Discover the potential of the internet to engage your students in the writing process
•
0 likes•1,939 views
This was a presentation given at the RASA conference in May 2012
Recommended
More Related Content
What's hot
What's hot (20)
Viewers also liked
Viewers also liked (9)
Similar to Discover the potential of the internet to engage your students in the writing process
Similar to Discover the potential of the internet to engage your students in the writing process (20)
More from Fiona Beal
More from Fiona Beal (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Discover the potential of the internet to engage your students in the writing process
- 1. Discover the potential of the Internet to engage your students in the writing process (RASA presentation) by Fiona Beal fionabeal@schoolnet.org.za http://schoolnetsa.blogspot.com
- 2. Introducing myself… • Have taught Grades 1 - 7 and was then appointed as Computer teacher at a local primary school where I made writing the hub of the computer room. Now working for SchoolNet SA in professional development in technology-integration. Am a Web 2 fanatic for FREE sites! • Writing is my passion – I am a textbook and story writer, a blogger, a creator of technology integration courses, etc.
- 4. Background to this presentation (this is an explanation of learners not being keen on writing in general and the importance of good pedagogy in writing lessons)
- 5. The importance of pedagogy in writing – they must WANT to write
- 6. Our digital learners start young these days http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_zzPBbXjWs
- 7. The Internet is the teacher’s friend!
- 9. Learn from the multitude of resource wikis available http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/Writing+Tools
- 12. The Internet is full of amazing templates for writing
- 13. Poetry templates that also give an explanation of the type of poem being written
- 17. Vocabulary templates to aid writing
- 22. The Internet can be used to encourage all sorts of writing
- 23. Book reviews and book trailers
- 26. 10 technology driven alternatives to book reports http://teaching.monster.com/benefits/articles/8529-10-technology-enhanced-alternatives-to-book-reports
- 27. There are so many of these template-type sites available
- 28. Talking avatars where you write the text and the avatar speaks
- 30. Story starter sites to aid writing
- 31. Use a programme like http://www.wallwisher.com
- 35. Using photos in conjunction with writing
- 38. Older classes like to use fake Facebook and Twitter templates
- 44. There are a number of ways to write newspapers and then publish them
- 46. Some of Microsoft’s free tools can help you produce fabulous writing from your learners
- 47. Microsoft’s free ‘Songsmith’ – the learners write the lyrics and Songsmith creates music for them http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oGFogwcx-E
- 48. Microsoft’s free ‘Autocollage’ The learners could create autocollages and then write poems about their pictures. This was done by an 8 year old at a school in Johannesburg.
- 49. Windows MovieMaker can be used in so many ways using the writing process http://techblog.stcyprians.net/index/category/Innovative%20Students Grade 8 Science students were asked to create an HIV Aids Awareness campaign using Microsoft Movie Maker. One of the outstanding submissions was entitled 'Nandi's Story' and it tells the heartbreaking story of a teenage girl diagnosed with HIV Aids. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hOOFik-nxnE
- 50. Grade 4 students create their own stories with Windows Movie Maker http://techblog.stcyprians.net/index/grade-4-students-create-their-own-stories-with-moviemaker Our Grade 4 students have been hard at work creating, illustrating and narrating their own stories using Microsoft MovieMaker. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_PlSRH34RMM
- 51. Creating video projects involves plenty of writing
- 52. Other sites that can induce writing
- 53. Voicethreads
- 55. • Backchannelling using TodaysMeet when starting something new
- 56. The Internet is full of amazing free story writing sites
- 57. Storyjumper http://www.storyjumper.com This is flip-page book with artwork attached. You can enter a whole class to have these e-books
- 58. A sample from Tamsyn in Grade 5
- 59. A sample from Tamsyn in Grade 5 http://www.storyjumper.com/book/index/572294/4c68afedee407
- 60. Storybird http://www.storybird.com This is a free online writing programme where you start with the pictures and get the story from the pictures
- 63. Little Bird Tales http://littlebirdtales.com/ http://fionabeal.edublogs.org/2011/05/10/we-loved- using-little-bird-tales-today/ This is a free online writing programme which has a place for the learners to either draw or add their own illustrations to their story, and also to narrate it their story so that one reads and listen at the same time.
- 70. The Internet is a great place for collaborative writing and creating e-books
- 71. We sent codes from school to school (http://primarypad.com/)
- 72. PART 2: THE TREASURE CHEST
- 73. The Tooth Fairy A collaborative story between three nations Part 1: Kirdup and Geocro in South Africa Part 2: Brandon in Canada Part 3: Alan, Jero and Nico in Argentina
- 74. Part 1: The Loose Tooth
- 75. One day a little girl was playing in the garden. Her name was Taylor and she was playing with her cousin Kirsty. You see, Taylor had a wiggly tooth, and it was really bothering her, a lot. All of a sudden, POP! Out came the wiggly tooth!! "Hooray!" said Kirsty. "At last your tooth has come out. You will have to put it under your pillow so that the tooth fairy can come and get it and leave you some money.“ "Oh really?" said Taylor clapping her hands with excitement.
- 76. Our stories with sound project http://fionabeal.edublogs.org/our-stories-with-sound-project/
- 77. Blogs have an incredible potential for encouraging writing
- 78. Think about starting a classroom blog or a subject blog
- 79. Think about starting a classroom blog or a subject blog
- 81. Use a blog to write book reports http://josephr4.edublogs.org/2010/07/19/my-report/
- 82. Further down in the same blog
- 85. St Cyprians Gr 10 blogging project http://techblog.stcyprians.net/index/grade-10-english-blog-assignment The reading project that they set up involved groups of three students selecting novels with a common theme and then blogging about these books as they read them, with each member of the group paying specific attention to plot, character or theme. The resulting blogs show how the students have engaged with the books and reflected on their interpretations of the novels. The questions and answers in the discussion threads show that the blogs have become a virtual book club in which students can ask one another questions and agree or disagree with one another’s interpretations in a non-threatening environment. At the end of this project, students were expected to have one-on-one discussions with their English teacher about their books, a task accomplished with more flair and confidence after having sustained a conversation virtually on the blog. Examples of student blogs: The Color Purple Romeo & Juliet Engelby Rumours A million little pieces
- 87. Writing about slavery http://shelleywright.wordpress.com/2011/12/13/life-in-an-inquiry-driven-technology- embedded-connected-classroom-english My students decided to create Common Craft-styled videos to educate viewers about slavery. First, students needed to distill all of their “fact” knowledge into a compelling story. Then they needed to write the script, create paper characters, and finally begin to practice moving their papers on the whiteboard. In the end, it took hours to coordinate movement with script, film & then edit our videos. As part of this project, my students have also Skyped into classrooms to teach what they have learned, so that other students can begin this enormously important discussion in their own communities. This is the connected part.
- 89. Price list for the various types of books http://www.blurb.com/create/book/blogbook
- 90. Wikis have an incredible potential for encouraging writing
- 92. Writing a class novel using a wiki http://yrps5m.wikispaces.com/Welcome
- 93. You can use a wiki to display all your class’s pieces of writing in e-book format http://barnowlstories.wikispaces.com
- 94. Grade 6 stories put into Youblisher.com http://elk-grade6-stories.wikispaces.com – Karen Stadler’s project
- 95. Projects and global projects with other schools have incredible potential for encouraging writing
- 96. Flat Stanley travel buddies
- 98. Reading the diary as a podcast for the classroom blog
- 99. The Internet can be an inspiring place for a teacher…find out what others are doing
- 100. Join a global project http://thegloballunchtable.wikispaces.com/
- 101. Find out about cell phone projects - Teacher from the Leap School starts publishing house (Fundza) and includes three mobi stories via Mxit per month
- 102. Find out about the ‘Flipped class’ approach http://shelleywright.wordpress.com/2011/12/13/life-in-an-inquiry-driven-technology-embedded-connected-classroom-english “My teaching . . . then and now • Before the technology/constructivist shift in my classroom, I would have taught all of this quite traditionally. We’d read books, answer questions, and then address those questions in class. I’d lecture a lot, with supplemental grammar lessons here and there, and I’d include some type of artistic project to achieve viewing and representing objectives. The whole design would have been extremely teacher centered. And at the end of it all, I’d hope they learned something about writing and thinking. • Instead, inquiry and technology are a natural part of our English classes. It’s what my students have come to expect and have started to design themselves. Instead, of saying, “hand in your assignments,” I say, “publish your assignments and send me the link.” They think about connecting and sharing their learning in the larger world. • That’s the 21st century difference.”
- 103. Enter competitions that encourage writing advertised on the Internet http://e-classroom.co.za/
- 104. Skype in the classroom competition http://education.skype.com/
- 106. So much is happening in the teaching world via the Internet. Share your experiences with other • Twitter – sharing ideas and resources • Tablets – are they next? Are they the answer? • Join in TeachMeets around the country • Join a local Twitterchat for teachers http://edchatsa.co.za • Share a Scoop.it (as mentioned earlier) CONNECT ON THE INTERNET