“How can I effectively use technology to engage students in writing?”
It was important for me to narrow my question in a way that was more focused in order to conduct more specific research on my topic. So far I have discovered resources from my muses; Elyse Eidman-Aadahl and David Rose. These muses have published extensively and conducted research in writing and UDL. Elyse Eidman-Aadahl is associated with the National Writing Project that incorporates technology in the digital world into writing. There is an emphasis on design, collaboration, and sharing to improve and publish writing. New ways to create writing have been developed and should be considered with writing in the classroom. David Rose has made contributions to the UDL Framework. Students should be engaged in writing. It is important that learning is presented and learned in a variety of ways. Digital media provides many different ways to meet the needs of learners through modeling, scaffolding, progress monitoring, feedback, assessment, and presentation. These aspects and resources have helped begin my journey to help my students become 21st century digital writers.
Hi Hannah,
ReplyDeleteI wonder if your question can include something about how we define writing. Writing is really about communication. My project revolves more around reading literacy, but with the help of Sue and Susan, it's dawned on me that I really need to think about literacy in a more "21st Century" way. The same may hold true with writing. If we're infusing UDL into our work, multiple means of expression suggest there's more than one way to articulate findings, feelings, analysis, etc. There are so many multi-media apps available now, it might be worth reconsidering what you're asking of students. Good ol' writing can still be a part of it, but does the assessment have to be confined to a single expression?
-Mac
ReplyDeleteHi Mac!
You add some interesting points to my question. I have been thinking about some of those aspects through my journey with this question. I believe that it is important to have multiple means of expression with learning as well. That is an aspect that I was reviewing with my research on the National Writing Project as well. There are many ways to think about writing especially in a 21st century school environment. I was thinking that some of these avenues could be online journal writing, discussion boards, blogs, presentations, videos, and book creating. I think that these aspects and other multi media apps are worth using in my classroom to promote writing.
I am thinking that my question could be changed to:
How can I effectively use technology to engage students in multiple forms of writing?
What are your thoughts about the revised question? Thanks for your input!
Hanna,
ReplyDeleteI think that trying to bring the 21st century into our classrooms for writing is a very good point. Being able to teach our students how to express themselves through writing is also important because there are a lot of people who cannot express themselves verbally but they can express themselves through writing. Just like Mac said there are lots of apps out there that can help with the writing process as well.