Writing In Digital Spaces

OUR TEAM:

http://twitter.com/Proj3ctConn3ct http://sjsdblogs.com/instructionaltechnology/
Sunday, September 16, 12

TEACHER
SURVEY

Session
Schematic:
What is “online writing?”

The reading/writing
connection on t
si u
us ho
sc g
di ou
t hr
The apps:
Protocol for exploration

Developing spaces for
writing


3 recalls

3-2-1
connect &
reflect:
2 insights

1 question

QUESTIONS:
(via Linoit)


WHAT IS
WRITING?

THE DIGITAL
WRITING
WORKSHOP:
(Troy Hicks)
http://goo.gl/gWL8S

EMBRACE
UNCERTAINTY
AND
QUESTION
EVERYTHING

WRITING IN
THE 21st
CENTURY:
(Kathleen Blake Yancy)
.pdf


COMMON CORE &
21st CENTURY
SKILLS
CROSSWALK:
(learning.com)
.epub


dotEPUB
(http://dotepub.com)


THE APPS:
A PROTOCOL FOR
EXPLORATION


THE APPS:
A PROTOCOL FOR EXPLORATION


A PROFILE
OF MYSELF
(as a writer)


Who are you?
Your personal history as a
writer...

publisher...

communicator...

The Effect of Online Environments
on the Characteristics of
Student Writing

Sean P. Nash
(nashworld.me)

AN AUTHENTIC AND WIDE AUDIENCE:

432,000 visitors, 36,000 since November


How do online
environments impact the
characteristics of
student writing and
subsequent achievement?


...as measured by
summative unit exam
scores, readability, and
word count.


• summary assigned at culmination of
unit- prior to exam

• student lineup by age- counted
off by twos- split into two groups
of ten

• laid out comprehensive summary
assignment: use all concepts, cite
at least once source.


• differentiated assignment for each
group:

• group 1- use MS Word, e-mail
product directly to me

• group 2- add directly to blog on
class network at: http://mwsu-
bio101.ning.com


(Table 1) Students who constructed comprehensive
summary of nutrition unit via online blog post for a
wide and potentially global audience (even group):


(Table 2) Students who constructed comprehensive
summary of nutrition unit via MS Word document
handed in directly to teacher (odd group):


A closer look
traditional online
average exam score: 43.2 43.4

readability: 9.1 8.2

word count: 638 399


a typical
“traditional
report”

count:
566
score:
50


a typical,
“blog post”,
or “post”

count:
399
score:
51


CONTEXT
MATTERS

*in contrast
to the blog...
here we see a
“discussion
thread”


Tori Scott

This is my class website! I’ve always loved science, but this year was a whole new experience
for me. In our class Mr. Nash gives us multiple ways too look at science. There are so many
new things to learn that it’s truly fun to experience it in different ways. I came into this class
thinking it was going to be him lecturing and us taking notes. This year was the ﬁrst year for
me that it’s all been so hands on.

This class really makes us think. Mr. Nash will just give us something, for instance a visual, and
ask us to write about it. Like what we think it represents and our thoughts and opinions on it. I
really enjoy doing this. It allows us as students to share what were thinking. That’s one of my
favorite things about the website. We’re able discuss and blog about the things we do in class.
We each get to share as individuals, which is pretty amazing because each one of us think
differently. This also allows us to learn on a completely different level.

I’d have to say that if there is one thing i’ve learned this year would be that science is not black
and white. Thats a big misconception i’ve had. Through the year though i’ve began to learn and
realize that there is always a gray area. The site gives us the opportunity to talk about it and
understand more.

Tori Scott :)


Rachel Huntsman

I am a student in the dual-credit biology class that uses the blog you have been discussing. I just
wanted to let you know my thoughts on our use of the network.

I really think it is a beneficial way of learning, and would recommend it to any teacher in order
to get their students to actually think about learning.

I will admit I was one of the students who took the class just to get this major required science
class out of the way before college. However, this coming from a person who really doesn’t
enjoy science at all, I have found that I enjoy this class. I feel like I can analyze what I learn and
discuss things with other students rather than simply fill out a work sheet and answer test
questions.

I honestly think I will retain things from taking this class, and I can say I have benefited a great
deal from it.

I also like the idea that other people, such as yourselves, are actually reading this blog and
looking at what we are learning and how we are learning. It makes me think about what I will
post because I know someone from the other side of the world might read it.


“It appeared that the papers had a
higher readability and word count,
which I kind of expected because I
think people tend to write more
formally on papers, whereas the
blog posts tend to be more opinion
and informal writing.”
-RH


CONCLUSIONS
(?)

1
writing a comprehensive
summary seems to be an
effective pre-exam
strategy, regardless of
format

2
the nature of the
summary seemed to do
little to affect overall
scores in this study


3
students writing online
submitted significantly
more concise summaries
with smaller word
counts

AN INFERENCE
Online writing seems to
be a powerful tool for
summarization of
complex content.

end?
*Thanks to Felix Meyer for Input Maximus 2 & Jason Morrison for “Worn Old Welcome Mat -both on Flickr”

Writing In Digital Spaces

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