Give students an authentic writing experience
Students need a reason to write. It has been my experience that letting students write for a "real" audience rather than just the teacher leads to an improvement in writing quality. Listed below are some ways you can use technology to help give students an authentic writing opportunity.
- Blogging - while there are probably hundreds of blogging sites, I use Kidblog. It has the privacy that administrators want, it's easy to use for beginning bloggers, and the teacher controls are great. Every post and/or comment can be moderated first. Best of all, it's free!
Kidblog allows teachers to load names and passwords for each student, either one at a time or by
uploading a CSV file. For younger students or those new to blogging, students log in by using a drop-down menu (see left). This also helps protect students' privacy, since you control the log-in names.
Students can write a post (new thread) or leave comments on existing posts. Administrators can open up each blog to the public, or just to current users. Either way, students are writing for a real audience.
Students can write a post (new thread) or leave comments on existing posts. Administrators can open up each blog to the public, or just to current users. Either way, students are writing for a real audience.
Pen.io
Pen.io would be a simple blogging platform to get kids writing. Pen.io is very simple and doesn't have any fancy templates or "pretty" features, but hopefully, this will get kids focused on writing rather than what the blog looks like.
Students simply give themselves a unique url, enter their text, and click save. That's it. They can then publish their work for everyone to see.
Students simply give themselves a unique url, enter their text, and click save. That's it. They can then publish their work for everyone to see.
Poster My Wall
This site allows students to create digital posters for free, which can then be downloaded and shared. No sign up is required. Posters can include text, photos, clipart, etc.
This site allows students to create digital posters for free, which can then be downloaded and shared. No sign up is required. Posters can include text, photos, clipart, etc.
- Responding to articles - Allowing students to share their thoughts with an outside audience is beneficial, too. Teachers can sign up for a teacher account at Tween Tribune for free. (Teachers can also use Teen Tribune for older students.) Students can read articles and leave comments, which you can moderate. Teens around the country/world can read their comments. In addition, students are reading nonfiction, current event articles! My class had an interesting discussion about how their writing would be perceived by others - we chose a comment someone else had written, but the quality of writing was very poor. We "dissected" it and discussed their perceptions of that person. Students realized that what they write gives others a first impression of them, which is a valuable lesson.
While Tween Tribune is ideal for middle school students, there's an alternative for elementary grades. Youngzine offers current events and up-to-date articles that are written so kids can understand. Teachers can register classes for free and begin using the site almost immediately!
A similar site, appropriate for elementary students, is DOGO News. It works in a similar manner to Youngzine.
- Postcard Exchange - Using Postcrossing, students can send a postcard to another user in a different country. As a teacher, you can register for a free account and label it "group." You can request an address, and have a student send one postcard out to a random person in the world. Students must consider their audience when choosing the postcard and the message. After your postcard has been received, your address will be given to another random person. Within 5-30 days, you will receive a postcard from someone else in the world, which you then register online. It's much like using random pen-pals, with a connection to Geography.
While it does take some time for the postcards to travel, the audience is definitely authentic
and has a cross-curricular benefit.
Even as a parent, my daughter and I participate and track our postcards on a world map. I know she's learning a little bit about the world around her!
If you'd like to see my class's collection of postcards, visit this website.
Even as a parent, my daughter and I participate and track our postcards on a world map. I know she's learning a little bit about the world around her!
If you'd like to see my class's collection of postcards, visit this website.
- Online Discussion - Use Tal.ki to create a simple online discussion forum for your class. Similar to blogging, students can discuss various topics in an authentic, Web 2.0 manner. The forums can be embedded into your website or wiki.
inkle
inkle is a free site for students to create interactive choose-your-own adventure stories. inkle does require registration with an email address, but students' stories will be assigned a unique URL. The site is in beta testing, and there is a place for teachers to create student logins, even if students don't have an email address.
inkle is a free site for students to create interactive choose-your-own adventure stories. inkle does require registration with an email address, but students' stories will be assigned a unique URL. The site is in beta testing, and there is a place for teachers to create student logins, even if students don't have an email address.