Your opinions please

by Diane Owens

Mar 26, 2012

Quite a few of you on this chatboard have visited this writing website. In fact, the site has had over 12,000 views this past year (although, admittedly, not all generated from teachers.net). And yet, no one is actually using it. So here's my question: Would you be more apt to use it if it also covered other types of writing, ie., narrative essay, informational, instructional, persuasive? Please visit the site, if you haven't already, and let me know. I really want to help you and I really, really want to encourage your students. I firmly believe that we all have a better chance of developing life-long lovers of writing now, in the upper elementary grade levels - BEFORE the inner editor and walls of resistance become too strong.

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5th grade Teacher On 3/26/12, Diane Owens wrote: > Quite a few of you on this chatboard have visited this > writing website. In fact, the site has had over 12,000 > views this past year (although, admittedly, not all > generated from teachers.net). And yet, no one is actually > using it. So here's my question: Would you be more apt to > use it if i...See MoreOn 3/26/12, Diane Owens wrote: > Quite a few of you on this chatboard have visited this > writing website. In fact, the site has had over 12,000 > views this past year (although, admittedly, not all > generated from teachers.net). And yet, no one is actually > using it. So here's my question: Would you be more apt to > use it if it also covered other types of writing, ie., > narrative essay, informational, instructional, persuasive? > Please visit the site, if you haven't already, and let me > know. I really want to help you and I really, really want > to encourage your students. I firmly believe that we all > have a better chance of developing life-long lovers of > writing now, in the upper elementary grade levels - BEFORE > the inner editor and walls of resistance become too strong.

I like your site but I don't think the issue is that it does not address itself to several genres of writing. How did you envision teachers using your site? Did you see teachers logging onto it with an entire class in tow all reading it via the teacher's computer connected to the projector? If so, only the teacher can then 'click here'. Did you envision a teacher taking their class to the computer lab and having all students each at their own computer going through the website each at their own pace?

If the latter, there might be several problems - sadly. One is that left on their own in a computer lab, students tend to 'wander' off the site (esp. a writing site, they sniff out quickly that a writing site is going to end up with them writing) and then the teacher spends the period policing where exactly on the Internet they are. If the lab has the ability to lock the students onto a single page, then they can't move through your website. If the lab has the ability to lock them onto your website alone, some to many students won't read the pages and on their own independently make use of the website.

Either way I'd kindly say the problem lies not in the website but in the short attention spans of kids and the genuine indignation they evidence when placed at a computer and not allowed to do exactly what they want on it. Putting my students on laptops (we have one for every child here!) and sending them to a website causes more problems than it solves.

I think your site is excellent - it has a lovely and logical flow to it. My cerebral girl students would love it - and will love it - I'll show them your website and they'll likely go to it on their own.

But my high energy kids, my short attention span kids, my dysgraphic students - no website is going to get them to write though you've made a most admirable stab at it. Writing and patiently reading even an website like yours takes time, focus and attention and sadly I find that in increasingly short supply in modern kids.

Apr 2, 2012

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Diane Owens On 4/02/12, 5th grade Teacher wrote: > > I like your site but I don't think the issue is that it does > not address itself to several genres of writing. How did you > envision teachers using your site? Did you see teachers > logging onto it with an entire class in tow all reading it via > the teacher's computer connected to the pr...See MoreOn 4/02/12, 5th grade Teacher wrote: > > I like your site but I don't think the issue is that it does > not address itself to several genres of writing. How did you > envision teachers using your site? Did you see teachers > logging onto it with an entire class in tow all reading it via > the teacher's computer connected to the projector? If so, only > the teacher can then 'click here'. Did you envision a teacher > taking their class to the computer lab and having all students > each at their own computer going through the website each at > their own pace? > > If the latter, there might be several problems - sadly. One is > that left on their own in a computer lab, students tend > to 'wander' off the site (esp. a writing site, they sniff out > quickly that a writing site is going to end up with them > writing) and then the teacher spends the period policing where > exactly on the Internet they are. If the lab has the ability > to lock the students onto a single page, then they can't move > through your website. If the lab has the ability to lock them > onto your website alone, some to many students won't read the > pages and on their own independently make use of the website. > > Either way I'd kindly say the problem lies not in the website > but in the short attention spans of kids and the genuine > indignation they evidence when placed at a computer and not > allowed to do exactly what they want on it. Putting my > students on laptops (we have one for every child here!) and > sending them to a website causes more problems than it solves. > > I think your site is excellent - it has a lovely and logical > flow to it. My cerebral girl students would love it - and will > love it - I'll show them your website and they'll likely go to > it on their own. > > But my high energy kids, my short attention span kids, my > dysgraphic students - no website is going to get them to write > though you've made a most admirable stab at it. Writing and > patiently reading even an website like yours takes time, focus > and attention and sadly I find that in increasingly short > supply in modern kids.

Thank you, so much, for your honest and thorough answer. If you, or anyone else who reads this, thinks of a possible solution to the issues you've brought up, please let me know.

I've envisioned both scenarios for the instructional part - teacher-led and student-driven. Ultimately, I would love the site to become a thriving writing community, where students can post their work and comment on the work of other students. I would love to see classes and students from different regions come together, work together and learn from each other. So if you, or anyone else, has any suggestions on how I could help make that happen, I'd appreciate that, too!

Apr 2, 2012

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Jamie Hi,

It looks like you have a wealth of resources to offer, and the enthusiasm is evident. Also, I love the text graphic in your site title. The Ms. Kantduitt is a clever tool and it was so fun to see the student comments addressed to her!

I'm wondering if there are too many options in your header menu on the home page(this might h...See MoreHi,

It looks like you have a wealth of resources to offer, and the enthusiasm is evident. Also, I love the text graphic in your site title. The Ms. Kantduitt is a clever tool and it was so fun to see the student comments addressed to her!

I'm wondering if there are too many options in your header menu on the home page(this might help address the point that 5th Grade Teacher made in an earlier post). I like complexity, but even I'm a little overwhelmed by all the options there. Maybe you could find 3-5 main sections, instead of breaking it down so specifically on the home page. For example, you could organize it by Pre-Writing, During Writing, and After the Draft. Or you could sort it by Beginning Tips, Intermediate Strategies, and Advanced Top Secret Information (or something).

The menu that you have on the right sidebar below the awards (yay, you!) is a mini site map, and it might be more helpful along the left sidebar. That way visitors can immediately see a simple set of options at the top, but they also know how extensive the site is.

This may be a minor point, but when I clicked on "Get Ready," I expected it to be a link about pre-writing or mind-mapping or topic ideas, and instead, it's more of an "about" area.

I share the same struggle about trying to address both teacher needs and student needs with my own site; I've decided my primary audience is really teachers, although I hope they will introduce sections of the site to their students in conjunction with their lessons.

Good luck!

Jamie

On 4/02/12, Diane Owens wrote: > On 4/02/12, 5th grade Teacher wrote: >> >> I like your site but I don't think the issue is that it does >> not address itself to several genres of writing. How did you >> envision teachers using your site? Did you see teachers >> logging onto it with an entire class in tow all reading it via >> the teacher's computer connected to the projector? If so, only >> the teacher can then 'click here'. Did you envision a teacher >> taking their class to the computer lab and having all students >> each at their own computer going through the website each at >> their own pace? >> >> If the latter, there might be several problems - sadly. One is >> that left on their own in a computer lab, students tend >> to 'wander' off the site (esp. a writing site, they sniff out >> quickly that a writing site is going to end up with them >> writing) and then the teacher spends the period policing where >> exactly on the Internet they are. If the lab has the ability >> to lock the students onto a single page, then they can't move >> through your website. If the lab has the ability to lock them >> onto your website alone, some to many students won't read the >> pages and on their own independently make use of the website. >> >> Either way I'd kindly say the problem lies not in the website >> but in the short attention spans of kids and the genuine >> indignation they evidence when placed at a computer and not >> allowed to do exactly what they want on it. Putting my >> students on laptops (we have one for every child here!) and >> sending them to a website causes more problems than it solves. >> >> I think your site is excellent - it has a lovely and logical >> flow to it. My cerebral girl students would love it - and will >> love it - I'll show them your website and they'll likely go to >> it on their own. >> >> But my high energy kids, my short attention span kids, my >> dysgraphic students - no website is going to get them to write >> though you've made a most admirable stab at it. Writing and >> patiently reading even an website like yours takes time, focus >> and attention and sadly I find that in increasingly short >> supply in modern kids. > > Thank you, so much, for your honest and thorough answer. If you, > or anyone else who reads this, thinks of a possible solution to > the issues you've brought up, please let me know. > > I've envisioned both scenarios for the instructional part - > teacher-led and student-driven. Ultimately, I would love the site > to become a thriving writing community, where students can post > their work and comment on the work of other students. I would > love to see classes and students from different regions come > together, work together and learn from each other. So if you, or > anyone else, has any suggestions on how I could help make that > happen, I'd appreciate that, too!

Apr 11, 2012

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Diane Owens On 4/11/12, Jamie wrote: > Hi, > > It looks like you have a wealth of resources to offer, and the > enthusiasm is evident. Also, I love the text graphic in your site > title. The Ms. Kantduitt is a clever tool and it was so fun to see > the student comments addressed to her! > > I'm wondering if there are too many options in...See More

Apr 11, 2012

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Jamie Thank you, Diane! I hope you collect lots of input about your site here, too.

>> > Thank you, Jamie, for the suggestions and advice. I love what you're > doing with conversationpieceslearning.org - helpful for teachers and > fun for kids. Great book choices, too!

Apr 12, 2012

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