One of the struggles I have in having students write is a lack of access to technology. What are the benefits of using online tools in the classroom for writing? What the potential challenges/disadvantages in the classroom for writing?
BABR 7 discussed collaborative writing and the challenge of engaging students in this process. What topics have you/would you have used to engage students in collaborative writing?
Right now I use KidBlog, but I think it would be so cool to use Digital Storytelling in the elementary classroom, too! I've been reading up on them recently because I'm including this as a form of digital communication in my iBook chapter. They encourage students to be so creative and to feel empowered using the different modes of literacy to tell their own narrative. I, too, just wish that we had more access to more technology, but we work with that we have and it's something!
ReplyDeleteCollaborative writing is something I'm actually really interested in and think that after reading this chapter and other studies/articles on forms of it, we first have to teach students to utilize the writing process in a digital way. If they can carry out the writing process using digital notebooks, blogs, and digital storytelling apps, they can then collaborate with partners and groups to do the same. I also think there are benefits to letting students explore and learn together on these projects, but thinking about my students and their needs, they'd need it modeled and a lot of practice before I let them collaborate on projects together. With that said, they collaborate now by using the commenting function on kidblog, and they're getting better about knowing what exactly makes a meaningful comment...takes practice!
Question - my understanding of a zine is that they are typically more critical literacy-based that just an everyday online magazine...do you guys find that true too?
LOVE the comic btw Neka. And thanks for posting this weekend in the midst of all the confusion!
Regarding your question: If I'm understanding your question correctly, I think "yes" and "no." Ones that I have seen vary a lot. Sometimes they take the structure of magazines (some even go so far as to be tabloid-esque) and use that as a creative way to explore topics on a surface level. Others delve deep into critical thinking and can involve synthesizing research and various sociocultural perspectives.
DeleteI love the idea of having students create zines! I've done something similar by having students create hard-copy newspapers for literature response, character analysis, etc. It worked well, but I feel like digital zines would be more engaging and relevant for students in terms of the sorts of things they could create and the technology it involves. I am also interested in vlogs, which I think could be implemented fairly seamlessly if you had a couple of iPads that students could work with.
ReplyDeleteI have the same issues with access. I think digital tools are really beneficial for writing because many students *do* use technology like an extension of their hand, and technology can be useful for helping students who struggle with dyslexia, handwriting, etc. There can be challenges, though, because many students who lack regular technology access do not know how to use the tools. Many of them also fail to proofread what they type because they assume autocorrect will take care of it all for them, but it won't.
I think it would be useful to introduce collaborative writing with a topic that is personally relevant to students. They could do a narrative about their school or an expository piece about adolescent experiences so that they can draw on their own experiences and knowledge without much scaffolding. You can support them with the use of digital tools and tie it to the curriculum by having them focus on the structure of their writing. Then, once they're comfortable with the collaborative writing experience, gear the collaborative writing projects more toward curricular goals.