Now my students create, design, and publish their work on the Internet. They are learning about writing by writing and publishing. Publishing one's writing after all is one of the goals of writing. Publishing is an oftentime forgotten part of the writing process. The World-Wide Web changes all of that as young writers learn how to write by including publishing.
Today learning by doing is called constructivism.
Looking for a better way to teach writing has been a professional goal of mine since before I became a teacher. It has taken me twenty plus years to realize the better way on the Internet. Each student should have a home page which provides immediate involvement and a sense of belonging. Provide multiple projects so the student can move from one project to another at will. Don't worry about providing all resources, leave discovery for the student.