Week 3: Day 1

Today the students again were asked to use Word and type a story. The students had been visited by an author the Friday before and they took part in a workshop where she talked about the process of editing and publishing a book. The students were asked by the teacher to type a story from the point of view of a wombat (as it was related to the author's book). The students were happy to write using the computer and the stories seemed to flow. They were eager to finish and share their funny stories.

One thing I noticed throughout this process was how enthusiastic the students were typing their stories. In contrast, when they are asked to write in their books or their journals you can listen to the collective moan that follows the teacher request. I believe one of the reasons is that students feel the process of handwriting a story to be tedious and slow. Typing is faster and they can get immediate assistance with their spelling, hence they can concentrate more on the actual development of the plot, character or setting. This has given me a great idea on a follow up lesson using technology to edit writing.