Beals, Timothy. "Between Teachers and
Computers: Does Text Checking Software Really
Improve Student Writing?"
English Journal 87.1 (Oct 98): 67-72.
This article presents an analysis of the value of text checking software
to teacher and to
students. The
basic focus is whether it is worthwhile to use the text checking software
or whether it is
actually an annoying, ineffective tool. The writer, Timothy Beals,
sampled
a number of text
checking programs, and found that most of them were "more annoying than
helpful, largely
because they uncovered far more "errors" than there really were." (71)
In order to help teachers and students decide whether text checking software
is
something they want
to utilize, Beals makes three recommendations from his experience.
First, he suggests
that teachers compare the various programs which are available to
"be
sure grammar and
style checkers perform and accomplish what you want to achieve in a
way that is
helpful and meaningful for you and your students." (71) Secondly, he suggests
that teachers make
sure they discuss their "reasons for using a grammar and style checker."
(71) He notes
that it is important that students are made to be aware that it is "unrealistic
to expect computer
software" to be as effective or careful in locating or explaining problems.
Brent, Doug. "Rhetorics of the Web:
Implications for Teachers of Literacy" Online Essay.
http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dabrent/webliteracies/wayin.htm.
(Accessed March 13, 1999).
In this essay, Doug Brent asks the question of whether or not hypertext
"is an
effective medium
for argument--what in the original sense of the term may be called
"rhetoric"?
More specifically, what would be the effects both on readers and on writers
if discursive argument
migrated to a hypertext environment?" (1) He examines the pros
and cons of arguments
being written in a hypertext format. His main concerns focus on
whether hypertext
is "the right medium to foster the mental discipline and social inquiry"
which has been essential
to argumentative discourse for the past "three thousand years. (1)
(Doug Brent also
has a very useful home page which has other rhetoric based essay
links:
http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dabrent/mystuff.html)
Center for Applied Special Technology.
"The Role of Online Communications in Schools:
A National Study"
http://www.cast.org/publications/stsstudy/. (accessed March 15,
1999): 1-9.
This website offers the results of a study in which researchers determined
that
students writing
a research project utilizing computers with online access will perform
better than students
writing a research project utilizing computers, but without online
access. The
goals of the study were to "measure the effects of online use on student
learning including
information processing, communication, and presentation skills" and
also to "gain insights
into what it takes to use online communications in school." (2)
The study included
"500 fourth and sixth graders in 28 elementary and middle school
classes from 7 large
urban districts across the United States..." (2) The students
completed the same
assignment. When the projects were evaluated, those created
by students with
online access received higher scores. Through questionnaires and
interviews, researchers
found that teachers believed that "e-mail and message boards
helped their students
learn from other students, teachers, and the community at large." (6)
Graves, Donna. "Using Telecomputing
Technology to Make World Connections in the
Writing Class."
English Journal 84.6 (Oct 95): 41-45.
This article described how students in an 8th Grade English class were
able to use
the internet to correspond
with penpals worldwide, utilize bulletin boards, and get
responses to their
creative writing. The teacher, Donna Graves, found that utilizing
internet resources
tied into her curriculum by connecting to cooperative learning
objectives (the students
worked in teams while on the computers). It also helped
the students to gain
insight into other cultures; for example, during a period of unrest
in
Russia, her students
were receiving daily e-mail messages from Russian students which
helped to give Graves'
students "a new appreciation of freedom." (44) Graves made use
an online conference
called "WorldClassroom" which helps teachers to make connections
with other classrooms
worldwide, and she provided their phone number : 1-800-866-
4452.
Harris, Judi. "Educational Teleresearch:
A Means, Not An End" Learning and Leading
With Technology (Nov
98): 42-46.
For teachers interested in using the internet in their classrooms for teleresearch,
Judi Harris offers
six purposes to consider. She states that teleresearch is valuable
to help students
"proactive information seeking skills" (43) ; to help students find
answers to their
questions or just to learn more about a topic; to review "multiple
perspectives" (44);
to "generate data needed to help explore a topic" (43); to solve
real-life problems;
and to publish their written "synthesized or critiqued informational
overview for others
to see (45). She believes that the "most important trend in the
evolution of online
resources is the development of a simple way for learners to share
information." (46)
She offers an online example of information which can be useful to
teachers and students
who are teleresearching: Web66, and international school web
site registry, web.66.coled.umn.edu/schools.html
.
Inkspot. An Resource for Writers, Teachers
and Students. http://www.inkspot.com/
index.html. (Accessed
March 10, 1999).
This is a site where writers can go for information about writing, chat
boards,
publication information,
and advice. It has many links to areas which can be helpful
for teachers of all
grade levels and for adult writers, as well. For teachers,
just scroll
down until you see
the area for "young writers" and click on it, and you will be connected
to the special Inkspot
area for dealing with students. For adult writers, the information
needed can be found
on the homepage that appears when going to the web address.
K-12 Sources--Curriculum--Lesson Plans.
Internet Site. Online: http://www.execpc.
com/~dboals/k-12.html.
(Date Accessed March 10, 1999).
An awesome site with so much that a researcher could spend hours just sorting
through it all.
There are links to museums, lesson plans, world wide pen pals (key
pad pals?) , technology
education sources, school websites, etc. A couple of really
interesting sites
that can be accessed through this page are "My Virtual Reference
Desk--Education and
Teaching" (<http://www.refdesk.com/educate.html>) A
page of useful
reference links for students and teachers. Also, Project Maker,
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/EDFIRST/ProjectMaker.html.
A source that gives useful
suggestions for using
the internet in a writing classroom.
Lyman, Huntington. "The Promise and Problems
of English Online: A Primer for High
School Teachers."
English Journal 87.1 (Oct 98): 56-62.
This article explores the benefits of using the internet to teach and also
the possible
problems. The
author, Huntington Lyman, states that, "It is essential for all teachers
to recognize both
the many instructional possibilities of the internet as well as the very
real dangers." (56)
He offers benefits such as practice using the computer, learning
about other cultures,
developing a better understanding of how to write for varied
audiences, student
publishing and the wealth of online reference materials. In addition,
he discusses the
possible problems, such as inappropriate materials being accessed by
students (for this
scenario, he points out that students can quickly click to a different
page
if they hear a teacher
coming) , distractions, overwhelming amounts of information to sort
through, and the
expense. He also offers suggestions for teachers trying to incorporate
the internet into
their classrooms, including giving students contracts to make them aware
of "expectations
and consequences" (61) regarding online use. He believes that it
is
important for teachers
to use the internet in the classroom, and states that "the flaws and
dangers of the internet
are the flaws and dangers inherent in living in a country in which
access to information
and freedom of speech are available to all." (61)
Lyman, Huntington. Homepage of Huntington
Lyman. http://www.people.virginia.edu/~hl5s/
(Accessed March 15,
1999)
On this homepage, Huntington Lyman offers information about how teachers
can best
use the internet, as well
as links to various writings about education. He offers an
overview for researchers
of what qualitative research is and what quantitative research is.
There are links to numerous
teacher resources as well. (The above article from English
Journal is also available
online through this site.)
McGlinn, Marguerite. "Moving and Grooving
on the Internet Highway: One Teacher's
Experience With the
Internet" English Journal (October 1995): 45-57.
This article documents the experiences of a literature and writing teacher
at an all-girls
secondary school
who designed a research project in which all of the research would be
done just using the
internet. The girls were assigned to work in groups which the
teacher
had carefully constructed
blending computer literate girls with computer phobic girls.
The original plan
was to do the research during class and study periods, but everyone
soon found that using
the internet was time consuming. The girls began meeting outside
of school time to
do the research. One conclusion that McGlinn made was that using
the internet as a
research tool in a traditional classroom time period of 45 minutes is
unrealistic and frustrating.
The benefit she noted was that the girls became very
comfortable with
using the internet.
Mellon, Constance A. "Digital Storytelling:
Effective Learning Through the Internet"
Educational Technology
39.2 (March-April 1999): 45-51.
Constance Mellon is a teacher who was originally resistant to the idea
of using
the internet in her
storytelling classes. She saw storytelling as an oral form, and did
not believe the internet
would be a useful tool to her. Then, one semester, she had
an especially large
class, and decided to try "Digital Storytelling" for students who would
be willing to take
part. Digital storytelling is an online format in which the students
write personal stories
in response to prompts. She was happy to find that her students
wrote more personal
and heartfelt stories online than they told orally. When she
questioned her students
as to how they felt about the process, she received positive
feedback. They
all said they enjoyed it, they liked being able to edit what they said,
they
liked being able
to avoid standing in front of others to tell their stories, and they enjoyed
the convenience of
being able to write and respond whenever they wanted to do so. One
student commented
that she felt that she was part of "a storytelling family" and Mellon
noted that she felt
a greater sense of community with these students than those she met with
face to face.
The URL of this storytelling class is available at http://soe.eastnet.ecu.edu/
lset/mellon/dst/default.htm.
(I accessed it 3-17-99, but the stories would not come on
screen. However,
there is other interesting information there about storytelling online.)
Moran, Charles. "From a High Tech to
a Low Tech Classroom: You Can't Go Home
Again." Computers
and Composition 15.1 (May 1998) 1-11.
In this article, Charles Moran describes a difficult transition from a
classroom in
which he is able
to teach using computer technology to a traditional classroom
in which he has to
make face-to-face contact with students. He was surprised by
his own inability
to adjust to the change and his own resistance. He resented having
to make copies.
He felt uncomfortable having to look at the students face-to-face,
believing that they
expected him to keep them entertained, and as a result he lectured
much more than he
had in a computer classroom. He lamented the fact that his teaching
style became less
student centered and more teacher centered. He missed the space
of a computer lab,
and he felt confined in a traditional classroom. As far as writing
was
concerned, he missed
corresponding with the students on the computer. He hated the
fact that they took
their rough drafts with them when they left class, and he never saw
them again until
they were a finished piece. He missed the mid-stage of revision.
Moran
felt that "in a computer
classroom, community just seems to happen..." (7) ;whereas, in
a traditional classroom
a teacher must work to develop it. He learned a lot through this
experience, and concluded
that educators must recognize that "moving from a traditional
classroom to a computer
classroom (or back) is" a substantial change. (7)
Mullen, Nina and Joe Lambert. "Center
For Digital Storytelling" Online.
<http://storycenter.org/desc.html>
(Accessed March 18, 1999).
One of the most exciting uses of the internet that I learned about through
my
research was digital
storytelling. Instead of telling a story orally, participants tell
their stories digitally
in an online forum. It is something that can be used by
educators at all
grade levels to help students tell personal stories and become more
comfortable with
online communication. While there are other digital storytelling
sources,
I think this site
is especially useful because it has a "user-friendly" guide that tells
how to get started
in digital storytelling. It has numerous links to other sites.
It also
explains the basics
of what digital storytelling is for those who happen to want more
information.
Storytelling on the internet is a new way to pass along cultural and personal
stories, and hopefully
connect to story enthusiasts around the world.
Noden, Harry. "A Journey Through Cyberspace:
Reading and Writing in a Virtual School."
English Journal (October
1995): 19-26.
Of all of the articles I have on this list, this one is a "must" read.
The author, Harry
Noden, was so enthused
about his students' experiences online, that the reader cannot
help but become enthused
as well. Noden teaches 8th Grade Language Arts, and he
wanted to find ways
to share his students' writing with other students online. He began
sending out e-mail
randomly, hoping to find schools overseas that would be interested.
He was overwhelmed
when he began getting responses from Japan, Antarctica, Brazil
and New Zealand,
just to name a few. What began as a way to share student writing,
developed into a
way to share experiences and cultures. He and his students became
so
involved and excited
by the e-mail they were exchanging around the world that they
began giving up their
free-time and lunch hours to send and read e-mail. To convince
the principal of
the value of having internet access, Noden asked him if he could think
of a way to get students
so excited about reading and writing that they would stand in
line. When
the principal laughed at that idea, Noden showed him the line of students
patiently waiting
for a chance to get online. (26) Noden refers to online writing as
"Atwell in Cyberspace"
(referring to writing workshop advocate Nancie Atwell) and he
concludes that
it is a "virtual school" in which everyone is connected in a multicultural
mix 24 hours
a day, with no walls to separate anyone. (26) This article
has an excellent
bibliography,
too, which could be an aid to researchers seeking additional sources.
Owen, Trevor. "Poems That Change the
World: Canada's Wired Writers" English
Journal (October
1995) : 48-51.
In Canada, there is a program called WIER (Writers in Electronic Residence)
which
links students with
professional writers online. The students post poems, prose, and
responses to others
on the internet, and professional writers respond to them. (48)
The students benefit
from being part of a community that links them with other students,
their own teachers
and teachers from other schools, and professional writers. (50)
They get the opportunity
to see their writing taken seriously by adults other than their
teachers, and they
are able to see that their writing has an audience beyond the
walls of the classroom.
(49)
Reissman, Rose. "Flights of Fancy:
Capturing Viewpoint with Technology" Learning And
Leading With Technology.
(September 1998) : 23-31.
Rose Reissman, an elementary teacher, has written this article to show
educators
how computer technology
can help "young children to join the circle of readers,
writers, and illustrators
before" they even begin to write. (31) She uses computer
programs such as
Microsoft's Kid Pix t give the children a chance to help create
stories based on
minor characters in storybooks she reads to them. She will read
a story, then ask
the children to name all of the characters, especially those besides
the main characters.
Then, using the computer, she has them illustrate what they
see that character
doing, what he or she looks like, and what his or her own story
might be. Then,
using the computer generated colorful illustrations, she has
her students tell
the story of that minor character orally, while she transcribes their
words. While,
technically the children aren't "writing", Reissman believes that this
experience will motivate
them to look forward to writing, and that it "promotes
critical, reflective
and empathetic reading" (24) while giving them a chance to experience
"writing" through
imagery.
Shoemake, Barbara R. "Cyberspace Class:
Rewards and Punishments" Internet
(online) http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content3/cyberspace.2.html
(Date Accessed,
March 10, 1999) 1-6.
Barbara Shoemake is a teacher who requires her college students to communicate
with her via e-mail.
She also uses newsgroups. In this article, she documents her
experiences in teaching
a course in communications using the internet. She attempted
to use a "MOO" environment,
but it resulted "in a couple of wasted class periods" (3)
so she instead used
an IRC for class meetings. This was successful, and the class met
online until the
midpoint of the semester when the students requested at least one
face to face meeting
each week because "they felt disconnected from their classmates
in the virtual environment."
(3) Shoemake examines both the positive aspects of meeting
online and the negative
aspects. She concluded that using the internet helped her more
quiet students open
up and it helped all of the students learn more about online
communication. (4)
This site is linked to a much larger site which is also quite useful,
called Kidsource:
(<http://www.kidsource.com/>).
Teaching With Electronic Technology.
Internet (online): <http://www.wam.umd.edu/
~mlhall/teaching.html>
(Accessed March 18, 1999)
This is a large website which has numerous sources that can be valuable
to
educators of all
subject areas and grade levels. For English teachers, there are
links to Greek mythology,
folktale sources, slave narratives, on-line writing labs, and
a virtual congress.
One source that can be linked through this site that I have found
especially useful
is the Purdue On-line Writing Lab: <http://owl.english.purdue.edu/>.
This source has additional
links which are helpful for teaching with computers.
Traubitz, Nancy. "A Semester of Action
Research: Reinventing My English Teaching
Through Technology"
English Journal (October 1998): 73-77.
In this article, Nancy Traubitz explains how attempting to incorporate
computer
use in her English
courses for average students helped her to become a better teacher.
She had been frustrated
when she realized that students in advanced classes had
better access to
computers, so she set out to arrange equal computer experiences
for her students.
As a result, she met with hostility from many of her colleagues and she
struggled with numerous
problems (including passing a virus along to the school network
from a student's
disk that had traveled around (76) and causing the school's network
to crash).
She found at the end of the year, though, that despite the problems, the
students had become
more interested in their work, attendance had improved, and
students felt more
confident using computers.
Wilhelm, Jeffrey. "Creating the Missing
Links: Student Designed Learning on Hypermedia"
English Journal
(October 1998): 34-40.
The biggest focus of this essay was on how students can have fun while
learning
with hypermedia and
how they can improve their writing. Jeffrey Wilhelm followed
the experiences of
three students and tried to find ways to connect learning on the
computer to their
"real concerns and needs." (34) Through using hypercards, graphics,
scanning photos,
creating pictures, recording sound and creating links, his students learned
to be more active
in class, and to see themselves as authors and readers. Wilhelm was
discouraged, however,
because sometimes he would have trouble scheduling time in
the computer lab
for his students and sometimes the computers would malfunction, and
remain unusable for
days, negatively impacting student motivation. (36-37)