My Digital Classroom

Proofreading and editing are essential parts of the writing process. One tool I have been using to help students with their writing is the online word processor, Google docs. One of the things I love about using Google docs is the ability to collaborate. Whenever students start writing their draft on Google docs, I get them to add me as a collaborator. I can then see the development of their work and give them instant feedback. I also get the students to invite three other students to be collaborators so that they can proofread the work. Students can all proofread the same document and are not constricted by time or the four walls of the classroom. I get each of the proofreaders to use a different colour when making corrections/suggestions to make it easier for the writer to identify who has made each change.

Pilot p-500 Uploaded on March 23,2005 by Mr. Wright Creative Commons Attrib., Non-Commercial, Share Alike Licence

Another way I’ve used web 2.0 tools to help with editing and proofreading is by utilising some of the free text-to-speech sites. Two I have used are Read The Words and Spoken Text. One important aspect of editing and proofreading is listening to how your work sounds. While those students with strong literacy skills can already do this successfully, getting somebody else to read the work really helps the weaker students. Using a text-to-speech application highlights to students some words which are commonly confused- the most obvious example I come across is were & where. Students immediately pick up those mistakes when they hear them and can make the necessary changes. While this does not pick up mistakes with homophones, I find it a useful part of the editing and proofreading process.