TESOL CALL-IS's List: Writing & Teaching Writing Online

This is a space where Webheads' students have links/feeds to their students' blogging adventures. \n\nThis is a good place to find a class to collaborate with, or just see some examples of how teachers are using blogs with their ESL/EFL students.\n\n--Elizabeth

Collect, share and publish in a format designed to make your documents look their very best.
This online magazine tool makes student writing look very cool and professional. Students could write their articles in Google Docs, find appropriate illustrations online, and then publish a class e-zine. Great tool and free!

This is a good example of what is possible with an e-zine. This is Aiden Yeh's description of the assignment from the Webheads list:
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This basic writing class is for freshman college students, and I have about 30. The writing topic is about their favorite TV or movie comedy; they have to describe the characters and at least one funny scene that they remember.
Students work on this using google docs, and then shared with me via our class YG. Links are placed in the links are and are organized by topics. They work on a draft for about 2-3 weeks, and then I asses them after the final draft has been turned in.
We're now finalizing our 3rd ezine- which is about popular trends in Taiwan, and this time I have about 20-23 selected essays. The first ezine, I think there were only 4-6 essays, and then for the 2nd ezine, there were 11 essays, and now I have about 20+. If I was to compare these results to my last year's class- there's a similar pattern, but this class exceeds my expectations.
We still have 2 more essays to go, and today we'll be discussing persuasive essays- and I'm using this material from MSNBC, http://www.msnbc. msn.com/id/ 30654263/ / Should he get life imprisonment or capital punishment?
Seth, I often tell my students that in this class - writing is not about a one time submission of paper. It's about writing a piece again and again until it's time to turn it in. Mistakes are bound to happen, and I tell them that they are part of learning. Learn from them and try not to do the same mistake twice-- oh but I'm telling you last semester I had to deal with repetitive mistakes. I refuse to believe thoug that these are fossilized errors because they can still change- as long as they are attentive to what they're writing I honestly believe that at least some of them will get the hack of it ;-) I think I got my answer this semester.
Aiden
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Discusses how to deal with error correction and revisions with student writing online.

This newsreader creates a newspaper-like collection of news from your favorite sources. You select a layout (one or two columns) and insert links to the newspapers or blogs that you want to have fed in. Good step-by-step directions. Might be very useful for more advanced students as a daily reading activity, or with writing students to capture each other's blogs and a reader-friendly format.

"Penpal Amis is the free penpal language exchange that is designed to help students find pen pals and pen friends who are native speakers of the languages that they are studying. "

"Between 2006 and 2008, while teaching “Ethics for Teachers” to EFL teacher
trainees at “Profesorado del Liceo Cultural Británico” (Buenos Aires – Argentina
), and certainly encouraged by the inspiring discussions that were taking place at TESOL EVO workshops, I had the chance to explore the integration of student blogs into the course. Class members were invited to start their own blogs (which I then linked and followed by means of a Feevy students in turn chose to embed into their blog templates) and weekly post their reflections on assigned readings. Since the topics discussed took in sharing values and personal experiences, this seemed a perfect occasion for fostering individual expression. Serving other aims of the course – the development of interculturalism and appreciation of diversity – the weekly assignment also involved posting a comment on at least an entry made by a partner."

"For Teachers: automated homework assignment, grading, and reporting
For Parents: manage student success
For Students: learning with immediate feedback in students' preferred environment, the WEB
"

"Storybirds are short, visual stories that you make with family and friends to share and (soon) print."
Also good for young learners to make collaborative stories.

Scriblink is a free digital whiteboard that users can share online in real-time. Sorta like pen and paper, minus the dead trees, plastic, and the inconvenience of being at the same place at the same time. Scriblink brings you the power of free hand expression with anyone, at anytime, anywhere in the world.\n\nOn the homepage you'll be immediately directed to a Scriblink board, which is free and requires no registration. Contributor: Sulany dos Santos on 05 Feb 10\n\nScriblink also has chat and video chat simultaneously.

""A glog is like a poster, only better. A glog is an online poster that allows students to add images, video files, sound files, text, and hyperlinks. Glogs address multiple learning styles and easily incorporate student research and educational content into a web publication. They are free, use no ink, and are fun!"Jan McGeeWhy Glog? - How about Glogster EDUfor a starter?! Glogster developers, much like VoiceThread, have made a commitment to provide teachers and their students with a tool for 21st century teaching and learning."

"Kidblog.org is designed for elementary and middle school teachers who want to provide each student with their own, unique blog.
"Kidblog's simple, yet powerful tools allow students to publish posts and participate in discussions within a secure classroom blogging community. Teachers maintain complete control over student blogs.
"Set up your class with no student email addresses.
"Provide your students with an authentic, engaging, and interactive learning experience with Kidblog."
Looks like a safe environment for elementary/middle school kids.

Looks like an up-to-date blog tool that allows for lots of different social networking interfaces, and has drag-and-drop tools for layout and adding media, very customizable. Somewhat commercial, but might appeal esp. to teens.

Good use of RSS feed for students, and lots of exercises.

"WritingFix: For Teachers, Students & Writers
interactive prompts, lessons, and resources for writing classrooms

Since 2001, the Northern Nevada Writing Project has proudly sponsored this free-to-use website, which aims to "fix" those teachers who don't believe that writing instruction can be both fun to plan and easy to differentiate.

If you explore our website's pages, you will find prompts, lessons, and resources that were created and shared--and then posted here--during workshops and in-service classes sponsored by the NNWP. The Nevada teachers who participate in these professional development opportunities discover ways to be passionate about teaching writing, and here we share the very best, hoping that our passion is contagious to the teachers across the globe who have discovered what we've proudly posted here. Our Mentor Text Bibliography can help you directly link to lessons and prompts based on books you might already own. "

"Shawnee High School Language Arts Literacy teacher Kristin Giles came to the ETTC recently to seek out websites to support her research paper unit. Here are some of the places she visited on the World Wide Web:"
A list of links to info/advice/help with research skills. Nice way for a teacher to get herself prepped for teaching the research paper.

"You've arrived at the most complete and current source of information about the WebQuest Model. Whether you're an education student new to the topic or an experienced teacher educator looking for materials, you'll find something here to meet your needs."
Has links to teacher-created WebQuests, templates to create WebQuests, Useful Resources, a Community to write to, etc.

"Use this site to write, learn to write, take writing classes, learn about our campus writing center, and access resources for writing teachers.

ToolsLearn to Write. View our extensive collection of instructional resources for writers, including writing guides, writing activities, and writing links.

FeedbackGet Feedback on Your Writing. Learn how you can get help and feedback on your writing.

SitesVisit Related Sites. Visit other Web sites that support the teaching and learning of writing.

ToolsWork on Your Writing. Learn how the Writing Studio's tools — blogs, wikis, ePortfolios, bibliography, among others — can help you work on a writing project.

ClassesView Your Writing Studio Classes. More than 5,000 classes have been created to support writers. Is your school using the Studio?

TeachingTeach Writing. Learn how the Writing Studio and our other teaching resources can help you and your students.

Writing CenterVisit CSU's Campus Writing Center. Visit our campus writing center, located in beautiful Eddy Hall, Room 6 (in the basement along the north side of the building). Our writing consultants will provide feedback on your drafts and help you with your writing and research strategies."

An interesting way to find overuse of particular words.

Make simple movies using a limited set of backgrounds and characters. Might be good practice for adult students getting used to writing/practicing dialogues.