Blog Post 3

The overall message presented in the video “What is Peer Editing?” is to remain positive! It gave a clear definition of what it means to engage in peer editing, while also offering potential suggestions on how to effectively do so. As explained in the video, “peer” refers to someone your own age, while “editing” refers to helping to improve, revise and edit someone’s writing. The video also provides what can be described as the “cardinal rules” of peer editing. First, begin with compliments. More than likely EVERYTHING was not wrong with the post, so it is a good policy to start by telling your peer what he or she did correctly. Second, make suggestions about how your peer can improve his or her writing. The recommendations should be SPECIFIC and should focus on areas such as word choice, organization, sentence structure and topics. Last, but definitely not least is making corrections. During this step the focus should be on punctuation, grammar, and spelling. Once all three steps are completed you should have effectively exhibited how to edit the work of a peer.

The slide show "Peer Edit With Perfection Tutorial" informs us about how to remain positive while editing the work of peers. Keep in mind that reactions can vary when engaging in peer editing and follow the proper steps to ensure effective criticism.

The second video,” Writing Peer Review Top 10 Mistakes” , depicted what can go wrong with peer editing in a very light hearted, innocent way. In the video we learned from a group of young students about things that are NOT helpful when critiquing the work of others. These mistakes can occur as a direct result of not following the three steps to peer editing. The top ten mistakes that occur in peer editing were presented in skit form and showed the types of peer editors and responses one may encounter during the process. From “Picky Patty”, whose purpose is to find every single mistake to “Whatever William” who isn’t responsive to peer editing suggestions, peer editing is a sensitive matter and should be approached with a certain level of etiquette.

Every resource provided gave me more insight on how to participate in peer editing. In order to be successful, both parties should be patient, positive and open to suggestions. Not only were we provided with steps on how to successfully edit, we were also shown examples of how we SHOULDN’T respond to peer editing, as demonstrated by “Emotional Eddy” and “Whatever William”. If I had to offer advice on peer editing, I would tell others “be open to change”! Remember, your peers may have a better understanding of how to complete an assignment and those suggestions could very well help you in your future endeavors.