PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TEAM REPORT

2011-2012

PLT Title

Incorporating Technology in the Writing Process

Blurb for PLT Conference Brochure

The majority of students are more engaged in the writing process when they use technology. How can teachers incorporate technology into their current writing curriculum? Our group explored ways to engage students in the writing process through the use of technology.

Contact Information (Write * next to facilitator’s name.)

Name / School / Grade Level or Subject
*Meaghan Clow / Wellington / Grade 3
Jessica Hackney / Wellington / Grade 3
Alexa Murray / Wellington / Grade 3
Adrienne Lee / Wellington / Grade 3
Steve Tenhor / Wellington / Grade 4
Christina Westfall / Wellington / Grade 4
Stephanie McLaughlin / Wellington / Reading Specialist

Guiding Theme

ü  Differentiated Instruction/RTI
  • Integrated, Real-Life Experiences
ü  Acquisition of 21st Century Skills
  • Deepening Teacher Content Knowledge
  • Improving School Climate/Culture
  • Teaching the “Whole Student”
  • Other (explain) ______

Inquiry Question

How do we incorporate technology to further engage students in the writing process?


Process

1.  Pre-assessments of subject matter ratings were given to all classes including two control classes.
2.  Technology was introduced in different areas of the writing process:
-Prewriting (Templates on laptops, research on the internet)
-Drafting (AlphaSmarts, laptops, computers)
-Publishing (PowerPoint presentations, blogs, Publisher, Word)
-Sharing (SMARTBoard, PowerPoint presentations, blogs, Publisher, Word)
3. Post-assessments of subject matter ratings were given to all classes including two control classes.

Findings

Pros:
-Students are more engaged
-21st century skills
-Use of the internet for research and images
-Better quality work
-Sense of pride and accomplishment of work
-Awareness of audience
Cons:
-Technical difficulties
-Expenses for software
-Management of laptops and staying on task
-Supervision of online sites

Recommendations / Next Steps

Through our research we have found that although technology is a great way to engage kids in the writing process, it can often be hard to manage. If our group had more time to work on this topic, our next steps would be to incorporate a document camera for students to revise each other’s work. We would also like to create more templates with tutorials that students could use on the computer to create organized pieces of writing with brilliant beginnings, mighty middles, and excellent endings. Although a grant for Live Scribe Pens was not approved, we would look into other possible means of funding. Lastly, we would like to do more with online blogs where students could sign in and give each other feedback on their posted writing pieces.
Upon reflection of the results of our pre and post assessments, we recognize that they did not accurately measure students’ engagement in writing. This disparity may be due to a number of variables, including: the time and units currently being taught when the assessments were given, the mutually exclusive nature of the subject rating scale, and the individual student’s definition of what constitutes each subject. Therefore, if we were to do this again, we would use a more reliable assessment that accurately portrays student engagement in writing when using technology.