Technology and Writing
When is the last time you sat down and wrote something out using
a pen and a piece of paper? Was it a list, a letter, a long paper of sorts?
Aside from a handwritten card and a to-do list, I cannot think of anything. Most of my communication is done verbally or
through text messaging or email. When I
am required to write out a lot of information, I use a word processor. The days of handwritten reports and long,
handwritten letters are gone. This means
that solely teaching students to write with pencil and paper should be long
gone as well. Hicks (2013) states in his
book Crafting Digital Writers, “The question is no longer whether we should use
technology to teach writing; instead we must focus on the many ways that we
must use technology to teach writing.”
What I have observed with my students is that the main
roadblock most students have when they are writing is motivation. Many think, “Why am I writing this? The
teacher is just going to grade it and then throw it away.” I think incorporating technology into writing
is a great way to give students an audience for their writing. Also, allowing students to create digital
pieces means students could save their documents and keep them forever. This would also allow student to track their
progress over time. They could look back
at past writings and see how they have improved.
Many websites are available free that can assist teachers in
giving their students an audience for their writing, but one site we use at my
school is Kidblog.com. Kidblog allows
students to create their own blog. Other
students and the teacher can view and comment on their posts. Also, teachers can set up class
discussions. This web tool is a great
resource for providing motivation in writing and also giving students a chance
to learn how to craft digital writing and receive constructive feedback from
teachers and peers. The great thing
about this tool is that it is free!
Kidblog is not the only resource to motivate students and
give them an audience for writing. Hicks (2013) recommends a site that provides several technology resources called cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com. What
tools do you recommend?
References
Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting Digital Writing: Composing texts across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
"Common Core Writing Standard 6: Technology in Writing." YouTube. YouTube, 26 Apr. 2012. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.
