Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Chapter 7: Creating Your Digital Workshop

Chapter Summary:

     Teaching writing in the digital age is a new challenge for most teachers.  Technology and writing should be intertwined in the classroom.  When setting up your digital workspace think of how your space will be used and how you will have your students working together.  The students you teach need to be considered, do they have internet access at home, can they get help from a trusted adult?  Can your students work collaboratively together?  All these are important questions to think of while planning to use a digital writing workshop.  While some of the ideas talked about in the book may be overwhelming or a bit scary because it is an unknown, it should be looked at as something to explore that you will continue learning with each day.

Making Connections:
     
     I really liked all the questions that the author posed to think of while setting up a digital workshop in the classroom.  Although I have seen students work together on a project I have never witnessed students working on a wiki space or a blog.  I find each of these ideas interesting and such a good way to teach students in a forum that they know about.  I think teaching using one of the methods described in this book would be a new and fresh way for students to learn any subject while incorporating technology they could use in the world outside of the school doors.

Classroom Implications:


     One of the most powerful uses of digital writing is the collaborative word processor. With the growth of Google Drive and its ease of use, students can collaborate in a whole new way. I really think that the use of blogs or wiki spaces would make for a fun and new way for students to learn to write.  One drawback to using these digital writing tools is the time it takes to plan for and start the project, but I think the end would be worth it.  Not only would the students learn something new and share their work with a broader audience, the teacher would get a new way for papers or work to be written and turned in.  

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