Most educators agree on two things: first, students need to write well if they are to succeed in college and in the workplace. Second, nobody wants to grade a mountain of poorly written essays. How can we use technology to support teachers who incorporate writing in all curricular areas? This presentation addresses three key areas.

First, we will demonstrate how educators can use a wiki and a social network like Ning to engage students in prewriting, drafting, and editing with an authentic audience -- each other -- in mind. Using an existing project as a model, we will explore the possibilities for modifying the project for different age groups, ability levels, and curricular areas.

Second, we will demonstrate how to customize Microsoft Word to improve student editing skills. This includes selecting an appropriate language level and using built-in tools, including readability levels, to reduce wordiness and to strengthen individual sentences.

Third, we will demonstrate use of the the auto-correct tool in any standard word processor to create macros that will insert comments during grading.

Outline

Part 1, about 30 minutes
Participants will see a demonstration using a wiki and the social network Ning to engage students in the writing process for any curricular area on any grade or ability level. The demonstration will also include discussion of appropriate security measures. Using an existing project as a model, we will explore the possibilities for modifying the project for different age groups, ability levels, and curricular areas.

Part 2, about 15 minutes
Participants will learn how to customize any standard word processor to improve student editing skills. This includes selecting an appropriate language level and using built-in tools, including readability levels, to reduce wordiness and to strengthen individual sentences.

Part 3, about 15 minutes
Participants will learn to use the auto-correct tool to insert comments as they grade papers. With a few keystrokes teachers can insert comments they write most often, such as "Avoid second person" or "Nicely worded!"

Supporting Research

Grant, Lyndsay. “Using Wikis in Schools: a Case Study.” futurelab.org.uk. (online) May 2006.

National School Boards Association. “Creating & Connecting: Research and Guidelines on Online Social and Educational Networking.” http://nsba.org/ (online) 1/28/2008.

Schrum, Lynne. “Web 2.0: New Tools, New School.” Washington, D.C. ISTE. 2007.

Seely Brown, John and Adler, Richard P. “ Minds on Fire: Open Education, the Long Tail, and Learning 2.0.” EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 43, no. 1 (January/February 2008).

Richardson, “Will. Blogs, Podcasts, and Wikis and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms.” Thousand Oaks, California. Corwin Press, 2006.

Schwarz, Eric and Kay, Ken. “The Case for Twenty-First Century Learning.” Hoboken, N.J. Wiley Press, 2006.

Warlick, David. "Raw Materials for the Mind" (4th edition). Raleigh, The Landmark Project, 2005.

Presenter Background

Carla Beard is a veteran high school English teacher and technology advocate. During school year 2007-08 she served as Teacher in Residence for the Indiana Department of Education and conducted more than 60 technology workshops for teachers around the state. She has presented throughout the country as well, most recently on blogs and wikis at NCTE's 2007 convention in New York City, and is scheduled to present at the November 2008 convention in San Antonio. She has published articles, most recently (September 2008) "It's not about the Technology" in NCTE's Council Chronicle. She is also webmaster for Web English Teacher (webenglishteacher.com), a leading web site for English/Language Arts teachers.

Tom Daccord is Co-Director of EdTechTeacher and author of Best Ideas for Teaching with Technology: A Practical Guide for Teachers by Teachers and The Best of History Web Sites. A veteran "laptop teacher" who instructed in a wireless laptop environment for seven years, Tom has been featured in the Boston Globe ("Making Tech Connect," December 29, 2003) for his contributions to teaching with technology. He has presented on educational technology topics at the National Association of Independent Schools Annual Conference, the National Council for Social Studies Annual Conference, the (Alan) November Building Learning Communities conference, the Laptop Institute in Memphis, the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools Technology Conference, and various other conferences. He is creator and co-webmaster of Best of History Web Sites, an award-winning portal that receives upwards of two million visitors a year. He is also co-director of The Center for Teaching History with Technology, an organization with 2300 subscribers, whose mission is to help K-12 history and social studies teachers incorporate technology effectively into their courses. In addition, Tom is the creator and webmaster of "Teaching English With Technology," designed to help English and Language Arts teachers incorporate technology effectively into their courses.