Ten Ways to Use Digital Tools in the Writing Classroom
These resources are from the keynote address for the Student Success in Writing Conference 2015, which I delivered on Friday, April 17, 2015, in the Auditorium of the Coastal Georgia Center, in Savannah, Georgia.
Abstract
As I prepare for any class I teach, I post the planned activities on a WordPress blog and send out updates on Twitter. My blog post typically includes a photo I have found on Flickr, using Creative Commons search. In class, we are likely to talk about Facebook, Flickr, or Pinterest. We build LinkedIn profiles, write blog posts, and discuss online personas. Technology has become a significant part of what I teach and how I communicate with students, but rarely am I teaching students technology. Instead, I am asking them to engage in conversations, research solutions, and take action. My goal is never to use technology for technology’s sake; it is to engage students in activities that support their development as writers. In my presentation, I will outline ten ways teachers can use digital tools in the classroom to support student success in the writing classroom (and beyond).
Slideshow
Links from the Presentation
Why Use Social Media in the Classroom
- TECHNOLOGY IS A TOOL, NOT A LEARNING OUTCOME. (William Ferriter’s blog post)
(1) Literacy Narratives
- Paying Attention to Technology: Writing Technology Autobiographies (ReadWriteThink lesson plan)
- Emily Doolittle’s Technology Autobiography
- Find additional literacy narratives on the Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives (DALN).
(2) Digital Identity Mapping
- Digital Identity Mapping Activity (Bedford Bits blog post)
- Digital Identity Mapping form
- Related Online Identity Statement Assignment
(3) Digital Tool Logs
- Digital Tool Log Form
- Research Implications of My Diary (Writing Assignment)
- Audio Listening Practices: Exploring Personal Experiences with Audio Texts (inspired from this ReadWriteThink lesson plan)
(4) Class Brainstorming
- Padlet (the website)
- Using Padlet for Class Brainstorming (Bedford Bits blog post)
- Ten Visual Collaboration and Sharing Ideas (Bedford Bits blog post)
(5) Pattern Analysis
- Wordle (the website)
- Tagxedo (the website)
- Writing with Wordle (tengrrl.com blog post)
- Tagxedo: The Next Generation of Word Cloud Fun (tengrrl.com blog post)
- Word Clouds as Revision Tools (Bedford Bits blog post)
(6) Collaborative Researching and Writing
- CNN article: “Wiki wars: The 10 most controversial Wikipedia pages”
- Integrating Wikipedia in Your Courses: Tips and Tricks (ProfHacker blog post)
- Memory Alpha (the Star Trek wiki)
- Wiki host sites: PBWorks or Wikispaces
(7) Social Mediated Research
- Storify (the website)
- Thousands Mark “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Alabama (Voice of America Storify)
(8) Reviewing Digital Tools
- Interrogate the Interface Assignment
- Powtoon Review Example
- Paying Attention to Technology: Reviewing a Technology (ReadWriteThink lesson plan)
- Technology Profile Interactive (ReadWriteThink student interactive)
(9) Building New Texts
- Assignments Inspired by Literary Starbucks (Bedford Bits blog post)
- Ten Pinterest Assignments (Bedford Bits blog post)
(10) Rethinking Existing Texts
- Remix a Story Assignment
- What Happened to “Little Red Riding Hood”?
- The Hunger Games, Time Magazine Edition
- The To Kill a Mockingbird Instagram project was a student rough draft and is not currently available.
- How to Use Social Media in a Low-Tech Classroom from TeacherPop (whiteboard Romeo & Juliet Tweets)
- Star-Crossed Lovers Online: Romeo and Juliet for a Digital Age (ReadWriteThink lesson plan)