Web+Strategies+for+Creative+Writing

Presenter: Amy Kendrick Time: 9:30 - 10:15 Room: Lab A Contact: akendrick@yssd.org

__Description of Presentation:__ The Web has rich resources for engaging students in the creative writing process. Teachers can also harness the Internet to connect their students to each other and to the world. Hear how one teacher is using wikispaces and moodle to facilitate a creative writing course. Amy Kendrick's Creative Writing Wikispace  > > > > > (Blogger: Aly Tapp)
 * Early on, Amy's creative writing course was not taught with technology.
 * In the early stages of her implementation, she used the Internet to deliver resources to her students, but not much for collaboration. That is changing.
 * Students use wikispaces to post their brainstorming and gathered resources.
 * Some pages are elaborate, filled with images, links, videos, and documents. Others are sparse. Some of this is because students have varying access to the Internet off-campus, as well as varying levels of technology proficiency. This OK.
 * All students post their drafts in the wiki, and they then read each others' work and offer feedback.
 * Students also use the space for discussion. They can use the discussion tab in the wiki, or they can connect face-to-face after surveying each others' work in the wiki. The wiki is just a place to begin and to store the work and resources.
 * Question -- "what to do about the use of texting-type typing that kids do online in the wiki?" Amy's answer: The wiki provides a great opportunity to have that discussion about appropriateness and time-and-place.
 * Great links to really useful writing prompts -- find them via the link to Amy's wiki above!
 * [|Writing Fix] -- great website!
 * Students get to their writing prompt generators and brainstorming sites via the wiki.
 * Amy shares useful links via the wiki as well. She also encourages students to share links there. When they find something, they post it for others.
 * Note: Many of these creative writing sites include a link to teacher resources for the site. Mine the riches! (And share it with others!)
 * Amy also uses moodle. Her moodle is underused because she does not have constant access to the laptop lab in her room yet. She thinks when she has more constant access to the computers, she will make better use of the moodle.
 * Moodle's journaling feature is perfect for continuing brainstorming and free writing. The teacher can respond to this writing and establish a productive dialog with the students.
 * Note that moodle provides a private teacher-to-student interaction, while wikispaces provides a public class discussion. Both are useful at different times, and Amy sees the need for both moodle AND wiki (not one or the other).
 * The Web also includes sites that feature authors reading their own works. Amy likes to have her students compare their understanding of the poem before hearing the author read it with their understanding after hearing the author read it. This is a great way to introduce the concepts of interpretation, voice, and purpose.
 * <span style="color: rgb(15, 0, 0);">See your CFF coach for help setting up a wiki and/or a moodle. They will help!
 * <span style="color: rgb(15, 0, 0);">Discussion forum -- interesting to see how kids "discuss" differently when they are typing versus face-to-face. They tend to take it very seriously when they are putting their thoughts out as text. Reluctant students are more likely to participate. You may find that students even hold you to a higher level of expectation -- they will want to see YOU in the discussion forum as well!
 * <span style="color: rgb(15, 0, 0);">Take into consideration the difference between private and protected wikis. If your wiki is private, only the approved members of the wiki can see it. The protected wiki is available for viewing on the Web by anyone, but only members of the wiki (approved by the teacher) can edit the pages. If your wiki is going to be viewable by the public, it may be wise to keep lasts names out of the wiki.

Great job, Amy! Thanks for sharing!!