Digital Tools for supporting writing

Writing is a difficult skill. It is also a skill to strengthen "Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency" (CALP) in students and in adults (teachers). As a 'creation' and 'expression' implicating skill, writing is something to value and cherish. Developing writing skills in every learner is therefore a valuable aim.

"Learning to write" is a process. It would require many things to come together - ideas, expression, vocabulary etc. Getting the 'right ideas' by is itself is a very complex and challenging ask, it depends to quite some extent on life's experiences - actual and vicarious.

In this complex process, digital technologies can play an enabling role.

At an extreme, we can use a LLM AI tool to simply generate the output - but this by itself will not build writing skill.

Digital tool assisted human writing

Rather, using different digital tools, for specific purposes, can act as learning aids to our building our writing skills. The concept map (also shared as an image below) provides some possibilities in this direction. Of course, it is not suggested that digital tools and related skills are sufficient to begin writing, there are many other important abilities that also need to be developed/strengthened. However, the appropriate use of digital tools can help the process of writing. It is asserted that, the greater felicity in the use of these tools, can make the task of writing, less difficult.

Strengthening writing skill using digital technologies

Free writing

Once the concept map is reasonably finalized (the nodes comprehensively identified, categorized and sequenced), then the writer should identify which of the nodes in the map will form part of the article. The map is likely to be a comprehensive set of ideas relating to the topic, and it would not be feasible to write on all the ideas in one article.

Once the writer has identified the key nodes (this can be done by making these nodes bold), the writer can review these nodes together to assess if an article can be written with these ideas (criteria are - these are important ideas, these ideas interest the writer, they are not too many or too few).

Once the node identification is completed, the writer should write all the thoughts they have about each node in the 'Notes' window. This writing can be done in a manner of 'dumping' of thoughts, without much worry about syntax or sequence. Once ideas for that node are dumped into that node's note panel, the writer can review this content a few times and refine (refine syntax and sequence).

This is free writing on the concept, yet limited in scope by that concept.

Once this is completed, the writer can 'export' the map to a text document and begin revising that document to develop the article.

Peer review processes

Sharing one's drafts with peers and seeking their feedback, is a useful process of peer learning and support. Providing peer feedback itself is a developmental activity

Writing Workshops using digital tools

1. Teachers writing workshop - Thrissur 2024
2. ITfC team writing workshop - April 2024