Teaching Interactive Writing with ICT Tools

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Teaching Interactive Writing with ICT Tools

• By Gamra ZENAIDI
• CREFOC Rades

11/10/2004
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Writing should be
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• regarded as a natural way of communicating.
• naturally linked to oral language and reading
• both an individual and shared experience.
• an interactive experience.
• challenging and fun.
• promoted by ICT.

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What Writing Activities Can We Teach with ICT?

• Simple sentences
• Enriched sentences
• Descriptions after a reading activity
• Letters/ E-mails
• Postcards
• Articles
• Interviews
• Reports
• Ads
• End of stories
• Beginning of stories
• Stories
• Cartoons
• Poems

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ICT and Writing

• ICT has opened up enormous possibilities
  for the promotion of writing. These may be summed
  up as follows
• The use of Microsoft Word Processor
  Facilitating the process of revision and editing.
  This includes typing labels, writing simple
  sentences, rearranging lines in a poem, arranging
  a string of ten items from a shopping list into a
  horizontal list, typing speech into a speech
  bubble or deleting words to break up longer
  sentences. Pupils could produce a picture book by
  writing text to go with the pictures to tell the
  story.
• Using PowerPoint for presentations.
• The use of electronic mail, which has become a
  daily form of written communication for millions
  of people. Writing becomes an interactive
  activity.

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• When pupils write to peers in other
  countries, writing no longer becomes a simulated
  classroom activity, but rather a means of
  exchanging personal information, a way of
  informing and learning about other peoples
  schools, environments, and cultures. The
  procedure is simple the pupils receive a letter
  and then write one back. Communication through
  writing becomes as natural as communication
  through speech.

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• Electronic dictionaries for all levels of
• learners
• Using forums, chat to communicate with other
  people through writing.
• Writing programmes, such as Storybook Weaver and
  Writers Workshop, for the promotion of creative
  writing. These programmes allow pupils to create
  text with the help of background pictures. Some
  of them read aloud the text pupils have created,
  while others allow the pupil the opportunity to
  read out their text and listen to their own
  voice.
• Making web pages with FrontPage Editor or
  DreamWeaver.
• Many activities where computer work is combined
  with non-computer work, eg planning a tourist
  brochure by first discussing it in a group,
  writing the text on a word programme, finding
  supporting pictures to illustrate, letting others
  see the draft and give feedback before revising
  and editing the text.

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• Writing Tools on the Web
• There are programmes which help students create
  their own writing activities. Others generate
  sentences, poems, quotes, stories
• Playing with words, creating interactive writing
  games. You can choose the plot, the setting, the
  characterAfter you finish, you can print and
  e-mail your writings http//writingfix.com
• Publishing pupilswritings poems, stories,
  journal writing www.tooter4kids.com/classroom/wri
  ting4kids.htm

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• You can have fun and learn to write English
  sentence patterns with Random/ Automatic Sentence
  Generators www.manythings.org (You can use it
  even when youre disconnected.)
• You can generate your poem or story by using
  some programs (You can drag and drop words to
  create poems) www.desktoppoetry.com

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• You can download this free software on your PC or
  on a CD and use it to write sentences, quotes,
  stories http//writesparks.com

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Things to Remember

• Simple activities at the word or sentence level
  are advisable in order to provide young learners
  with basic skills and the opportunity to build up
  their confidence in writing.
• It is at all times important that the teacher
  shows willingness to write with and for pupils,
  thus acting as a model and inspirer of their
  written language.
• With ICT, communication through writing becomes
  as natural as communication through speech.

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• Thanks a lot for your attendance and attention.
• Good Luck!