Writing and Technology

Students can become so bogged down with the writing process. However, when technology is used to assist student, the interest and creativity seem to begin to flow. We all remember the days when we wrote papers out by hand and then had to go back, make corrections and rewrite. Today students can revise the same piece many times without having to go back and rewrite the entire paper. Because of this, the writing is richer and more creative. Students are not afraid to use words they are unsure of because of spell check and the ability to change the word in an instant. Students can learn to cut and paste to rearrange a paragraph or paper so that writing flows better and makes more sense. I really feel that using technology in writing is helping to create better writers. It is important to get students comfortable with computers at a young age so that by middle elementary they are ready to write independently and successfully on the computer.
Using technology in writing can also help the struggling writer and those with disabilities. My daughter is in 6th grade. Because of a disability, she has a very difficult time with writing. She has been given the use of a computer to help her to be able to stay at the same level as her peers. She has a special program to assist her as well. As she begins typing the first few letters of a word, a word box pops up with possible matches. She can just click on the one she wants without having to completely type the word. This and so many other programs are being made available to those with special needs bridging the gap between them and their "typical peers".