The Write Stuff

When asked whether digital tools improve student writing, teachers agree that technology is making a huge impact.  With the use of technology, two major themes arise that make all the difference - the presence of an authentic audience and the enhanced capacity for collaboration.  My experience completely relates to and reinforces the ideas in the article "Writing Re-Launched: Teaching with Digital Tools" by Liana Heitin.

Like the teachers in the article, my students benefitted from having an authentic audience when they wrote online.  My students created ePortfolios on Weebly and felt motivated by the medium for writing.  A major part of preparing for such work involved the discussion of audience and appropriate language for their intended audience.  They loved showing off themselves, and their best writing appeared on their websites when they were writing about things that they cared about.  It may be surprising to some, but knowing others will read their writing because it is online motivates them to be aware of their use of conventions.  They were very open to asking others for help editing, and offered help freely.  They did not want to look unintelligent.

Another context in which students' writing flourished was during a collaborative inquiry project in which they had to present findings with help from a visual component made with digital tools, much like the Maryland teacher in the article.  Students wrote essential questions, and investigated their answers to report their findings to classmates.  The results were amazing!  During the process, students collaborated with Google Docs, where they drafted and gathered resources.  They shared these documents with me so I could provide feedback during the process and I could monitor what was contributed.  Students created Prezis with Animoto and YouTube videos embedded, along with their text reporting the information; some students created their own short movies to convey their findings.  This was by far the best quality research project my students have ever engaged in because they were so deeply engrossed in their digital tools and working together.

If I were to continue teaching, I would be using blogs for writing next year, and I would be signing up for QuadBlogging right now.  I have seen the power of the authentic audience in student writing, and blogging would enhance their motivation and sense of purpose.  QuadBlogging is such an amazing way to open the classroom beyond its four walls and allow students to interact with "global empathy".   Schools interacting during an election year would be so powerful.  Imagine what American students could learn about their own culture from the perspectives of students from around the world!  QuadBlogging is an idea I will promote in my new position.

Any teachers who are interested in student blogging might want to get in touch with Nick Provenzano, Michigan's "Nerdy Teacher" .  He had a lot of success with blogging about Romeo and Juliet in his high school English classes and would be the first guy to tell you about the value of blogging for improved student writing.

The library of digital tools that are available is constantly growing, providing greater opportunity for students.  A few years ago, digital storytelling was a huge idea in education, and now the concept has evolved beyond the photo and music slideshow that was gaining popularity.  With tools such as StoryBird, MyStoryMaker, and Glogster, students have opportunities to express themselves in increasingly diverse and creative ways.  Such tools create motivation through online publication and audiences.  Tools like Padlet, PrimaryPad, and Google Docs enable project collaboration from the planning phase to the final product.  No longer is writing and creating a two-way person-and-paper event; it is now an opportunity for global audiences to witness and a community to create.  And judging by the way students love taking pictures of themselves and posting their statuses publicly, why wouldn't they want to do the same with their writing?

Recent findings have continued to confirm teachers' observations that digital tools improve student writing.  The Pew Research Center recently released a report with its findings.  The summary is available at this website: The Impact of Digital Tools on Student Writing and How Writing is Taught in Schools.   The complete report is available on this site as well.  All of this is very promising, but it is important to focus on learning.  As Liana Heitin said in her article, "keep focused on instructional goals" and make sure not to "use technology  simply for technology's sake."