Managing the Writing Process in an Online Class
Managing the writing process challenges every in-person writing teacher. Many of us still have students learning online. The writing issues still exist on an amplified level through distance learning. Some students finish early, while other students want word-by-word support. All the while, silent students sit and stare at a blank piece of paper or screen. The teacher must navigate support for over three dozen students in varying stages of the writing process. The silent, needy learners are overlooked in an in-person classroom. Distance learning renders the task of quickly identifying languishing students nearly impossible. Fortunately, many tech tools can be hacked to support the writing process for teachers and students.
Presentation Tools Allow Real-Time Observation of Student Work
Editing Google Slides and Powerpoints previously belonged to presenters. In an online session with students, these same tools can allow teachers to observe student work in real-time. In a previous blog, I shared how an editable slide deck was used to scaffold students in explicating quotes for a literary analysis essay. In other writing lessons, I divided students into groups. I assigned a slide for each group to share their brainstorming ideas, collaborate on answering discussion questions, or try out a new revision technique. Another colleague showed me that the grid view feature allows teachers to see several slides at once, producing the effect of being able to look out over the classroom (just as teachers scan a class of working students in face-to-face classes). Being able to look over all the work being done in seconds — instead of clicking through different slides or pages — makes it easier to discover individuals or groups who need more support.
When allowing all participants in a session to edit, content or entire slides may disappear (accidentally or purposely). One way to remedy this user error would be to edit the master slide. The new Google Update has changed it to Edit Theme under Slide in the menu. By editing the master slide, teachers can have students organize their ideas on graphic organizers. The original prompt or graphic organizer cannot be deleted when it is saved into the master.
Recording Written Drafts
Reading a draft out loud still serves as the most basic yet most effective revision technique for students. I explain to students that typing and writing fingers move slower than our minds, so nine times out of nine (100% of the time) we make mistakes in our writing. When we are thinking of the last word in a sentence, our slow hands may only be on the first word. Our quick brains make silently reading our own drafts inadequate by auto-correcting skipped words and other simple mistakes. Assigning students the task of reading their work aloud, forcing our mouths to form each word as written creates a more likely scenario to find mistakes and hear the places that need refinement in our own writing.
Through Google Voice or a slew of other tech tools, students can experience this foundational step in the revision process. My school district uses Schoology to distribute and collect assignments. The learning management system (LMS) allows assignments to be submitted by audio recordings, electronic documents, or video. So Google Voice is not my first choice in this case. This idea serves as a better alternative to the low-tech version of the original task. Before I had students read their work to partners in a crowded classroom as I circulated. Did all students read their entire essay? Probably not. Turning in a recording of the draft being read holds students accountable.
Online Discussion Forums
Jamboard and Padlet are tools for creating a virtual bulletin or discussion board. Jamboard comes from the Google Suite that seems to be created as an answer to Padlet. The Padlet platform offers more variety than Jamboard. I first used this as a way for students to post ideas about a lesson topic. It served as a type of K-W-L chart pre-covid. Students posted what they already knew about a topic. They also typed website URLs verifying their prior knowledge and information. Pictures can be posted in Padlet as well as in Jamboard. Padlet also served as a tool for students to share facts learned after conducting a quick search. During a discussion, they also shared their views or experiences relating to a topic.
Teachers have re-purposed Padlet and Jamboard to respond to literature or for quickwrites. Before physical distancing mandates, students could post up ideas on a bulletin board or on posters taped around the room. Padlet and Jamboard replace those interactive assignments with virtual platforms. We may prompt students to try out the style of writing that a writer like Kelly Norman Ellis uses in the poem “Raised by Women”. By focusing students on thinking about the familiar food in their lives, they write, share, and celebrate their individuality and culture.
Writing exercises like this bonds students and teachers together. Using either tool, students can post anonymously, with one name, or full names. A directions box can be posted to remind learners how to respond. Jamboard limits the type of formatting, while Padlet offers varied formats: grid or timeline (two of many choices). Newer features for Padlet include the ability to vote to make a choice, grade responses, and like responses.
Padlet and Jamboard can be used for similar purposes as Google Slides or Powerpoint, but I view slides as a tool for practicing new learning. Padlet and Jamboard are more for idea sharing, community building, and quick writes that can hook in learners or summarize learnings. Google slides features methods for commenting, highlighting, and other features to provide specific feedback to learners that they can use to further their development.
No matter the stage of the writing process, pre-existing tech tools can serve as a remedy for lingering preferences and mandates that continue distance learning. Even if every classroom returns to the full-day in-person model, we can continue to use tech tools at every level of writing to enhance student learning.
