ThumbScribes Gives Budding Writers an Authentic Audience
One of the biggest challenges for students when they sit down to write is feeling
comfortable with their own thoughts.
I have encountered this with the 10th
graders I teach as well as my college
classmates. Students of all ages often
prejudge themselves about what is
good before they even begin. An-
other problem some students face is
feeling uncomfortable with the audi-
ence of the classroom. Fortunately,
web 2.0 tools are providing new
opportunities for students to create
and share creative writing without
worrying that their work will not
measure up to the expectations of
their teachers, peers, or, worse, their
own “inner critics.”
ThumbScribes is a website where
anyone can submit writing for col-
laboration, feedback, or just the ex-
citement of showing their work to an
audience. It is free and open to any-
one who would like to read or share
creative writing.
Students can contribute poems,
haikus, novellas, songs, and more
for the online community to read
and contribute to. Writers have the
option of sharing with the entire
ThumbScribes community or with
select friends. The site is for students
who have a lot to say and are looking
for others to hear them.
Using ThumbScribes in the Classroom
ThumbScribes is an excellent classroom tool that I use to help students
connect with each other and understand course content. After studying
poetry, I ask students to log on to
ThumbScribes to create their own
poems for the class and read the
work of their peers as well as other
users on the site.
