Everything Old is New Again: Writing

When I prompt my students to write (See Shoes and Boxes and Peanuts and Keys), I ask them to use a paper notebook and pen or pencil to record their initial thoughts and ideas. Because my delivery is entirely on Zoom, I ask my students to tilt their cameras so that I can see their hands writing, not their faces. The result is fascinating. I can actually watch them create, even while on Zoom. And they do create. Pages fill with words and drawings. Some students have taken to writing in different colors, now that they know their writing is on-screen. Who knew that colored pens and pencils would be new and different and exciting? Because is muted during this work, I can only imagine hearing the scratch of pens or pencils on paper. I can hear the soft instrumental music that I play while writing happens. And they can hear that too. I am not muted. It almost feels as though we are in a classroom together.

When I write with my students, I tilt the top of my laptop so that the camera is focused on my hand writing in my notebook. It keeps the momentum going for the entire 7-10 minutes on our timer. They can see that I am writing. They are more likely to keep writing themselves. Typically, when the timer beeps, a few students un-mute themselves to ask for five more minutes, or ten more minutes. If there is enough time left in our class period, I give them more time to write.