Websites and Technology

   I don't actually integrate a great deal of technology into my writing workshops. The main tool I use on the computer is Microsoft Word. However, I do refer students to several websites in hopes of helping them improve their writing independently, or while working on pieces at home. On occasion, I will use some of these sites as examples on my projector, or challenge students to sumbit work to contests for extra credit.

1. OWL http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ : This is a great college level website that offers help in all area of writing from basic essays to research and professional writing. My students use this site more than any other.
I use it to help the students work independently. THe site offers practice too, so I've assigned homework through OWL before. I also am able to use the ESL portion for my Hispanic students.

2. http://www.enchancemywriting.com/ : This site offers a little bit of everything. Next semester I am required to teach research paper writing to my 7th graders, many of whom can hardly write a five-paragraph essay. I am going to use this site to help them look up resources and style guides.

3. Grammar Monkeys http://.blogs.kansas.com/grammar/ : I love this site for helping my students with grammar. My students are 7th graders, and so we have a lot of grammar lessons, most of which we all find rather boring and tedious. This blogger explains grammar rules in a fun and relateable way. Anytime I need to clarify I rule, I put his blog up on my projector and we look at how he has explained it. He even includes examples!

4. http://www.everywritersresource.com/ : This website is great! I often use it to keep up with what's going on in the writing community, or to find contests or literary magazines taking submissions. I like this site because it contains tons of story examples, essays, interviews, and other general discussions about writer's and writing. While it does not necessarily offer direct instruction and practice, I do think it helps my students' writing with examples and also to see what has been done, can be done, and is being done with writing by writers. The site also offers glimpses into writing as a profession or life-long pursuit.