Abstract

This piece, by Todd Wright, considers his experience implementing WiER at the middle school level at the Bailey Campus of J.A. Gibson Public School in Maple, Ontario. Todd considers many issues here, including the place of original student work as curriculum in the classroom, and the impact of WiER on the school's writing program as an "agent of change."

This article first appeared in Telecommunications In Education (T.I.E.) News, 5(2), 1993 a publication of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), University of Oregon, Eugene.
© Todd Wright , York Region Board of Education

The addition of the Writers In Electronic Residence (WiER) program to my classroom has presented an opportunity for significant change. After an initial exposure to it in 1992, WiER has become the core of my English program. The opportunity to interact with writers online occurs between January and June, but the preparation for the effective use of that time now begins the first day of school.
WiER is, essentially, a writers' conference system that makes use of asynchronous (time and place independent) computer-mediated communications (CMC) to allow students an opportunity to share and develop their writing skills with other students from across the country, and with professional writers who come online in the role of supportive critics. The reason for putting WiER at the centre of my creative writing program relates to the way in which my class and I experienced WiER for the first time last year. As much as we benefitted from that experience, there was a sense that much more could be done.

Last year, we got involved at the last minute after I heard about WiER through communication on CHIMO, an Ontario-based network for educators operated by the Peel Board of Education. I "met" Trevor Owen, the force behind WiER, and got some information about addresses and contacts here in Ontario. Trevor was at Simon Fraser University at the time, setting up the 1992 version of Writers In Electronic Residence. Once online, it was necessary to learn the ins and outs of the PARTICIPATE Conferencing system through which our online communications would take place. At the same time I was running my regular process-based writing program with a Grade 7 class.
When it came time to begin sending the writing, there was tremendous reluctance among class members. No one wanted to go first, although they were all excited about the prospect of online "talking." After spending some time "lurking" and reading the work of other students from other schools, we began to send our own work. Things rapidly developed from there, and the kids could not get enough. Once a story or poem was sent, we all checked, with much anticipation, the responses that would come back.

At first, the novelty kept things moving, but soon the lack of responses from other student writers became a problem. The online authors in residence did a wonderful job of responding to the writing, and their comments and criticisms were pertinent. Students came to see their writing in new ways. They recognized the importance of process in a manner I have never been able to get across before. Yet there was a sense of disappointment that grew in some quarters as weeks would go by and their work would have generated only two or three responses. This is one problem that can be addressed easily through more thorough preparation for the WiER experience.
One of the greatest potentials of WiER lies in the interaction of students from the many diverse areas of our country. The professional authors also recognized this and tried hard to encourage the development of more student-to-student interaction.

As a teacher, I decided to make response the key issue for the final few months. I did this based on the recognition that the students I was teaching could learn as much from reading the writing of others as they could from doing their own writing. Also, in adding their own written responses, they were forced to think hard about what effective writing was. The results of this response-based effort were quite rewarding. Students learned more about writing and also about regional interests exhibited in the writing of others. This, in turn, forced some introspective writing of our own, with consideration given to what made us unique as writers from Southwestern Ontario.
Building on last year's experiment, we developed a school-wide program that would encourage all intermediate students to become involved in Writers In Electronic Residence. We developed an "Integrated Language Arts Program" that had a variety of activities, including WiER. Through a rotation system we covered all one-hundred intermediate students. All received initial exposure to WiER-based activities. This took place from September to October, long before WiER was even set to begin. Most activities merely simulated the WiER experience; students realized that they were in training for the online version, which we will begin in early '93. Through this program we have prepared all students for WiER: we have learned to focus on the writing process and especially on how to respond to the writing of others.

For my own class, there is added opportunity to become "writing focussed." In a class of 25 Grade 7 students, we have three networked computers and access to another four at various times. Students are usually well prepared for computer use by the time they reach Grade 7, but proper procedures and keyboarding skills are reviewed early on. The class is introduced to the concept of online learning from the first day with a demonstration of telecommunications, and a possible log on to WiER.
From this point on the process of writing seems to take on an energy of its own. Students are encouraged to use the computer as a writing tool for a variety of tasks. In creative writing there are many supportive online tools, such as online databases, encyclopedias, and so on. With these resources available, individual students find time to construct initial writing experiences.

The development of student writing as an emerging form is an important concept to convey, and this is done well within the structure of WiER. It is also important to note that risk-taking is crucial, and must be developed delicately. Within the context of a process writing program there should not be much difficulty acknowledging the on-going quality of change that is important to writing. Still, with many students there will be a real fear of this next step.
There are essentially two important components to WiER: first, the students' own writing and its value in the curriculum, and second the response to others' writing. From these come many other worthwhile experiences in all areas of the Language Arts. While these have been our focus to date, there is, in my mind, a plan to develop the response to the response. Students must be actively encouraged to change what they have assumed to be a finished product. Acting on the suggestions of other students and of the professional online writers should be the most important step. This is what can make WiER a unique forum for the development of improved writing.

When we think of listening in the English classroom it is usually the image of the oral presentation that emerges. One of the essential features of online communication is the development of a different type of listening skill. It goes beyond simple comprehension of the written word to a more in-depth analysis of what others are saying, or more often, what they are trying to say.
The sharing of writing with a wider audience is a scary prospect. The movement from reluctance to acceptance to enthusiasm is an exciting one. Not all students overcome their reluctance, but in many cases, the chance to share in a national dialogue on writing through writing, was enough to provoke an increased interest in writing. Learning happened naturally, and emerged according to the needs of the writer. I remember one student in particular. She was a very good writer, yet was antagonistic toward the idea of sharing her work in this new way. After much encouragement, she took the plunge. Once she had done so, she could not wait to see the reaction to her work. Enthusiasm built as the responses came in, and she became a regular participant in WiER, both in her writing as well as her responses to others. The skill of appropriate response became one of her finest resources.

As a teacher in this class, the writing program suddenly had a logic to it that did not seem to be present before. It was both easier and harder to teach writing skills. Easier in that the needs of the students became more obvious. These needs were also shown to be supported through the comments of others. More difficult in that the online work, the guidance of students through the paths of CMC, and the overall planning for this new learning environment demanded a sustained commitment of time and energy.

In our case, it has been well worth the effort. We now refer to ourselves proudly as the "WIERdoes."