As you may have noticed, blogs and wikis are tailor-made for the writing process. 

One only needs to view the content of each to see that these items are all about the written and spoken word. 

Children can write creatively, produce fiction, and share real life experiences. 

In the classroom, students are taught that the writing process is a 5 step procedure: 

Brainstorming/Prewriting, Drafting Revising EditingPublishing

Interestingly, and not surprisingly, these are the same steps used when one approaches the creation of blogs, wikis and videos.

Like pen to paper writing, students will also consider

Purpose – why am I writing thisAudience – who is going to be reading this

But, unlike pen to paper writing, students must also identify

What type of technology am I going to useWhere will my writing be published and howDo I have the resources I need to create and

publish

must first plan (brainstorm) what their video will be about.

then draft a storyboard (an image by image drawing that renders what the video will look like).

create a script and narrative of what they will say in the video. 

revise and edit during the entire process to refine the final product. 

publish the video (no hardcover or paperbacks here!) - it must uploaded to a website or viewed from a computer. 

will generally honor the same 5 step process, particularly when creating a wiki. For wikis, they must outline and plan the content,

including identifying links and supporting information (i.e., images, video, etc).

often create their writing informally depending upon the nature of the content, the purpose and audience.Some blogs are meant to illicit an emotional response

or share an opinion and while the student must outline their intended content, some of the writing will flow “on the fly” .

may enter content directly into the wiki and blog rather than draft out their writing in another form (paper, MsWord, etc).

Although the body of research is still new in this field (blogs and wiki's have only been around a short while), there is enough so far to substantiate the usefulness of these technologies.  To highlight some of the advantages:

Students must design their technology product and in doing so, create more concise writing plans and clearer main ideas.

The platforms themselves allow students to "open up" and share without fear of ridicule or judgment.

In order to create a product, students must brainstorm, plan, create, edit, revise and publish - these are the cornerstones of the writing process. 

They are able to connect with technologies that they are most familiar and comfortable with in their daily lives - this translates into greater motivation.

Students who struggle with the mechanics of writing often "give up" when attempting to translate their thoughts to paper.  These technologies give them an alternative.