E-mail and Internet projects

I think e-mailing and internet projects are a great way to include technology in the classroom. It is a great way to get students to write in different formats (letter writing) and introduce researching on the internet. Aldert Root has a great Flat Stanly project where students research how much it would cost to ship themselves instead of Flat Stanly. They also have to research his destination and the culture there.
E-mailing would be a fast and easy way to have pen pals. Students could also e-mail each other if they need help on an assignment or project. We have this technology at our fingertips, why not incorporate it into the classroom to make it relevant and interesting to our students?

Blogging

I think blogging would be a neat twist on dialogue journals! A student can post his thoughts on a book he is reading and other students can post their responses. It would also be a good way for students to do some free writing. They are able to post their thoughts, stories, pictures, whatever they like. It helps make the students feel they have ownership in what they are able to post.
The teacher could then check out what students are blogging. It would be a great way to get to know your students and maybe even get a glimpse into what they may need extra help in (grammar, story concepts, spelling, etc.).

Publishing Student Writing

Publishing student writing is an excellent idea. It gives the students pride in what they have made and they think it is neat to see their work and can show everyone their accomplishment. By publishing students' work gives them internal motivation to produce more, and hopefully better, work.
The only issue I think would be a problem is a student plagiarizing another student's work. However, this can be prevented by informing students of how wrong it is to do so. It also depends on the age of the students.

Writing and Technology

I believe that the use of technology has had some what of a negative effect on writing. People are now using abbreviations for words. There is also a lack of capitalization and some punctuation. However, technology has made writing so much faster. Students can now take notes and do homework more quickly and efficiently. Also, because of spelling and grammar checks on word and other programs, it is easier to tell if one has made a mistake and it gives you choices as to how to correct that mistake.