Creative Ideas for Technology and Writing

1. Creative Ideas for Technology and Writing Writing Workshop Borinquen Project Prof. Helen Domenech February 26, 2005 University of the Sacred Heart Santurce, Puerto Rico

2. About Helen Domenech • Full Professor University of the Sacred Heart • Director “Language Across the Disciplines” (FIPSE project) • BWP Summer Institute Coordinator and team teacher • Professor and designer online writing course • Author: Roll It (collaborative project)intermediate ESL module

3. Objectives • Familiarize teachers with online resources at all levels • Expose teachers to the benefits of online teaching • Develop diverse online activities

4. Resources • Computer equipped classroom • Humorous reading “Jesus Saves” • Handouts: • List of online sites • Guidelines for preparing a writing activity • Sample Student Activity

5. Description Teachers were introduced to a diversity of online sources which would help them develop writing activities for their student population.

6. Prewriting Activity • Humorous reading about the use of computers • Overview of interesting and useful online sites at all levels • Conversation on how the participating teachers used technology as an aid in the classroom • Sample lesson from WebQuest http://webquest.sdsu.edu/

7. Developing the Writing Activity • Teachers spent some time studying the online sources provided by Prof. Domenech. • Teachers brainstormed about a possible writing activity for their students using the handout “Guidelines for Preparing a Writing Activity”.

8. Conclusion • Teachers shared their ideas about possible writing activities. • Teachers were shown a sample student writing activity developed in an Essay Writing course at the University of the Sacred Heart.