Annotated bibliography

As someone who is constantly looking for new ways to improve upon my teaching, I must pay attention to how the world is changing around us and how that affects my students. I am a strong advocate for the use of technology in the classroom, I use it myself daily through the Promethean Board, web links, and video clips. What I want to know is how can technology positively impact student writing and thus begins my research. 

Rochette, Laura Christine. "What Classroom Technology Has Taught Me about Curriculum, Teaching, and Infinite Possibilities." English Journal 97 (2007): 43-48.

When Laura Rochette began teaching almost twenty years ago, she believed that she needed few things to teach English, that was until she received a SMART board in her classroom. She began by using it  for pieces of text, in order to show her students how to take notes, ask questions, and deconstruct a text. It was quickly observed how powerful a tool it was to be able to show students what to do as an entire class, which also became a huge time saver. This led to art interpretation, showing how to draft, and peer edit which eventually led to her starting a class blog. Rochette says " Suddenly, I possessed the means to take the tools of my teaching-class discussion, essay writing, and literature-and launch them into a different dimension, a different space" (44). She continues by discussing the improvements writing in class and blogging has on her students because they are writing more and more people can see their work. 

This article excited me for a few reasons, the first is that a teacher who was very comfortable in her non-technological ways, successfully incorporated a SMART board, laptops, and a blog into her curriculum. Secondly, it shows how responsive students are when images and writing can be illustrated for them. Our students are visual learners and we have to adapt to that. Annotating on a board that you can highlight, erase, circle, cross out, etc and save those changes for each class, in the long run saves time for the teacher and validates each of the classes work from day to day. On a more personal note, having a Promethean Board in my room (which is like a SMART board but actually does more) I know that I am not the only one out there who can see positive changes with an increased use of technology. 

Burke, Jim. The English Teacher's Companion: A Complete Guide to Classroom, Curriculum, and the Profession. 3rd ed. Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2008. 

Focusing on digital literacy and its uses through surfing the net, email, presentations, podcasts, and video editing, Burke shows how to make the most of technology in the classroom. He begins by covering the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) as a way to show what technology should be used for, as well as the responsibilities of teachers and students. Burke continues by describing how each of the above categories can be used to help mold students thinking and writing. This includes teaching students how to closely read information on websites and even emails and learn how to interpret them. He also discusses the benefits of having students write online or in a word processing program because it is easier for the students and teacher to see what they are writing as well as making the revising and editing stages easier. 

Burke's article enabled me to see writing as a digital literacy in a new way, I also came away with some good instructional ideas. His argument that the Internet can be used as a springboard for brainstorming on new topics was definitely something I had not thought of as a potential aid for students. What sold me was that this activity was done while teaching students to read and evaluate texts. Which in turn will make them better evaluators of their own writing. I also liked that he talked about student presentations as a form of writing by incorporating technology. Burke also presents the downside of using technology, it is time consuming and plagiarism is difficult to track. Definitely important considerations for integration of technology.  

Thomas, Sharon, et al. "Toward a Critical Theory of Technology and Writing." The Writing Center Journal 19 (1998) : 72-86.

This article tracks the thought and institutional processes the Writing Center (W.C.) at Michigan State University underwent to make technology accessible  and useful to students seeking advisement on their writing. The objective of the W.C. and the undergraduate writing consultants (UWC's) was "Treating student writers as co-experts and inviting them into the academic community- could provide a model for teaching with technology" (74). This began by creating a website with links to sources about writing and evolved into students submitting papers through email and being consulted online by the UWC's. It was felt though, that this did not jive with the philosophies of the program so the online conferences were dropped. However, due to the new M.S.U. Technology Guarantee, the W.C. began seminars with students and staff to implement technology through email discussions and listservs as well as teaching them how the Internet could help to prepare students for research. "Technology can help us provide a platform for students, a place for them to enter academic conversations, an opportunity for them to showcase their potential" (84). Through their seminars that is exactly what the W.C. convinced the faculty of. Those who had begun by only using their class websites for syllabi and homework turned their sites into a place to find background information, video clips, online discussions, and message boards. 

I have to sidetrack for one moment before I respond to this article and say that I found it on CompPile went to the link and printed it off. It wasn't until I began reading it that I realized it was about M.S.U.'s Writing Center, my alma mater! 

 I choose this article because I felt it would help to strengthen my arguments for technology and writing by looking at the theories and practices of it on the post secondary level. What shocked me was that when the UWC's did not feel they could give the appropriate feedback to students the program was initially dropped! Later, altering the program to include face time for writing conferences, as well as online time. What interested me about this article was that it tracked the development of the program, discussing both the benefits and drawbacks, as well as explaining why and how they implemented each step. The main objective was to always keep the learning student-centered and making sure that the students were benefiting. I also observed once again that if a group of people have the right approach, you can convince even the stodgiest of professors to implement something new and useful into their classrooms. 

Haas, Christina. Writing Technology: Studies on the Materialty of Literacy. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc, 1996.

Haas begins by posing her technology question " What is the nature of computer technologies, and what is their impact on writing" (3). She then examines this question through the lens of different theories and methods of thought. Continuing on to look at how literacy and writing are influenced by technology. She then presents some studies conducted on the ways technology can help and hinder the writing process. Taking a close look at how the limitations of word processing sometimes work against the thinking and shaping of ideas when writing. Her theoretical stance is that technology must be studied as it affects both individuals and our culture as a whole.

Haas could not have posed a more pertinent question when examining the changes of how writing is taught. Her theoretical approaches really helped to broaden my view of how fully technology impacts everything around us. I liked her comments on the materiality of texts that computers are just the next step from pencil and paper or even stone tablets, once again that really put things into perspective for me. I think this text will strengthen my argument for the deep impact that using technology has and will have on writing and education. 

Merchant, Guy. "Writing the Future in the Digital Age." Blackwell Synergy Literacy 41 (2007):118-128.

Merchant begins by briefly introducing the huge gap that exists between educational literacy and the literacy students use outside of school in Wales and England. Then turns his attentions to the importance of first defining literacy and then defining digital literacy. He does this to show that being digitally literate does not equal being computer literate and that instructor's fears of the digital unknown should not and cannot dictate the use of technology. "Digital literacy could then be seen as the study of written or symbolic representation that is mediated by new technology" (121) he argues that part of digital literacy includes the recognizing and reading of symbols, as easily as one reads words on a page. Merchant explains the different forms of digital literacy, including; YouTube, email, message boards, and blogs. On email, he says that it is a great source for students to talk to each other as well as people in their field of study (124), but it is not a resource that is being utilized and then adds how they could be used positively. 

Merchant writes with a tone bordering on urgency. I agree with him when he writes "The future of writing is closely interwoven with the future of digital technology" (126) just like the educational system in the UK needs to wake up, so it does in the U.S. He did not spend any time playing the blame game, he simply stated what was lacking, what needs to be done, and how to implement digital literacy effectively. This is the path research needs to continue down, showing consistently how useful technology is when it is used correctly, the following step will be much more difficult, which is getting schools to fully buy into the swiftly changing digital age. 

Rozema, Robert. "The Book Report, Version 2.0: Podcasting on Young Adult Novels." English Journal 97 (2007): 31-36.

Rozema, a high school English teacher, first starts by mentioning the improvements on the web to make it more user friendly and accessible to all. He then dives into an explanation of the use of podcasting for students to present book talks, in which the objective is to convince the class to read the book. He also includes sites to download  subject-specific topics to provide examples for students and to better link them to the global learning community.  He states that "Like keeping a blog, publishing a podcast gives student writers a real audience, a new opportunity for purposeful writing and revision, a chance to collaborate with peers, and - unlike the fusty book report- a genre that actually exists outside of the English classroom" (32). Before actually recording the podcast, the students must create scripts, complete with explaining key parts of the novel, literary elements, supporting their thoughts with examples from the text, and music that fits within the context of the novel. All the while, keeping student engagement and achievement as his main objective. 

Rozema is inspiring! His explanations of resources and how to use them are exactly what teachers need to modernize instruction. What is most important was that his article revolved around ways to have students think, write, and present using critical thinking skills and technology that they most likely will be required to use when they go out into the work force. Rozema's article will really help me in showing that technology and writing are incredibly useful tools for improving and assessing students. 

Now that I have completed my preliminary research, I see a few common threads which I will use to tie all of these articles together. One: the idea of using technology for student-centered learning and guiding them along the way. Two: the material aspects of writing and technology. Three: Staying patient during implementation, knowing that the results will be astounding. I know I probably also need to include some research on the potential negative impacts on technology and writing, which were briefly mentioned in a few of the articles, but I think to fully understand this topic and its implications, I must look at all sides of it.