Engaging Students in Digital Writing
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Young Writers ProjectEngaging Students in Digital Writing
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Young Writers ProjectThe Digital Classroom
Young Writers Project
Malletts Bay School
August 30th , 2010
What is a “digital
classroom?”
“Our digital writing classroom serves
as our community center, our stage,
our soapbox, our refuge from the
world…It serves as the nucleus of our
writing classroom.”
- Nick Brooks, teacher, Williston
Central School
A “Creative Management
System”
A Community of Writers
“Writing has become a public activity.
This builds a stronger sense of
community within the group.” – Barb
Spaulding, Hinesburg Community School
Digital Opportunities
• Student blogs shared with each other
• Commenting with a purpose
• No moderation – we trust you will be
civil
• Easy integration of audio and slides
• Full multimedia integration –
slideshows, video, video
commenting
• Web applications easily embedded
Real Writers Doing Real
Writing
• Engage: The technology draws
students in and gives them purpose
– an audience of peers.
• Connect: Students gain
understanding and respect for each
other through a supportive “peer-
to-peer” learning environment.
• Learn: Through regular feedback –
given and received – students learn
from each other.
Reading Like a Writer
• Civil constructive response:
• What you were thinking, feeling
when you red the piece – your
reaction to the piece.
• No assessment, just what you
experienced
• What about the piece connected with
your reader? What confused you?
• Learn to do this in a civil way –
honestly and frankly – and another
Exercises, not assignments
• In creating community, students
need to feel an ownership of the
space.
• “Exercise” instead of an
“assignment.”
• Regular, frequent writing and
commenting.
• Collaborative projects.
• Risk-taking and greater student
control.
• Incentive to post additional,
The Art of Revision
• Are my ideas communicated
effectively?
• What are the gaps?
• Does the reader understand what I
wanted to convey?
• Does my structure work? Have I
enough details? Is it compelling?
The Art of Polish
• Is my tone consistent?
• What are the grammar issues?
• Did I check the spelling?
• Punctuation?
• Did it engage me?
Teachers Will Succeed if:
• You lose control
• Your students write more than you
can keep up with
• You rely on student leaders to help
• You introduce things you don’t fully
understand
• Your students introduce things to you
and the class that you don’t
understand at all
Don’t Lose Sleep
• There are safety measures within the
site.
• YWP will help you learn and use the
site effectively.
• So will peers at this school.
• So will your students.
End goal
• Your learning community will prepare
students for the responsibility to be
civil in the digital world.
• MBS is on the frontier of a
transformation of schools. It will
happen
• We already have many demands; now
we are being asked to “go digital.”
This opportunity will provide training,
mentoring and support to help MBS
grow as an adaptive learning
