Do your students need help with their writing skills? More help than you can give? Writing Exchange's e-mail apprenticeship system makes writing in cyberspace engaging, educational and rewarding. Student apprentices and their student mentors begin to write better as they learn from each other what makes written communication successful.

Following is an abbreviated version of the WREX timeline correlating to the school year. You will find a complete version in the "WREX Downloading Stage 1". Please note that this timeline serves only as a model. Feel free to adjust it to your own class schedule requirements.

August
Study Feasibility & Locate Collaborator
  • Read teacher's manual cover to cover
  • Evaluate computer resources
    • Computer model types and availability
    • Accessible postscript printer
  • Study Internet Access
    • Modems and telephone lines
    • Internet service provider
  • Verify technical support
  • Administrator support
  • Contact another teacher
    • Have her/him read teacher's manual
    • Have her/him study feasibility
  • Obtain funds
*Confirm collaboration: In order to proceed, both teachers must have necessary facilities and equipment in place as well as adequate funding and technical support.
September
Hook up Equipment & Conduct Planning
  • Equipment
    • Connect computers, modems; install telephone lines
    • Get Internet Service
    • Download software
  • Planning
    • Schedule
    • Assignments
    • Start Date!
October
Connect Students to Internet & Begin Pre-mentoring
  • Connecting
    • Addresses/log-ins/passwords
    • Address books
    • Demonstration
  • Pre-mentoring
    • Student to Student Communication
    • 5th Graders practice with Ed
    • Mentor orientation
    • High School mentoring practice
  • Matching Forms with E. Laine
November/December
Initiate Mentoring
  • Apprentices complete 1st draft assignment
  • Mentors evaluate and make recommendations for 2nd draft
  • Web search activity for high schools
  • Continue exchange; final draft completed before break
January - May
Mentoring
  • Continue 3-week draft cycles
  • Cyberzine production every 4th week
  • Continue high schoolers' web search activity
    • Create high school homepages
  • Introduce 5th graders to web search activity
  • Web site visits
June
Farewells
  • Good-bye messages between students
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