtechworkshop because I envisioned a place mostly to share lessons I was doing and to showcase student work. But it quickly changed to a place for me to ponder teaching and learning in general.

My whole purpose for blogging has continued to evolve and change, as everything must, and I think that the comment challenge has made me ultra-aware of just how public and interactive this venue is. I feel that I have stepped out of the role of solitary blogger who gets the occasional random comment to someone who is involved in the BIG conversation that is taking place all over the web. I hope so anyway.

And Ken, you have more than earned your fantastic commenter award!