Writing in the Nexus Community

1
Writing in the Nexus Community

• Writing Examples from Harry Potter
• Online Writing Workshop
• Bonnie Thurber
• The Collaboratory Project
• Northwestern University

2
Online Writing Workshop (OWW)

• A course for ages 9-12 offered by the
• Northwestern University Center for Talent
  Development (http//www.ctd.northwestern.edu)
• using
• Northwestern University Collaboratory
  (http//collaboratory.nunet.net)

3
What are We Doing?

• The purpose of this workshop is to immerse
  students in the writing process so that they
  learn to be better writers by writing in real
  time with an online teacher.
• It includes both collaboration and mentoring
  throughout the writing process.
• Students should walk away from the workshop with
  enhanced writing skills and polished short
  stories.

4
(No Transcript)
5
OWW Activities

• Netiquette
• Brainstorming
• Writing
• Chatting
• Sharing
• Discussing
• Commenting

Drafting Editing Revising Peer-reviewing Publishin
g
6
Communication Sharing Tools

• Phone
• Email
• Calendar
• Messaging
• Chat
• Global Discussion
• Document Comments
• Document Discussion

Nexus Community Work Areas Nexus Community
Galleries Survey Studio Parent Survey and Rubrics
7
The Writing Process

• Brainstorm
• Character
• Setting
• Outline
• Storyboard
• Draft 1
• Draft 2

Final Story Rubrics Permission Publish Symposium
8
(No Transcript)
9
Messages
10
(No Transcript)
11
The Chat Room Becomes the Writing Room

• Students learn to ask clarifying questions that
  help who, what, when, where, why, how

12
(No Transcript)
13
Writing Prompts
14
(No Transcript)
15
Shared Work Areas
16
(No Transcript)
17
(No Transcript)
18
Comments
19
Reviewing Comments
20
Rubrics, Parents Reviews Permissions
21
(No Transcript)
22
(No Transcript)
23
(No Transcript)
24
(No Transcript)
25
Published Work
26
Published Stories
27
Questions?
28
Value-added Benefits of using the Internet for
instruction

• Using the Internet to create a learning
  environment allows students, their peers,
  teachers and coaches to collaborate and gives
  them opportunities to communicate and learn
  together.
• Walls and clocks no longer define the space and
  moment in which learning takes place.

29
Thank you!

• Bonnie Thurber
• b-thurber_at_northwestern.edu