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Cultivating Young Writers Using Web-Based Resources

Serena Jones, Janelle Konkle, and Rachel Howanetz

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2016

Keystone State Reading Association Conference

Seven Springs Resort, PA

“Literacy Changes Lives!”

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Introductions - Us

Pre-Service teachers
Millersville University, Lancaster, PA

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Rachel

Field Experience: Toddler-3rd Grade ESL
Senior Year of High School Internship: Simmons Elementary, 1st Grade
Student Worker in EMEE Department
Camp Counselor/Nurse’s Aid
Why teaching?

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Janelle

Integrative STEM Education Minor
Field Experiences

Preschool, Kindergarten, 1st grade, 3rd grade

Past Conference experience

KSRA 2015
PA-National Association for Multicultural Education
International Mentoring Association

Internship
Study abroad

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Serena

Field Experience: Preschool, 1st, and 4th grade

Goals as an educator

KSRA Conference 2016

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Introductions - You!

Who are YOU?
Teaching background and/or experience?
Technology available to you?

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“We need diversity of thought in the world to face the new challenges.”

Tim Berners-Lee

Inventor of the World-Wide Web

Image: https://pixabay.com/en/common-commune-diversity-hand-1300520/

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21st Century Skills

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What are 21st century skills?

“The term 21st century skills refers to a broad set of knowledge, skills, work habits, and character traits that are believed—by educators, school reformers, college professors, employers, and others—to be critically important to success in today’s world, particularly in collegiate programs and contemporary careers and workplaces.”

---The Glossary of Education Reform

Image: https://pixabay.com/en/download-successful-tick-expert-1002802/

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Learning and Innovation Skills

Learning to Learn and Innovate
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Communication and Collaboration
Creativity and Innovation

Image: https://pixabay.com/en/gears-bulb-innovation-technology-1443730/

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Career and Life Skills

Flexibility and Adaptability
Initiative and Self-Direction
Social and Cross-Cultural Interaction
Productivity and Accountability
Leadership and Responsibility

Image: https://pixabay.com/en/system-network-news-personal-825314/

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Digital Learning Skills

Information Literacy
Media Literacy
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Literacy

Image: https://pixabay.com/en/tablet-icon-app-facebook-1616460/

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Our students are being raised in an era that fully embraces technology…

… so why would we not fully embrace it in our classroom?

Image: https://pixabay.com/en/binary-one-cyborg-cybernetics-1536651/

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Why Writing and Tech-Based Resources?

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Definitions

Digital Literacy: The ability to use digital technology, communication tools or networks to locate, evaluate, use and create information (Slater, 2016).

Digital Writing: DeVoss, Eidman-Aadahl, and Hicks (2010) describe digital writing as “more than just a skill; it is a means of interfacing with ideas and with the world, a mode of thinking and expressing in all grades and disciplines” (Pearman and Camp, 2014).

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Benefits of tech-based programs for writers

Promote the “intentional focus” of writing
Fuels creativity
Extends the writer’s role
Increases collaboration
Assistive technology

So far we’ve been talking about using web-based resources in general, but now we’d like to zero in on looking at why these tools can be helpful to young writers.
Johnson (2014), states that digital tools and environments “promote not only understanding the how of writing but also the intentional focus of writing or the audience and purpose for which students are writing.” p. 99

For example, students may contribute to a class blog, focusing on sharing their experiences with art throughout the school year. Using the digital tool, or the blog, enables these students to see a practical way to apply and build their writing skills. The writing strategy of writing to a specific audience makes sense because the students are aware of who will read their blog - perhaps parents and friends of the school, maybe even a global audience. This gives relevance to a student’s work, because instead of only keeping a private or class journal on the same subject, the students can see how their writing will impact others.

Using web-based resources also fuels creativity by freeing students to focus less on the conventions, and more on the piece of writing.

Web programs may free the student to invest their time in creative ventures, and not as much on the conventions of writing.
Of course, educators do not want students to lose the benefit of using a pen or pencil, learning handwriting, and increasing their fine motor skills, but there is much to gain from the use of digital tools for writing.

Increases collaboration and extends the writer’s role.

One of the reasons the internet is so revolutionary is because of its ability to reach a worldwide audience. This is an advantage to students today as they learn what it means to be a writer to reach a large audience.
Johnson comments, “The participatory nature of the read/write web extends the role of reader to creator, contributor, and distributor of knowledge to a worldwide audience.” p. 100
No longer are students simply using the internet to consume, they are learning to use the internet to produce new content. It is important for educators to help our students “extend” their roles and realize that they can contribute to the worldwide audience.
Another important aspect of this concept is that the internet increases collaboration. Writing can often be viewed as a solo enterprise, yet the internet and other technology is making writing more and more collaborative. This type of collaboration is a vitally needed 21st century skill, and encouraging our students to write collaboratively with others via the internet is building up this skill.
Johnson also says, “collaborative writing in a digital environment allows students to draw from the strengths of a diverse class or small group.” p. 117

Assistive Technology

Of course, assistive technology is another important aspect. While this type of technology is not our focus for this presentation, it is important to remember that internet-based resources can be very helpful to students with special needs. Providing supports and prompts, and breaking down tasks are a few examples of things a writing computer program can do for a student. This can free the student to focus on composing a story, or a paragraph, or a paper.

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How do these programs help scaffold our young writers?

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Michigan University Study: Englert, Manalo and Zhao

“Compared to control students without access to such aids, students who had access to (the computer program) wrote stories that were rated as better organized, and that incorporated features that represented more sophisticated structures of written language.”

Studies show that digital tools can be an appropriate scaffold for young writers, and that the skills practiced and learned through a digital tool can transfer to a physical paper and pencil environment. For example, Englert, Manalo, and Zhao ran a study on the use of technology in writing instruction for a class of first and second graders. One group received instruction and aids on the computer for their task of writing a paragraph, while another group received only face-to-face instruction. The results related directly to our topic today. They said,

“Compared to control students without access to such aids, students who had access to (the computer program) wrote stories that were rated as better organized, and that incorporated features that represented more sophisticated structures of written language.”
“I can do it better on the computer!” - Tyler
Students who used the computer program scaffolds to write were able to carry those skills over onto their paper-and-pencil writing, and improved in their organization of thought, narrative, use of language, and conventions. (Englert, Manalo, and Zhao, 2004).

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“I can do it better on the computer!” - Tyler

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Tools and Resources

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Pre-Writing: Slatebox

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https://slatebox.com/

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Story Writing: Story Creator

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Collaborative Writing: Edmodo

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Parent View

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Student View

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https://www.edmodo.com/home

Teacher View

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Group Discussion

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Feedback

What resources had you heard of before, and how have you used them or seen them used?
What resources were new to you and how do you think you could use them in the future?
What other resources would be helpful for future and current educators to learn about?

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Extra Resources

Smore link

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Reflection on our Experience

Valuable experience
Professionalism and networking experience
Met the PA Teacher of the Year 2016: Becca Foxwell
Jewell Parker Rhodes
We had a small audience, but each attendee said it was a valuable learning experience

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Pictures

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSPD-fvkDUDMCDN0_ZWzEYRCArzmRfNakATfGR6FHICuH2WfRHu

http://www.commonapp.org/files/school/image/Millersville_Header%20Image%20945%20x%20350.jpg

http://www.saintjosephlannion.fr/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Photo-EMI-coll%C3%A8ge.jpg

http://www.cnyric.org/tfiles/folder1037/Edmodo%20new.png

http://cdn.free-power-point-templates.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Slatebox-web-app.jpg

http://a3.mzstatic.com/us/r30/Purple2/v4/f0/5c/b1/f05cb1f2-affb-71d3-2927-2382fc9c5c8d/screen568x568.jpeg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/56/2d/bb/562dbb69f47a4c88a83fbd283f6c6687.jpg

http://ehs.eastchesterschools.org/m2/course/view.php?id=18777

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Reference List

21st Century Skills. (2016, August 25). Retrieved October 23, 2016, from http://edglossary.org/21st-century-skills/

Englert, C. S., Manalo, M., & Zhao, Y. (2004). I Can Do It Better on the Computer: The Effects of Technology-Enabled Scaffolding on Young Writers' Composition. Journal Of Special Education Technology, 19(1), 5-22.

Johnson, Denise. (2014). Reading, Writing, and Literacy 2.0: Teaching with Online Texts, Tools, and Resources. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Pearman, C. J., & Camp, D. (2014). Digital Writing: The Future of Writing is Now. Journal Of Reading Education, 39(3), 29-32.

Slater, R. (2016, October 15). Digital Literacy Definition and Resources. Retrieved October 18, 2016, from http://www.library.illinois.edu/diglit/definition.html

Trilling, B. & Fadel, C. (2009). 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Quotes From Tim Berners-Lee | Inventor Of The World Wide Web. (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2016, from http://thelegacyproject.co.za/quotes-from-tim-berners-lee-inventor-of-the-world-wide-web/

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All thanks to...

Dr. Jennifer Shettel

KSRA Board

Student Senate

Made in Millersville Committee

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Get in touch with us!

Serena Jones

smjones3@millersville.edu

Janelle Konkle

jlkonkle@millersville.edu

Rachel Howanetz

rshowane@millersville.edu

@tchrjonesie95

@JanelleKonkleMU

@futrteachrachel