Written by Troy HicksPresentation by: Amanda Mikrut,

Lindsey Victor, Kevin Harris

Your Experiences

• What are some ways that you could use technology in a writing workshop?– Have you seen any technology used?

• What are some benefits that including technology would have in a writing workshop?– Drawbacks?

Overall Benefits

• Creates new challenges and opportunities• Allows for more feedback for each

student• Work goes beyond classroom• Keeps track of all of your work• Benefits diverse learners• Easier way for teacher to track progress

MAPS

• M- Mode

• M- Media

• A- Audience

• P- Purpose

• S- Situation for the Writer

• S-Situation of the Writing

Mode

• Genre of the text

• Paragraphing (Print)

• Time (Video)

Media

• The way the text is presented

• Paper with print or handwriting (Print)

• TV, DVD, Web-Based Sharing (Video)

Audience

• Those most likely to receive the work

• Mostly in class publication (Print)

• Public performance or digital sharing (Video)

Purpose

• What the writer wants to accomplish

• Thesis statement (Print)

• Implicit rather than overt (Video)

Situation for the Writer

• Preference, strengths, weaknesses

• Formal vs. Informal (Print)

• Type of media (Video)

Situation of the Writing

• Demands, deadlines, collaboration partners

• Meeting academic guidelines while being creative and original (Print)

• Technology skills (Video

Blogs

• Create a single location for authors work

• Ability to interact with others

• Conferring outside of classroom

• Used for posting– Rough drafts, final drafts, responses, etc.

Blogs

• Examples:– Edublogs: edublogs.org– Class Blogmeister: classblogmeister.com

• Free!

• Teachers can access more student work than in classroom

Social Bookmarking

• Save links to web pages that we want to remember and share– Take your favorite websites with you

• www.diigo.com• Use in Class:

– Students are constantly moving between computers

– Easy to cite sources– Teachers can set up to deliver helpful links– Group inquiry projects

Podcasts

• Blending voice, music, and sounds

• MP3/MP4

• Distributed through RSS feeds or MP3 players

• http://www.judgememorial.com/content/2011/01/audacity-help

• http://thisibelieve.org/

Podcasts

• Benefits students who struggle with reading

• Publication outside the classroom walls

• Learn textured composition

Wikis

• Anyone can edit

• Saves work each time you edit

• Multiple ways for feedback

• Quick and easy editing and conferring

Wikis

• Examples:– Wikispaces: wikispaces.com– Wetpaint: wetpaint.com– Pbworks: pbworks.com

• Shows history

• Easy access outside of classroom

• Collaborative writing

Digital Storytelling

• Combines voice, video, image and text

• http://50ways.wikispaces.com/50Dominoes

• http://www.storycenter.org/stories/

• Taps into existing visual, technological, and writing skills

RSS

• Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary

• Allows readers to subscribe to web content like a magazine

• Set up feed reader- websites send you information instead of having to search for it

• www.google.com/reader

RSS Continued

• Use in Class: – Students can chose topics that interest them– Silent reading time– Can include social networks, blogs, news, etc.– Builds students skills as researchers and peer

responders– Students can see expectations for quality writing in

various genres– Continual pursuing of topics

Digital Publications

• Digital Portfolio

• Blogfolio

• Digital Anthology

• Audio Anthology

Assessments within the Digital Writing Workshop

• What are we assessing?– “The tools themselves, should not be the

focus of the assessment.” (Hicks 104)

• “When students are writing for real audiences and purposes, there are real reactions and consequences for them as writers.” (Hicks 107)

Formative Assessments

• Writers discuss the process– In digital writing- drafts upon drafts

• Use MAPS• Commenting on drafts• Holding conferences

• **All happens during the process**

Summative Assessment

• After the process• Use the 6 traits• Online portfolios

– Not judging one piece

• It’s the letter grade on final• **We need to account for both the

process and the product**

Conclusions: Creating a Digital Writing Workshop

• “Regardless of how digital we think our students are, they do not necessarily possess the capacities that make them critical and creative writers.”

• Logistical concerns

• Physical space

Applying to our Blogs

• How did you choose the three clips that you put into our class blog?

• How might they benefit other readers of the blog?