"The Write Motivation"
Rowen

This article says that kids write better when they know it will be displayed publicly.  I have also found this to be true.  Typically in the classroom you cannot do this with all written work.  Internet use, however, is the perfect way to spark the students' interests and display their writing more consistently.

Following are some different ways to use the Internet to spark writing interest:
Students can read a book online and write the author or a character.  The Scholastic website allows young readers/writers to do this with several texts.  Kidscribe does a similar thing with older students.
Students can contatct an expert in the field that they are studying, such as science topics.  Pitsco's Ask an Expert is an excellent resource.
Students can collaborate with another classroom.  Teachers can choose projects that both classes can work on and share results.  Some classes continue the communication beyond the projects, becoming friends.