Writing with Keyboards?

There is a struggle going on within many writers that have sloppy handwriting.  Which is more important: content or appearance?  In other words, should writers with bad penmanship concentrate on writing neat or getting their thoughts onto paper.

It isn't possible for all writers to do both.  Rough draft writing needs to be fast.  If writers go slow in order to have neat handwriting, then their thinking will slow down.  As a result, there will not be as much meaningful content in their writing.  A rough draft should be fast and potentially sloppy.  If the student can read their own writing, then it should be good enough for a rough draft.

This doesn't mean that it is OK to turn in sloppy handwriting.  When students turn a rough draft into a final draft, they should use neat handwriting.  The content is in the rough draft; the appearance is in the final draft.

Using keyboards can be a helpful solution to the issue of sloppy handwriting.  As long as it doesn't slow down the writer's ability to think.  Until students can type as fast as they can write, they should do their rough drafts on paper.

Evernote for anecdotal records

Evernote is a great tool to use for anecdotal records, especially if you have a smartphone!! I use a smartphone with the Evernote app to create digital notebooks for each student.  It is password protected both on Evernote and on my phone to protect student identities.  If I want to look up all of my anecdotal notes on a student's writing conventions, I search through his or her notebook for his/her name, writing, and conventions.  I would tag his anecdotal note with writing and conventions.  I would like it to a picture of his writing that showcased his ability to use a new type of convention.  This is a great way to quickly review data for creating small groups and sharing progress at parent conferences.