1. Technology and Writing A Presentation by Lisa Ramsey A Capstone Presented to the Teachers College Faculty of Western Governors University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Masters of Education in Learning and Technology September 16, 2014 Student Mentor: Karen Lamb, MEd Capstone Facilitator: Dr. Robert Murray

2. 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.

3. Reasons for Technology  Motivates students.  Technology helps students who struggle with writing.  Writing strategies can be more easily demonstrated.

4. 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)

5. 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.

6. Instructional Practices  Action research  Pretest and Post-test – graded by paragraph writing rubric  Writing Process – Mapping, Rough Draft, Editing, Revising, Final Draft, Publishing

7. Instructional Strategies  Interactive Instruction  Students working in pairs and groups to map, write, and share  Indirect Instruction  Concept Mapping  Writing to Inform

8. 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.

9. 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

10. State Standards  TDOE – Writing Assessment  TN Technology Academic Standards Gr 2 Technology Application Tools Technology Research/Information Tools  TN Common Core State Standards (CCSS) CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.2 – Informational text CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.7 – Shared research

11. 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.

12. Obstacles and Issues  Number of participants Better outreach might have led to a higher number of participants.  Mapping software The original mapping software was not available eliminating part of the lesson plan – the visual transfer of mapping to outline.

13. 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.

14. 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?

15. Weaknesses  Number of participants Too few participants reduced results reliability.  Larger random sampling The students came from a specific after school club which may have catered more to a certain demographic. A larger random sampling would increase validity.

16. 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.

17. Future Study Ideas  How technology can aid English Language Learners in writing  If technology can be used to accelerate student language development

18. Application – Tech Coach  Share instructional strategies using technology  Provide reference tools for teachers  Work alongside teachers in classrooms in developing curriculum for students.