Fuzzmail

[|Fuzzmail] Fuzzmail records your writing as you type on the computer. All of your corrections will also be recorded, making for an excellent tool to teach the writing process in 4th grade.

In 4th grade we have the FCAT Writes where students are assessed based on a 5 paragraph essay. This essay is either an expository or narrative prompt. Therefore one of the ideas I had for the classroom was to use fuzzmail to have students practice writing their introductory paragraphs. I would have students write their paragraphs on fuzzmail and send it to my school email. This would allow me to see their thought process as they wrote their introductory paragraphs. I can also gauge which students are understanding the writing process and which students are still having a difficult time grasping the creation of a paragraph. Another idea I had for using fuzzmail was the creation of sentences using the sentence pyramid. I would have students create sentences on the fuzzmail and email it to me. This would show their understanding of creating sentences to later on create paragraphs. I would make sure students write the steps to the sentence pyramid at the top of each email so that they can glance back at their notes while creating their sentences.
 * __Strengths__**
 * Excellent for teaching the writing process (4th grade)
 * Great way to see student thought process when putting together a paragraph for an expository or narrative prompt.
 * Shows the change as it happens while the student was creating the email
 * Integrates technology into the curriculum
 * Caters to digital native students because it is not on basic paper and pencil
 * __Weaknesses__**
 * Only 1,942 characters including spaces
 * Only 1,880 characters without including the spaces
 * Not enough details explaining process
 * Does not keep the change on the email it just erases it, even though the recipient can see what and when the email was changed.
 * Something similar to track changes would be better
 * Can’t bold, underline, or italicize
 * No font selection
 * __Opportunities__**
 * Have students practice their paragraph writing through fuzzmail and email each paragraph to the teacher.
 * Concentration on paragraph creation.
 * Learn writing etiquette over the Internet
 * __Threats__**
 * Can send to any email address which can lead to cyber bullying
 * Not all students have access to a computer
 * Not all students have access to the Internet
 * Students could use website like a cell phone meaning words could be in text message and abbreviation format
 * __Ideas for the classroom__**