Technology and WritingA Presentation by Lisa RamseyA Capstone Presented to the Teachers College Faculty of Western Governors UniversityIn Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Masters of Education in Learning and TechnologySeptember 16, 2014Student Mentor: Karen Lamb, MEdCapstone Facilitator: Dr. Robert Murray

Capstone Overview Students are not prepared for online

writing assessments. Instruction in writing and technology is

needed for successful assessments. The participants were comprised of

eight second grade students. The researcher believes student scores

will improve with writing instruction utilizing technology.

Reasons for Technology Motivates students.

Technology helps students who struggle with writing.

Writing strategies can be more easily demonstrated.

Participants 8 second grade students, 7-9 years old 6 girls, 2 boys Familiar with computers Ethnicity: 5 Caucasian, 1 Asian, 1

African-American, and 1 Hispanic 1 student with active IEP, diagnosis of

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

Classroom Technology lab consisting of 28 desktop

computers, 8 tablets, printer, and an interactive whiteboard.

Software/websites available: Microsoft Word, Reading Rockets Mapping Template, BrainPop Jr., Drawing Box, and Google Sites.

Instructional Practices Action research Pretest and Post-test – graded by

paragraph writing rubric Writing Process – Mapping, Rough Draft,

Editing, Revising, Final Draft, Publishing

Instructional Strategies Interactive Instruction

Students working in pairs and groups to map, write, and share

Indirect Instruction Concept Mapping Writing to Inform

Results Quantitative Results

Student scores increased an average of 28%. Mode pretest scores 70, post-test scores 100.

Qualitative Results Students motivated and learned from technology Teachers felt students learned writing skills and

technology skills Conclusion

Technology can be effectively used to strengthen student writing.

Data by subgroups African American

Mean pretest – 80, post-test – 100 Mode pretest – 80, post-test – 100

Asian Mean pretest – 55, post-test – 100 Mode pretest – 55, post-test – 100

Caucasian Mean pretest – 74, post-test – 100 Mode pretest – 70, 75, post-test – 100

Hispanic Mean pretest – 70, post-test – 100 Mode prestest – 70, post-test - 100

State Standards TDOE – Writing Assessment TN Technology Academic Standards Gr 2

Technology Application ToolsTechnology Research/Information Tools

TN Common Core State Standards (CCSS)CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.2 – Informational textCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.7 – Shared research

Lessons Meet Standards Practice writing an essay on the

computer Application tools - word processing,

mapping, drawing box, website Reseach/Information Tools – BrainPop Jr Informational text – Sun and Moon

comparison Group research – movies on BrainPop Jr.

Obstacles and Issues Number of participants

Better outreach might have led to a higher number of participants.

Mapping softwareThe original mapping software was not available eliminating part of the lesson plan – the visual transfer of mapping to outline.

Overcoming the Obstacles Work with the 8 students allowed to

participate Search for online mapping tool when

software was not installed Successful project despite obstacles. Flexibility is key in teaching.

Evaluating Goals Did student scores increase after

instruction? Did students enjoy the project and learn

about writing as well? Did teachers feel the instructional unit

was beneficial?

Weaknesses Number of participants

Too few participants reduced results reliability.

Larger random samplingThe students came from a specific after school club which may have catered more to a certain demographic. A larger random sampling would increase validity.

Strengths Technology aides worked well in

motivating students to write. Lessons were a solid process of

instruction to teach writing. Technology was a useful tool in creating

the project – mapping, word processing, publishing.

Future Study Ideas How technology can aid English

Language Learners in writing

If technology can be used to accelerate student language development

Application – Tech Coach Share instructional strategies using

technology

Provide reference tools for teachers

Work alongside teachers in classrooms in developing curriculum for students.