While computers have supported student writing for many years, data storage has traditionally been on floppy disks (remember those), removable flash drives, or school servers. In addition, peer-review activities have remained relatively unaffected by technology. With nearly 100% of public schools (and 93% of classrooms) connected to the Internet, strategies for teaching writing are changing.
Web-based WriteSite, a password-protected writing management system currently hosted by OETC (The Organization for Educational Technology & Curriculum), provides authors easy access to their writing from anywhere—via the Internet. Student drafts, revisions, and portfolios are conveniently stored on and accessed from a database located on the their server and are backed-up nightly. All writing and authors are easily searchable for generating work samples and/or reviewing during parent conferences.
From a teacher's perspective, student access to writing terminals is still not 1:1, but nationally, the number has dropped considerably. The current student-to-computer ratio in most schools is around 4:1. With WriteSite, students may participate in the writing process or discussions from any computer with an Internet connection: on a classroom computer, from a support teacher or administrator’s desk, from laptops on wireless networks, on any machine in a school's computer lab or school library, at the public library, at home or a friend's house, or from a partnered classroom or school, regardless of geographical location. Student authors have marveled at the opportunity for grandparents to read (and respond to) their writing from out of state—thanks to the Internet!
