Day three was pretty simple. I signed up with coComment, and while I think I have it working smoothly, I still feel it is not very easy to use. I am always unsure if things are working as they should. I suppose this is the element of Web learning I love the most. The secret is to figure things out. Sometimes that means a quick Tweet, which leads to a Skype call with Sue Waters, and sometimes it means a few hours of Google research, whatever the case the answers are out there, and it is the job of the learner to figure them out.
When dealing with technology I often found my students, although they are supposed to be digital natives were very squeamish about experimenting. I often had to hold their hands through the most basic steps of a procedure, when really I feel that experimentation and “figuring” it out is vital to web learning. In short, I am figuring out coComment, and I am excited about the potential it has to make me a much more effective commenter long after this challenge is over.
Day four I was meant to ask a question in one of my comments. I liked this idea of volleying the conversation back to the writer or other commentors, and now with a commenter tracker this action makes much more sense. Here is a question I left on Sarah Hanawald’s:
How can we slowly encourage people to understand that the future is hear with a sense of urgency, but at the same time not allow them to become defensive?
Not the most profound question, but it will do.
I will be using my new tool, coComment along side my new habit of raising questions when I comment well into the future. Once again, thank you comment challenge.