Take the E-Writing Challenge!
Aimée Bachmann

From writer's workshops to cooperative book writing we, as educators of the technology era, have a wealth of possibilities at our fingertips to get students on the "write road." Student writing has become a tool for empowerment and success, rather than a method of rote skill and practice. Though, so often that success is short lived when budding young authors allow writer's block or a lack of interest to stand in their way. How do we motivate those students who have so much to say, but have no interest in putting a pencil to paper? And how do we continue to encourage those students who have found their true calling in writing, but crave more challenging work? In this computer age, the Internet can provide even the most stubborn student with infinite writing possibilities, while also offering some virtual encouragement. Meanwhile, those students who are ready for more will be thrilled with their latest online writing assignment. From online prewriting organizers to student publishing forums, the Internet has something to offer every writing classroom.

The Stages of the Writing Process

Implementing e-writing in your classroom requires only a small amount of preparation. All the links an educator needs to employ for a successful writing unit are here for the taking. To begin the journey, take a look at the stages of The Writing Process (http://www.angelfire.com/wi/writingprocess/). Your successful writing classroom will not be complete until its walls are covered with all the stages of the writing process. The everyday reminders will benefit students as they embark on the road to authoring their own work. And, you as an educator will breath easy when you can simply point to the writing on the wall instead of repeating the stages of the writing process each time an assignment is handed down.

Generating Ideas

Once you and your students have become familiar with the writing process, it's time to start generating ideas. It is beneficial to have students create "idea logs," filled with their own personal writing topic ideas. Have students keep their logs as quick references when writer's block creeps in and ideas are tough to find. Once students have determined writing topics, set up a writer's workshop in your classroom, complete with prewriting, writing, editing, revising, and publishing centers. In each center, provide task cards explaining the purpose of that particular stage in the writing process, along with the tasks expected at that station. Then, sit back and watch the writing begin.

Prewriting Center

At the Prewriting Center, students will be expected to come up; with ideas for writing, based on the assignment at hand. If possible, provide a computer at this center and offer a list of available bookmarks linking to the following prewriting organizers: Story Map (http://w3.nai.net/~chewie/mapa.gif), Sentence Map (http://w3.nai.net/~chewie/mapc.gif), Character Trait Chart (http://w3.nai.net/~chewie/mapk.gif), Spool Organizer (http://w3.nai.net/~chewie/mapp.gif), Venn Diagram (http://w3.nai.net/~chewie/mapn.gif), and Brainstorm Web (http://w3.nai.net/~chewie/mapo.gif). Once your students have selected and printed a prewriting tool, have them start generating ideas. This process will take a bit of time as comfort levels are reached, but a few gentle nudges of encouragement should have most of the class well on its way to writing success.

Writing Center

Once ideas are on paper, students should be ready to write. Some students may find that they can simply sit down at the Writing Center and the words will flow. For others, the threat of the blank page will be too much to bear. For those students needing more than a gentle nudge, send them online to the Real Kids Young Writer's Clubhouse (http://www.realkids.com/index.htm) where they will find ideas and advice to make the writing process more comfortable and inviting.

Editing Center

Once your students have embarked on their writing adventures, the feeling of excitement and exhilaration will permeate the air. How does one carefully guide student writing, though, without squelching motivation? Use the Internet, along with peer editing groups, to help you create an effective Editing Center. Have students work together to edit each other's work, offering encouragement and positive feedback along the way. Meanwhile, have students review available online Editing and Proofreading Strategies (http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/genproofed.html).

Revising Center

When the editing process is complete, some students' egos may have experienced downsizing, while others may have received necessary boosts. In either case, the Revising Center is the next step. Once again, employ the peer revision group technique. Have students work together to rewrite and revise their writing drafts, again offering positive words of encouragement to one another. Have students also visit the Literacy Education Online (http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/editing.html) Web site for even more revision support.

Publishing

Ahh, the smell of victory is in the air! Once student work has been planned, written, edited, and revised, it is well on its way to being published. Many educational Web sites provide safe and convenient places for students to publish their work online. The feeling a student receives when his or her piece is viewed online makes all the hard work worthwhile! Visit the ZUZU Children's E-magazine (http://www.zuzu.org/) and Poetry Post (http://www.mecca.org/~graham/day/poetrypost/unitedstates.html) to find safe places for your students to publish online. Then, take a moment to congratulate your students on all their hard work, making sure to remind them that they truly are successes in the wide world of writing.

Aimée Bachman is a former K-12 teacher with a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Aimée resides in Roseburg, Oregon where she teaches college. She is currently involved with the implementation of a technology grant at her school and is creating a technology curriculum for the local branch of the Job Corps.

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