How To Teach Creative Writing K-12 with Classroom Technology

Children today have access to a large amount of technology at their fingertips and have become very computer and tech-savvy. While many children have no problem using this technology for fun tasks like texting their friends, playing games, or researching any topic that interests them, many children do not like to write. When told they need to complete a writing assignment many times they will groan or roll their eyes because they feel that writing is boring and they have no interest in doing the writing assignment. One way to help teach kids effective creative writing that they will enjoy doing is to integrate the technology they enjoy with the writing they dread. 

Online Resources

In the context of Creative Writing, it is important to teach the students about the free online resources that they can utilize. Sources like DoMyCreativeWritings.com can be a great tool for students to not only find out how to spell a word or look up its definition, but also to provide videos students can explore to help expand their vocabulary in a fun way. 

Blogging

Students of all ages most likely have either read a blog or written one themselves. One great way to help teach kids that writing can be fun and not a boring task is to integrate blogging into their assignments. One website that helps to do this is Kidblog.com; this site provides a safe environment for kids to write and post their work. Since no one can publish any work without getting approval from his/her teacher, it is a safe and controlled blogging environment that can help teach kids in K-12 to enjoy writing as well as teaching them what is acceptable to publish and what is not.

Storytelling

Students often find reading a bore, and writing about what they have read is even worse. One way to help spark their creative side is through storytelling. Children have wild imaginations and one way to help them learn to enjoy writing is to incorporate their creative side with writing stories. One website that is an example of this is Storybird.com, where kids are shown pictures to help get their creativity going, and they can write stories or poetry based on these pictures. Once again this is a way to incorporate kid’s love of technology with school writing assignments that help spark their imaginations and help teach those writing skills that they will utilize their whole life. 

Software

Students often find it difficult to develop and organize their thoughts when given a writing assignment; one way to help elevate this confusion is through writing software. Most classrooms today are equipped with multiple computers and most children have access to computers at home or through the library, so writing software is a great way to help kids with their writing assignments. One program Inspiration Version 6 is an example of software that can help teach kids the skills they need to make writing easier and more enjoyable. This software helps kids to develop and organize their ideas by utilizing pictures and diagrams. This software also encourages kids to use visual diagrams to help explore different ideas and encourages them to be creative. Once they have explored what they are going to write this software helps them organize their ideas into a written document that can be viewed and printed. By utilizing visual software students can be free to explore their ideas and organize them into their assignment in a fun way while teaching lifelong skills at the same time.

 iPads

Advancements in technology have made learning easier and more accessible to students, and one way schools are helping make resources available to all students is by giving students iPads to use to help with their schoolwork. If your school uses iPads, then you can have students write stories and then share them with the class through PDF apps like Kindle or iBooks. Students can share and collaborate on writing assignments and make writing fun and interesting.

Let’s face it, most students in grades K-12 do not love to read and write, but it is our responsibility to help teach them the joy and benefits of writing skills. Most children today have access to electronics and technology, so the best way to help teach them to write is by utilizing the technology they love. Whether it is through writing software on the computer or monitored teacher blogs, incorporating technology to stimulate student’s thoughts and imaginations is a great way to teach the writing skills they will need later in life.