USING ICT FOR WRITING Lynn W Zimmerman, PhD

Authenticity  Internet - offers opportunities for authentic writing   blogs  wikis  interactive web pages  discussion boards  social media  electronic journals  e-portfolios

 authentic  positively impacts students’ writing  available to many people  What are some ideas for using besides for keypal exchanges?

Some Activities  Pre-class activities: share background knowledge about a topic  Post-class activities: review class discussions; - based cooperative writing  Reading circle: discuss assigned reading with groups  Student-teacher; teacher-student ; student-student interaction: journals, asking and answering questions, progress reports, announcements, assignments, homework

Interactive Web Pages  What are the strengths and weaknesses? Would you use it with your students?   english/communication/business-letter english/communication/business-letter   g.html g.html 

Wikis and Blogs  Effective for collaborative projects.  Blog - can post text, graphics, multimedia, links, have discussions with viewers  Wikis - more open access than blogs. Can be edited by anyone at any time

Using Wikis  Especially useful for a process writing approach  All the versions of a current page are archived and stored  All steps of the writing process can be done collaboratively using a wiki  integrate elements from research  peer-edit drafts  easily proofread one another’s work

Wikipedia, etc.   Some places you can set up wikis are:  PeanutButterWiki:  SeedWiki:  JotSpot:  OddWiki:  WikiCities:  Wikispaces:

Using Blogs  Some creative ways to use blogs in your classroom?  ClassBlog: a free-form bulletin board for learners  OppoLog: The author posts a position and readers have to post a counter-position  ConnectLog: Find connections between different ideas or things  ForeLog: Post links to news stories and predict outcome of the story  PoliLog: Create characters representing different political parties and let them debate their platforms  ReadersLog: Post reviews of stories and books with links  MoveiLog: Post reviews of movies with links to trailers; post mock interviews with movie actors or characters

Blog Sites  Wordpress:  Weblogger:  Diaryland:  Upsaid:  Webcrimson:  Xanga:

Using Social Media  What are some ideas you have for using it for writing?  They can link to items and write about them.  They can write one another in the chat functions.

iPad/iPhone Apps  Toontastic (free)  Guides students through the creation of a story arc with 5 components: a setup, a conflict, a challenge, a climax & a resolution.  App website is here.here

Texting  What could you have them do?  Make appointments or plans to meet some one  Give directions

Writing Activity  In pairs, go to one of these blogs set up for ESL/EFL and explore it.  What do you think it’s usefulness is for writing activities? How would you use it?  Bee online:  Blog-EFL:  The FordLog:  Goin’ Upstream:  Mariichigo:  The New Tanuki:  EFL/ESL Exchange:  Random Thoughts: