#DigilitSunday Digital Drafting & Revising

My fingers fly over the keyboard. I'm not certain when my fast typing skills kicked in- I used to ace the timed tests in keyboarding class in high school, but I think I really learned how to be speedy during a job in college where I had to retype many articles. My thoughts flow and my fingers keep up. When I'm done writing, I can reread, delete, cut and paste, and quickly change what needs fixing. 

 Writing in a notebook is not as natural for me. It's not my go-to place to write. I hate having to cross out words and scribble them above or in the margins. When I was younger, the one area I always disappointed my teachers was penmanship, specifically pencil grip. I could not hold the pencil properly. Occupational therapy wasn't as widely understood when I was a student in the 1980's, but I would have been a perfect candidate. My fine motor skills are just not the best, and it slows me down when it comes to writing. 

 I love digital drafting and revising. I love being able to type in Google Doc and colleagues can immediately comment or edit. This summer, I was working on a proposal for a project I am really excited about. I was able to share it with a few trusted friends and colleagues who could offer feedback and make edits right on the document. I could then decide if I wanted to accept the changes or keep it as is. Digital drafting and revising allows for collaboration in ways that would take several steps longer in other forms. 

 Implications for my students? Last year, I had a student who really struggled with penmanship and his handwriting was arduous, then unreadable. He had many ideas but did everything he could to avoid writing. Allowing him to type during writing time helped a lot. While he still did not have stamina for writing, he was able to produce something digitally. I think, in time, he will grow in stamina for writing if allowed to compose and revise digitally. 

 Blogging is another way to help students produce digital drafts and then revise them. I am launching blogging in my third grade class this week and I'm so excited to see what students compose and share!

 I am grateful for digital drafting, revising, and this community! 

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