Writing and Typing in the Modern Classroom

References

Reflections

Writing for Social Networks

I chose to join this project because of my interest in how printing and handwriting are evolving with technology and how the needs of students are changing in light of 21st century learning skills. As new curriculum comes into effect, now approaches and methods are needed in order to meet the learning outcomes that will bring students into the next technological generation.

Our group presentation was done in a Prezi though I had never had the opportunity to develop a presentation with one before. At first I found the application a little frustrating, as it did not allow me to cut and paste text in from my Word document and of course I was also trying to learn how to use the application at the same time. After getting used to using Prezi, I can see the opportunities that it provides for learning, creating presentation, working collaboratively, and especially for writing. Within the Prezi, I created a single frame cartoon with ToonDoo, which I really enjoyed using. I was able to download a picture from Google, edit it, add text, and create a background. This would be a great program to use to motivate students who find writing difficult or challenging. It would afford itself well to digital storytelling and journaling, as it provides many options for both creativity and design within the free version.

As educators we are at a point where we need to adapt our teaching methods to integrate the changing writing needs of our students. As technology develops, so are our students, and they are both surpassing the methods and curriculum we have been teaching faster than we can teach them. We need to encourage students to write for their own generation, and ensure that the writing that we model and teach is meaningful to them now and the it can provide them with the tools they will need for their future.

By Chenoa Dirks

Ask a Question. Give your friends something to respond to. Be direct, sweet, and to the point and don't ask open-ended questions that leave your friends with too many options to get off track of the intended discussion.

Valuable Information. Give your readers just enough information to entice them to take an action. Your goal is to get them to "like" your post or to comment. If you give too much information, there won't be much to respond to.

Leave a Link. If you referred to a link in your post, make sure to include it so that people ca check it out.

Be Positive. Leaving negative posts often leaves people unsure of how to respond - there is no 'unlike' button! Negative posts are no fun to read.

Post a Picture. A picture is worth a thousand words, and they encourage reader-response.

Baron, D. E. (2009). A better pencil: Readers, writers, and the digital revolution. New York: Oxford University Press.

Cahill, S. M. (2009). Where does handwriting fit in?: Strategies to support academic achievement. Intervention in School and Clinic, 44(4), 223-228. doi:10.1177/1053451208328826

Common Core Standards (2012). English Language Arts Standards. Retrieved from: http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy.

Feder, K. P., & Majnemer, A. (2007). Handwriting development, competency, and intervention. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 49(4), 312-317. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8749.2007.00312.x

Fiori, Lindsay (2011). The (Racine) Journal Times Is keyboarding replacing cursive?: In the email era, fewer schools are teaching handwriting. Wisconsin State Journal, pp. A.2.

Grabill, J.T. & Hicks, T. (2005) Multiliteracies Meet Methods: The Case for Digital Writing in English Education. English Education, 37, 301-311. Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/stable/40173204

Horst, H. A., & Miller, D. (2006). Welfare. The cell phone an anthropology of communication, 145-151. Oxford: Berg.

James & Engelhardt. (2012.) The effects of handwriting experience on functional brain development in pre-literate children. Trends in Neuroscience and Education, 1(1), 32-42.

Leon,A.(2011,April11). The Modern WRiter: From Quills to Skills. Retrieved November 12, 2013, from BC Bogcritics: http://blogcritics.org/the-modern-writer-from-quills-to/

McKee, M. (2013, November 15). 7 Ways to Text with Graciousness and Savvy. Retrieved November 16, 2013, from Manners Mentor Inc.: www.annersmenot.com/only-at-work/seven-ways-to-text-with-graciousness-and-savvy

Mckinney (2009). Cursive handwriting. Retrieved from http://www.educationspace360.com/index.php/cursive-handwriting-12406/

McWhorter, J. (2013, February). Txting is Killing Language. Ted Ideas Worth Spreading. Ted Talks.

Ministry of Education (2010). Grade 3: Curriculum Package (September 2010). Retrieved from: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/curric_grade_packages/gr3curric_req.pdf

Potter, L., & Eilts, S. (2011). Is Cursive Writing Worth Teaching?. Learning & Leading With Technology, 39(2), 6-7.

Robb, M. & Shellenbarger, T. (2012) Using technology to promote mobile learning: Engaging students with cell phones in the classroom. Nurse Educator, 37, 258-261. doi: 10.1097/NNE.0b013e31826f27da

Sheena McKinnon. (2003). Keyboarding skills the key to a modern education: Final edition. Expositor, pp. C.1.FRO.

Tompkins, G., Bright, R., Pollard,M., & Winsor, P.(2001). Language Arts: Content and Teaching Strategies. Toronto: Pearson Canada.

Using Cell Phones in the Classroom. (2010, October 1). Curriculum Review, 50, 10.

Yancey, K.(2009). Writing in the 21st Century. Florida State University. Tallahassee. National council of Teachers of English.

Writing for the Web

Kuljinder

I joined this group for the final project as I was very interested in researching whether cursive handwriting is worthwhile to teach to students or whether the time and effort would be better spent improving students' typing skills. As a Kindergarten, Grade One and Grade Two teacher, I spend a considerable amount of time teaching my students to correctly print uppercase and lowercase manuscript letters however, I do not teach cursive handwriting given the age of my students. However, once they move up to the grade three, four and five classroom, the teacher instructs the correct formation of the cursive letters and insists that the students handwrite their daily work. Given the impact that technology has in students' lives, I was tempted to believe that the instructional time spent on learning to read and write cursive handwriting would be much better spent on typing and computer literacy skills.

When I started researching the potential positive and negative aspects of handwriting instruction, I was interested to discover that much of the current research available supports the value of teaching cursive handwriting to students. In turn, I was surprised to find that the majority of information available speaking against using instructional time to teach cursive handwriting was opinion based without supporting research and statistical data. Many of the American school districts that had previously moved away from teaching cursive handwriting are now reevaluating the current research. Extensive research conducted by James and Engelhardt (2012) clearly outlined the results of their study using MRI brain mapping illustrations to demonstrate that handwriting triggers activity in areas of the brain that can also be linked to improved literacy skills.

One of the greatest concerns for educators is that students with disabilities and EAL learners can struggle to learn to handwrite. I believe that this is an example of a situation when teachers should be able to use their discretion and focus on specific suitable skills and tools that will best serve each individual student. Cursive handwriting may not be a necessary skill for all students to learn despite it being deemed a beneficial skill for many students to learn. Throughout my research for this project, my opinion that typing skills should be taught in place of handwriting skills has been altered. Cursive handwriting still serves a purpose in students' lives so it should continue to be taught in Canadian schools.

Sabrina Quigley

Keep it Short.

Scan-Ready

Get and keep the attention of your we readers by delivering messages in short chunks. Web readers don't want to plod through long blocks of text. Get to the point early on and use the rest of your article to support that main point.

I was drawn to join this group after reading the Bolter chapters and participating in discussions related to this topic. I chose to investigate the transition from each writing form because as a teacher-on-call, I have visited classrooms that heavily focus on cursive handwriting and others that emphasize typing skills. I knew for certain that manuscript printing was clearly taught wherever I went within the district. So I wasn’t entirely sure which direction things were headed. I wanted to know how other schools viewed these writing forms. After conducting research, I was surprised how the curriculum in the United States was phasing out cursive writing (not that it’s a huge shocker, as I rarely ever utilize cursive handwriting, but still, I was surprised). I originally thought that every school taught printing then cursive handwriting and then typing skills, just how I learned when I grew up, but I was wrong.

I knew that I wanted to create a video. I find videos to be one of the most entertaining and visually appealing presentation mediums. Originally, I was going to use Sparkol VideoScribe (if you have seen Sir Ken Robinson clip: it’s basically like that, but much more simple in animations) to create my video and record my voice so that I could cover the material as the images were being drawn. However, I decided not to do that, as I thought that the citations and scholarly material would have been neglected and plus, I have already used Sparkol in another assignment so I wanted to try something new. After searching some video creating websites on Google, I stumbled upon PowToon. It looked appealing so I began to build. It took me a really long time to create such a short video! Timing everything (character appearances, reading the text, transitions) and minor adjustments consumed most of my time (I admit, I am a bit of a perfectionist at times). I really enjoyed using PowToon. After becoming familiar with it, it was easy to use and very fun!

Today's web readers are impatient and want to be able to jump to important information to make you text scan-able, be sure to use headings, sub0headings, bulletted/numbered lists, and a variety of text styles and fonts.

The Pros and Cons of Teaching Cursive Writing to Students

ToonDoo

http://blogcritics.org/the-modern-writer-from- quills-to/

Texting

Substance

by Sabrina Quigley

Email

Titles and Headings

Be sure to include practical, valuable information in the body of your writing. No one wants to waste time reading fluff that is irrelevant to your topic. Create a web-professional look by using short sentences and proper formatting.

Should be short. It is important that they create interest and include the main benefit or solution.

As described by John McWhorter, texting is not writing - it is language, or "fingered speech" (McWhorter, 2013). It is a type of shorthand that is written like we speak. Texting, or SMS (Short Messaging Service) started out as a modern version of passing notes, and quickly turned into a very popular way of communication. Texting is a new structure of language that provides a way to communicate with friends, receive updates and alerts, keep track of finances, send email, and much more.

Text messaging is often embellished with icons called emoticons or a selection of alphanumeric symbols that look like a sideways face. These vary in style, but usually reference an emotion with a version of a happy :-) or sad :-( face..

With a limited number of characters per text, it has taught us to be more concise and character conscious. Text messaging is a combination of symbols and abbreviations used to represent words and phrases. This form of communication can sometimes be misconstrued depending on the readers' perception of the message. Also, because of its casual style, it is not recommended for formal communications when clarity is a priority.

Arguments Against Teaching Cursive Handwriting

in Modern Classrooms

Potentially Positive Aspects

Move Towards the Future

Potentially Negative Aspects

Eilts (2011) continues her argument, "If we as educators are to maximize student learning, support Universal Design for Learning and access to curriculum for all, and prioritize instruction, then we need to accept that some skills should be moved to the realm of nostalgia and that the tools for those skills should be relegated to collections and museums." (p.7)

It takes valuable instructional time that can be used for other skills and content areas.

It can be time-consuming and frustrating for students to learn cursive handwriting.

If students don’t use the skill regularly it will not be well developed and possibly not legible to others or slower than manuscript printing.

Cursive handwriting can be less legible than manuscript printing or typed print which can lead to confusion or miscommunication.

Handwriting may stimulate parts of the brain that are linked to learning to read. Mckinney (2009) writes "The act of physically gripping a pen or pencil and practicing the swirls, curls and connections of cursive handwriting activates parts of the brain that lead increase language fluency." (paragraph 3)

Literacy Connection

Students will be able to more quickly write notes if and when they choose to. Printing manuscript letters requires the printer to raise and lower the writing tool for each letter which can slow the process. When making use of cursive handwriting, the writer only raises and lowers the writing tool at the beginning and end of each word.

Research Link

Eilts (2011) argues, "What about those students who, because of some physical, learning, or cognitive challenge, are literally unable to write? Speech-to-text software allows these students to access the curriculum. Should they be penalized on some arbitrary standard because they are unable to write in cursive? I do not think so." (p.7)

Email is a valuable communication tool. It is used mostly in business and academic settings but is also commonly used for various other purposes, such as contacting friends, business communications, requesting information, and job applications. Because of its various uses, it has created some interesting challenges for writers. It is still considered to be a fairly new form of communication, and basic social conventions for writing and responding to email have not all been agreed upon. misscommunication is common when people are not clear about the purpose of the emails they send and receive.

When writing an email, the purpose and the reader should be considered. This will directly affect the formality of the message and the intended outcome. It will also help to determine whether the email is, or is not the most efficient way of communicating your message.

Email messages should always have a clear subject title that conveys your message to your intended audience.

I took this opportunity to experiment with different creative outlets not only for the improvement of my project but also to improve my practice. I was able to attempt the use of Kerpoof and Wideo to help tell my story and discovered just how time consuming, frustrating and rewarding such creativity-enabling sites like these can be.

My concept began from my own experiences transitioning between my iPad, smartphone, netbook, laptop and desktop computer. I found the more devices I was folding into my life the worse my typing was getting. Initially I set out to somehow condemn the switching between keyboards, yet with research and time to reflect my argument adjusted to face the reality that our students need the skills to do all these things. Thus my section offers ideas for using mobile devices as well as reasoning for doing so.

I suggested the group try using Prezi for our project to try and differentiate ourselves from the many Wordpress and Moodle sites we have previously created. We not only embarked on our individual explorations of sites and applications for our own areas, we also worked collectively to use this site and improve our understanding of its potential in the classroom. Overall I am proud of our work and I believe we each succeeded in exploring our areas.

Jessica Dickens

James and Engelhardt (2012) conducted a study the MRI brain imaging scans of children while printing compared to typing. They observed increased neural activation in three areas of the brain in participants during the printing experience yet no areas of greater activation after typing. They state that "This finding adds to previous research showing that letter perception is facilitated by handwriting experience, and it further suggests that handwriting experience is important for letter processing in the brain." (p. 42)

Students are more literate if they can read and write cursive as it allows them to communicate with others who make use of cursive handwriting. Cursive handwriting has a historical importance to society as many historically significant documents have been produced in handwriting. Potter (2011) argues that "if we do not teach students cursive writing, large portions of our collective past will literally be inaccessible to them. Untyped words will be unintelligible and cease to have meaning. Lessons that might have been learned and inspiration that might have been found will be lost." (page 7)

Handwriting in the 21st Century? An Educational Summit

Technology Influence

Visit https://www.hw21summit.com/

to view the six available video research presentations from the 2012 Summit on handwriting.

Inclusionary Practices

Arguments for Teaching Cursive Handwriting

Most people in the modern world are using electronic tools to communicate. Penmanship is not as valued in education and society as it once was as typing becomes more

popular. It can be time-consuming

and frustrating for students to

learn cursive handwriting.

Cursive handwriting can be difficult for many students including

Students can sign their names in cursive writing for a signature which is often a requirement for legal documents.

Students will have a tool they can apply later in life that gives them more options.

Resources for Teaching Handwriting

• English as an Additional Language learners
• left handed students
• students with physical disabilities
• students with developmental delay

Blogs

Interactive Demonstrations

http://donnayoung.org/penmanship/cursive-animations.htm

A Variety of Handwriting Resources

http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6090887

Handwriting Letter Formation Video

http://vimeo.com/12305516

image from Dreamstime

http://www.dreamstime.com/casual-woman-working-on-laptop-3-free-stock-photos-imagefree108558

Is it fair for some students to learn cursive handwriting while others require more instructional and/or technology support?

Modern Printing

Pros and Cons Debated In The News This Year

When you write a blog, it should sound as if you were speaking to your friend. Keep it casual and informal just like you grandmother would have written in her diary or journal. Choose and interesting topic, like a recent adventure, vacation, of even about what you did yesterday - if it was somewhat interesting. It helps to engage your audience. If you can't spell, or you gorget some grammar, you can still hang onto your readers if you make up for it with good style and voice. Remember, a blog is a conversation. Try to write the way you speak, and make sure to avoid jargon, cliches, and assay-style writing.

21st Century Writing

February 10, 2013 - http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/is-it-time-to-stop-teaching-cursivehandwriting-1.1147200

November 14, 2014 - http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/states-begin-to-reject-idea-kids-can-do-without-cursive-handwriting-1.1542983

21st Century writing is intended to be shared, to encourage dialogue and to promote participation. It is intended for an audience. The private diaries and journals of yesteryear are gone and are now written to be shared with friends, acquaintances, and most of all, strangers. Deborah Brandt, former president of the NCTE, has coined the term "self-sponsored writing"(Yancey, 2009), suggesting that we are writing to share, to encourage dialogue, and mostly to participate.

The World Wide Web, along with our growing global community, provides writers with and audience, and the audience with an endless variety of writers. Writers are now freely sharing communicative knowledge in many digital formats and styles that afford technology, including blogging, texting, email, social posting, online chatm and collaborative writing, among many more.

The many styles of 21st century writing are each unique in style and purpose, but at the same time they are all intended to be shared, out there, in the virtual world with anyone who will read them.

by Chenoa Dirks

What does it mean to write in 2013?

The Transition from Printing to Cursive to Typing

by: Kuljinder Gill

We have chosen to explore the different paths of the modern written word. Follow each individual path to learn more about that particular area.

Digital Writing

by Jessica Dickens

Video created by: Kuljinder Gill

Integrate Digital Typing Technologies into Lessons

Educators often complain about the overwhelming presence of cell phones at their schools. Dissuading students from using their beloved communication devices can eat into class time and often create an antagonistic relationship between faculty and students. Yet so often teachers view cell phones through the lens of annoyance and distraction rather than as an opportunity to engage students.

"The dominant use of the phone by students and in the context of the school suggests that it is best described as a kind of a glorified toy that children can play with. Rather than enhancing the traditional possibilities of education and learning, it primarily distracts pupils from their education work and experience." (Horst & Miller, p.151)

How can cell phones

and tablets be used

in place of handwriting?

In Conclusion

Wideo

I created this wideo to explore all the possibilities available to our classrooms when we incorporate digital writing and mobile devices:

http://www.wideo.co/view/839461385250915098

"* Posting texts or recorded materials to class blogs for students to access

* Downloading podcasts and other materials

* Taking photos of different geographical places to post to a class Flickr account in geography classes

* Creating short telenovelas (Spanish-language soap operas) using the video on phones and posting them to a blog in foreign language classes

* Posting quick thoughts, questions and reactions to an English class reading on Twitter

* Collaborating on writing stories called "twittories" by tweeting successive entries

* Participating in poetry slams by students recording themselves on their phones and posting the entries to a class website

* Taking pictures of and recording text about historical landmarks and people interviewed during class field trips" ("Using Cell Phones in the Classroom", 2010)

Our lives are adjusting to the advent of new technology every day. If our task as educators is to prepare students for real life then our classrooms must prepare them to work on multiple devices successfully. We must adjust our lessons to fit the needs of the modern writing requirements.

Too Many Options

Writing and Typing in the Modern Classroom: An Exploration