This semester I learned a lot about myself as a writer. I have figured out what styles work for me and which ones don’t. I have learned that I am much better at free writing than I am with assigned prompts or ones that have due dates. It is much easier for me to write when I am alone and have the sudden desire to. Although I did not keep up to date with the blog posts as much as I should have, I now see how it can help build a strong interactive community among students.

                When it comes to using blogging in the classroom, as long as the teacher states clear directions and rules at the beginning of the school year, blogging can be a positive experience for the whole class. The only challenge I could see is if all students have access to technology or not.  I learned a lot through this assignment, and I hope to use something similar to this in my future classroom. 

Argumentative writing

I chose to read the book on argumentative writing instead of the digital writing book. I found this book to be very helpful when it came to giving the reader activities and strategies to better teach students how to write argumentatively. The texts made it a point to state that the elements of an argument include a claim and evidence to support the claim.

I have taken away from this book many ideas on how go get my future students excited about argumentative writing. My absolute favorite activity discussed, was the “Who Done It” activity that is discussed in the first paragraph. In this activity the author puts a picture up on the board and has the students try and decide what is happening. The students must make rules and back up claims with evidence. I thought this was a very good idea, especially for student engagement.