Week 8 Comments and Feedback

1. Feedback in. Overall, how would you rate the quality of the comments and feedback you are receiving from other students in the class? What kinds of comments are you finding to be the most useful? 

I have appreciated the feedback that I have gotten from other students.  The comments that I find most useful is when the individual talks about the connections they made based on what I've written or what they learned or realized.  It helps me know if they are getting out of the story what I intend for them to be getting out of the story.   

2. Feedback out. Similarly, how would you rate the quality of the comments and feedback you are leaving for other students? Have you found some good strategies that help you give detailed feedback? Are you getting some good ideas for your own writing as you analyze other people's writing?

I try to give the same feedback that I find useful.  I imagine I'm having a conversation and that they will be responding directly to my feedback.  I understand that won't always be the case, but thinking through how I would respond to comments helps me be real with myself and decide whether or not I should use the suggestions I've gotten.  I've noticed some good website design that has made me want to step up my game in that department.  I'm not there, yet.  I'm just trying to get the text layout right before I mess it all up again with images.

3. Blog comments. Do you have a sense of getting to know people by connecting with them at their blogs? Are you happy with how your Introduction post and how your blog, in general, provides a space where people can get to know you?

The Introduction posts have been a huge help.  Getting to know a little bit about the individual's personality and knowing they have a way to get to know mine before I give critical feedback helps me be more comfortable in giving feedback.  I hate giving blind feedback.  It stresses me out.  I like the feeling of being a community working together.

4. Looking forward. What do you want/need to do differently to make the feedback assignments more useful for others and/or more useful for you? Do you want to make any changes to your Comment Wall and/or your Introduction?

I haven't seen any complaints about how I have my comment wall set up.  I changed my website to just have one post that has information about the site and a link to my comment blog to make the intro information more streamlined.  

I need to stop waiting until Sunday night after the kids go to bed to do my feedback assignments.  I feel like I'm rushing myself to get all the comments in before 11:59.  

5. Image. Explain why you chose that image in particular.

(Image courtesy of Cheezburger.)

I chose this image because I have been fighting Rejection Sensitive Disorder/Avoidant Personality Disorder all my life.  Both giving and receiving feedback was hard for me for such a long time.  In the past, I would purposely submit terrible drafts if I knew they were for a feedback assignment because if the feedback was critical, I could keep myself from feeling rejected by telling myself that it wasn't even my real work that they were criticizing.  I've had several instructors in the English department that have worked with getting me to accept that a draft doesn't have to be my best work, it has to be the best draft so I can get useful feedback in order to make it my best work.  It's not supposed to be perfect, but it has to be genuine.  They've also coached me on my feedback so I feel more confident in providing criticism.  One teacher reminded me that I will be giving feedback to my students and suggested that I think of the people I give feedback to as students instead of peers.  I still have a hard time getting into that mindset with my peers, but I've improved how I give feedback to my actual students.