Re-shaping of writing in the digital age : a study of pupils' writing with different resources (original) (raw)

Writing and pseudo-writing from Internet- based sources: Implications for learning and assessment ARTICLE in LITERACY · MARCH 2015

In recent years, plagiarism has been on the increase across the Western world. This article identifies Internet access as a contributory cause of this trend and addresses the implications of readily available Internet sources for the teaching and assessment of writing in schools. The basis for the article is a previous study showing a wide incidence of plagiarism in the Internet-based writing of students in three classes at upper secondary school level in Norway. I relate the students' choices to writing as a cognitive process and as a cultural practice. My basic assumption is that the students' writing is work. It is this work we have in mind when we relate writing to learning and when we assess students' skills on the basis of their written texts. Access to the Internet changes the premises for this work because writing can be replaced by 'pseudowriting'. 'Pseudo-writing' is a work reducing writing practice, which neither excludes nor coincides with what we traditionally associate with plagiarism in schools. The main point in this article is that when students have access to the Internet during essay writing, the result is unavoidably a product of both writing and pseudo-writing. Internet access thus leads to greater uncertainty about the role writing plays in student learning and makes it more difficult to take written assignments into account in assessing students' school results and effort.

Digital Writing in the Primary Grades: Synthesis of Research

This synthesis of digital writing research with primary grade students will provide the audience with an overview of what has been learned since 1988. Much has changed in the past 20 years, but the previous research can serve to inform the fields’ understandings and provide directions for future research. In 1998 the ratio of children to computers with internet access at school was 1 to 12.1, by 2001 1 to 5.4 (U.S. Department of Labor, 2005). While the availability of computers and access has increased dramatically during this period, the essential skills needed to create texts on the computers are the same. Digital writing can have varied definitions. For the purposes of this synthesis, a limited definition is applied. Digital writing applies to any text created on a computer. This synthesis is guided by the question, “What is the impact of digital writing on primary grade students’ composition?”

Writing and Writing Instruction in the Digital Age

This paper will begin by presenting a case that was widely discussed as an example of one of the "problems" created by digital technology and revealed the difference between one group more accustomed to older analog technology and one that is not. The discussion will also serve to highlight that, the state, use, and development of digital technology is different from country to country. This will be followed by a discussion of the advent of digital technology and its implications for first (L1) and second (L2) language writing and writing instruction. Finally it will conclude that throughout history technology has had an influence on communication; yet the essence of the written word and the fundamental nature of writing has not changed, nor should writing instruction necessarily change.

PEN OR KEYBOARD. AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY ON WRITING SKILLS

The research reported in this article outlines the need to adopt a reflexive attitude to the use of digital resources in teaching and learning. From the analyses carried out handwritten short essays got higher scores than computer written tests: computer use in writing activities apparently reduces performance level in the majority of students taken into consideration.

A comparative study of paper-and-pen versus computer-delivered assessment modes on students’ writing quality: A Singapore study

2016

Much research has been conducted to investigate the quality of writing and high-level revisions in word processing-assisted and pen-and-paper writing modes. Studies that address cognitive aspects, such as experience and comfort with computers, by which students compose essays during writing assessments have remained relatively unexplored. To fill this gap, the present study investigates the impact of writing using computers versus traditional writing with pen-and-paper based on 366 undergraduate students in Singapore. It analyses the students’ thinking processes, the quality of their written work, and their perceptions of working with computers. The results indicate that the students demonstrated a positive attitude towards working with computers. Furthermore, the computerdelivered writing mode has a positive impact on their quality of writing in both technical aspects (content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanics) and global aspects (setting macro rhetorical goal and ordering information in achieving the macro rhetorical goal). On the other hand, the results show that there was no significant difference between the paper and computer writing modes in their effects during the planning stage of writing in-class reflections. The study contributes to writing research by encouraging teachers to give students an option of delivery modes, beyond traditional pen-andpaper, for their writing assessments.

Technology-mediated writing assessments: principles and processes

2011

Abstract This paper explores developments in technology-mediated writing environments that may support new forms of formative assessment and the closer relation of formative to summative assessment. Not only might these provide more learner-responsive and effective assessment of writing, but they may also support the assessment of disciplinary knowledge embedded in written and multimodal texts.

Digital Writing in the Primary Grades: A Mixed Methods Study Examining First Grade Digital Writers

Digital writing is an essential skill for the 21 st century. This mixed methods study examines the digital and handwritten texts of first grade students. Data indicate that children identified as strong writers and weak writers by the teacher wrote more words on the computer than on paper. In addition attitudinal data highlight that most students preferred writing on the computer than on paper. An in-depth analysis of the strongest and the weakest student was also conducted to explore the differences in behavior patterns. This analysis found that behavior patterns when composing on the computer and on paper were the same across mediums for each student, favoring digital writing contexts for both students. These findings indicate possible advantages to using the computer with primary grade students.

Teaching writing: An Analysis of the Writing Tasks-Vol. 13:3 March 2013

This paper presents an analysis of the writing tasks used at East West University in Bangladesh. At the outset, what is presented here is a general introduction to what writing means, components of writing, and the different stages that writing involves. Pointing out to the needs of teaching academic writing to university graduates, the common writing tasks required at university level are listed. After a thorough analysis of the writing tasks used at East West University, techniques devised by Raimes are suggested (1983) for task modification. Finally, a conclusion is drawn emphasizing teacher's role and task appropriation in writing instruction.