Writing Tools

All writing tools can be used as graded or ungraded assignments. Click on the column header for instructions on specific tools.

Tool	What is its purpose?	Why would it be useful as a part of the learning experience?	How difficult is it to use?
Blogs Post thoughts about topic and have time-based interactions	Sharing ideas about a topic and receiving feedback.	Elicits collaboration, discussion, reflection, and connection to class community Students receive and respond to peer and instructor comments	Medium for students; medium to grade or track class and individual student use.
Discussion Board Threaded discussions on a topic that allow conversations to flow by topic rather than by time posted	Discussing a major topic, theme, question, unit, or chapter.	Allows for more social participation, classroom community development, and continuity between class sessions Better for answering questions and challenging all students to express their opinions or apply learning to new situations	Medium for students to use; hard to track individual student use and grade, but easy to track class use.
Journal Private interaction, with only instructor and individual student able to access	Gauge individual student comprehension or receive feedback about student experiences.	Allows better understanding of the student's goals, personal growth, problem-solving skills, perspective, values, or ideals	Easy for students to use; easy to track student use and grade.
Wiki Collaborative Writing	Collaborative writing of information about a topic. Can be edited by all users as necessary.	Create a vocabulary list or glossary of terms that students can define and edit, then study and review Students can share links to tools or resources that they find useful and encourage peer review	Medium to hard for students to use; hard to track class and individual student use, but easy to grade.
Glossary List important terms and definitions	Reviewing key terms and ideas unique to a course.	Create a vocabulary list of terms that students can use as reference tool or study guide for review	Easy for students and instructors to use.

If you have further questions about which tool to use, please contact Instructional Technology at (512) 313-4017.