This past weekend, ERC's Katrina Kennett and the Woburn Public Schools kicked off a year-long workshop series at the beautiful Woburn Memorial High School. Middle and high school teachers, across content areas and specialties, were interested in incorporating Google Drive into their classroom writing workflow. The afternoon included account setup, testing out various Google Drive platforms (Docs, and Spreadsheets among them), and considering how to construct a digital writing workflow to accept, grade, and return full-length essays.

Through the workshop, teachers took technology breaks to consider personal and classroom writing processes - and the interesting places they converge and diverge. They also discussed various classroom configurations to mitigate fussy technology, as well as what parts of the writing process were more valuable digitally (and what weren't). They also talked about differentiation strategies when using Google Docs with reluctant writers. Abby Gillis, English Department Head, said, "The workshop was a great opportunity to discuss the writing process and ways to invigorate how we teach or model the process to our students using technology. The idea that students can share their writing with teachers, or other students, but still retain access to the writing at the same time will be a powerful tool in getting students to see the value of thinking more deeply about their writing and revising their ideas."

In January, Katrina will return and help teachers with their Google Drive goals, including how to use Google Spreadsheets to facilitate student self-assessment and to provide personalized teacher feedback.

by Katrina Kennett