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Teresa E. Giner Home Learn More Standards Inspiration About the Author |
New Assessments and Standards Inspire Changes in Writing Instruction
Within the past ten years, three major events have occurred that have made it necessary for California’s elementary teachers to re-evaluate how technology is used in the writing process. First, school districts have enthusiastically joined the initiative to promote the 21st Century Skills. Secondly, they have invested in a variety of new technologies in elementary schools. Thirdly, the adoption of the completely digital California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) has changed how students take standardized exams. Students are now required to use a word processing program in order to complete a written exam.
The adoption of the Common Core Standards and 21st Century Skills in combination with the digitization of state assessments has made it essential for educators to explore how effective technology is in the writing process. Since students are now required to write detailed compositions on most state assessments, it is very important that they not only fully understand how to use the writing process, but also how to use word-processing features on a computer. This research study examined how well students utilized the 21st Century skills of communication and collaboration throughout the process of writing an expository essay. The study explored how well technology activated student engagement in the writing process. It also looked for definite evidence that technology improved writing skills in comparison to a traditional hand-written method. The preceding text is an excerpt from my research study Encouraging Active Student Engagement Through Digital Tools and 21st Century Tools. To read the full document, please click on the link.
Lack of Student Motivation is a Serious ConcernBased on data gathered from the CAASPP, student writing performance at the school where the initial study was conducted has nose-dived into a steady decline since 2014.
It was apparent during the study that students could not and would not write. Within the control group of students who participated in my initial study, all but three students demonstrated a severe lack of motivation to write beyond a few, disjointed sentences. 
At first, students claimed eagerness to write. On several surveys conducted prior to the study, 68% of the participants claimed to enjoy writing. Prior to the writing assignment, they had received explicit instructions in both word-processing and writing techniques. They also received the necessary background information needed in order to write a well-crafted expository essay. However, after one 30 minute writing session, they complained that they were not having any fun, and that the writing task was too hard, too long, and too boring.
Despite after much encouragement, most students did not complete the writing project as expected. Many gave up, failing to independently transfer the skills they had learned during guided practice. I noticed that students often gave up after writing a very short response without clear introductory and concluding sentences. After several informal interviews with other teachers, it was revealed that they were having similar experiences in their classrooms during writing activities. But There Is Hope!
Subsequently, during the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California test (ELPAC), it was discovered that the same students who had been complaining about writing were enthusiastically completing the writing section of the test. Students worked eagerly on filling up pages with the prescribed five detailed paragraphs, including an introduction and conclusion.
After the tests were collected and submitted, students shared that they enjoyed writing on paper better than Google Docs because there was an end to the page. After a class discussion about the difference between using Google Docs and paper and pencil, I inferred that the reason students were having a hard time completing writing assignments was because they could not physically see the end of the page. Students shared that they often felt overwhelmed with a “page that never ended.” What was needed now was a strategy that would alleviate the anxiety associated with writing via Google Docs while motivating students to continue to work on their writing abilities. A new writing platform was needed to bridge students between paper and Google Docs. That first writing platform was Google Slides. |
Research
Design Process
Support and Next Steps
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Encouraging Active Student Engagement Through Digital Tools and 21st Century Skills
The following is the abstract of my research paper. Click on the image above to view the full document.
Abstract
The adoption of the Common Core Standards and 21st Century Skills in combination with the digitization of state assessments has made it essential for teachers to explore how effective technology is in the writing process. Since students are now required to write detailed compositions on most state assessments, it is essential that they not only fully understand how to use the writing process, but also how to use word-processing features on a computer.
Despite a considerable amount of data supporting technology in writing instruction, there is a concern that technology hinders the writing process. This study was conducted to measure how well digital writing tools and peer collaboration encouraged active student engagement in the writing process among fourth graders. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected to compare the traditional pen-and-paper writing medium with newer digital word-processing methods. Findings revealed that although students preferred to use a Chromebook over pen and paper, writing scores did not significantly improve. The study also found that collaboration was too distracting for some students. This study suggests that for some young writers technology and student collaboration is not enough to motivate them to produce longer, well-written compositions.
The adoption of the Common Core Standards and 21st Century Skills in combination with the digitization of state assessments has made it essential for teachers to explore how effective technology is in the writing process. Since students are now required to write detailed compositions on most state assessments, it is essential that they not only fully understand how to use the writing process, but also how to use word-processing features on a computer.
Despite a considerable amount of data supporting technology in writing instruction, there is a concern that technology hinders the writing process. This study was conducted to measure how well digital writing tools and peer collaboration encouraged active student engagement in the writing process among fourth graders. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected to compare the traditional pen-and-paper writing medium with newer digital word-processing methods. Findings revealed that although students preferred to use a Chromebook over pen and paper, writing scores did not significantly improve. The study also found that collaboration was too distracting for some students. This study suggests that for some young writers technology and student collaboration is not enough to motivate them to produce longer, well-written compositions.
My Capstone Video
The following five minute video presents data collected during my research study.
Documenting My Journey Through Innovative Learning
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Click on the image to the right to visit the blog I wrote throughout this incredible year of learning.
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