Action Research Report Template Name: Caleb Ricks
Fill in this template to write your Action Research Report: EDUC 442 Action Research
Action Research Your Response to the Activity Prompt:
Activity Prompts:
Grade Level (3-5, 6-8,9-12 Grades 9-12
Content area: Language Arts
STEP 1 Using technology to teach language arts
Selecting your focus
Student discussion forums
Using laptops in the classroom to write papers
What topics related to technology How to implement reading in technology
for teaching and learning do you How to teach writing with technology
wish to investigate? (i.e. using How to implement technology in the English classroom
since it is not a STEM subject
technology to teach mathematics,
Teaching reading online resources
simulations to learn physical science
Collaborative writing through technology
concepts, on-line poetry templates.)
Start with the Background Info
Graphic Organizer to begin finding
topics you might be interested in,
you can also do Internet research to
select a topic you are interested in
for this research project. Make a
short list of your interests.
STEP 2 Clarifying theories Gomez, M. L., Schieble, M., Curwood, J. S., & Hassett, D.
(2010). Technology, learning and instruction: distributed
Find at least three related
cognition in the secondary English classroom. Literacy, 44(1),
or agreeing resources-
20-27. doi:10.1111/j.1741-4369.2010.00541.x
websites, articles or book
references ) relating to McKay, M. D. (1998). Technology and language arts: Great
your selected focus topic support for every classroom!. Book Report, 17(3), 33.
above to help you learn
about content and Fan, H., & Orey, M. (2001). Multimedia in the Classroom.
background of Your Journal Of Research On Computing In Education, 33(5), 1-12.
Topics.
New personalized learning technology to assist skill building in
english language arts and math. (2016, Jan 12). PR
Newswire Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.csusm.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.csusm.edu/docview/1755891926?accountid=10363
According to Academic's Choice, "ClassK12 is attractive and
fun for kids as it maintains their attention span and doesn't feel
like doing work/ studying.
McKenna, M. (2014). Literacy instruction in the brave new
world of technology. The Phi Delta Kappan, 96(3), 8-13.
Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/24375936
STEP 3 Identifying research 1. Does this technology aid or inhibit writing instructions in
questions: classrooms?
2. Can websites be used to encourage students to enhance
After reviewing the texts of your
their writing and pursue writing both inside and outside
resources in Step 2, the next step is the classroom?
to generate a set of at least three 3. Can technology in language arts classrooms create a
personally meaningful research collaborative environment where students are
questions to guide the inquiry. encouraged to share their work and critique/edit the work
YOU ASK the questions here and of others and improve their writing in the process?
ANSWER them in #4 and # 6 4. Will using technology in the classroom provide the
desired results?
STEP 4 Collecting data In the article Technology, learning and instruction:
BE sure to cite your web resources distributed cognition in the secondary English classroom,
as you report the information you students are participating in online writing forums where
find for your three research
questions.
they connect with writers from around the world and
discuss writing. They talk to writers who are more
experienced than they and receive feedback about how
they can enhance their writing. By doing this, they are
collaborating about writing, making friends, discussing
language arts, and are improving their own writing and
the writing of others. As Gomez and her colleagues
explain, after collaborating with this more experienced
writer on the forum, the student became more skillful in
the structural and content features of her own work
(Gomez et al, 2010). By using technology in classrooms,
students gain information across many different
information sources, including movies, webs, group
discussions, journal entries, video technologies, computer
programs, social networking sites and gaming software
(Gomez et al, 2010). Technology creates a collaborative
environment because with multimodal and socially
mediated texts, our ways of interpreting meaning become
more active, collaborative and distributed across multiple
re- sources (Gomez et al, 2010). Discussion forums can
be successful because Unlike the tools available in
traditional classrooms, an online discussion space or FFN
website acts as a catalyst for a distributed theory of mind
(Gomez et al, 2010)
In the article Technology and language arts: Great
support for every classroom! McKay makes many great
arguments for using tech in English classrooms.
Technology eliminates the need to rewrite an entire paper
in order to just fix a few grammatical errors. Word
processors also have dictionaries, thesauruses, and other
tools for students to use. Students can learn to edit
papers through copy and paste on a work document and
through typing directly into an edited paper.
In the article Multimedia in the Classroom, Fan and
Orey explore how technology and multimedia have
potential in helping students improve in subjects such as
reading and writing. They conducted an experiment where
they introduced a multimedia writing project to students.
Students were paired into groups, given a topic to select,
and then given a pretest. The pretest had students write an
essay about what each like to learn from the multimedia
writing project. They completed the projects and then
wrote a posttest essay about what they had learned. The
final products created by the multimedia groups were
evaluated and included as a part of their language arts
final grade. The results of their experiment show that
there was an improvement in writing performance as the
result of participating in a six-week, project-based
approach to learning (Fan and Orey, 2001).
In the article New personalized learning technology to
assist skill building in english language arts and math,
the author explores how technology is currently being
used in the classroom. The program being studied is
ClassK12, a Personalized Adaptive Distributed Practice
program [that] integrates common core standard
curriculum with gamification elements, interactive visual
models, and real-world situations to keep the young
learners engaged and motivated." This program has been
proven to be very successful.
In the article Literacy instruction in the brave new world
of technology, McKenna states that technology greatly
enhances the writing process. McKenna states, Writing
in digital environments supports planning, guides editing,
promoted revising, and helps students focus on content
and expression (2014). This article explores the benefits
of technology in the literature classroom.
STEP 5- Identify 3-5 1. Fanfiction.net-- a site where teens read and write stories
EXCELLENT web based that are built on familiar popular culture and anime
learning storylines. Encourages free-writing and collaboration.
resources/activities/projects 2. Quill.orgprovides writing and grammar activities for
appropriate for use with high school students
your grade span and 3. Young Writers SocietyThis website encourages
content area. submissions and offers tips that will help anyone become
Name, cite the web address a better writer.
and describe the 3-5 web- 4. The Story StarterThis website serves as a story
based resources/ generator for creative writing
activities/projects you 5. Read Theory-- Sign up for free and gain access to over
think are the best for your 1,000 reading comprehension exercises
grade span and content 6. Grammar BytesGrammar quizzes
area. 7. Edmodo-- A social-networking site built for classrooms,
Edmodo has a "wall" functionality that teachers can use
for students to discuss books or post quotes. It's a viable
alternative to Facebook for schools.
Step 6Explain, in your own Describe in your own words what you learned about using
words, the process you went technology for teaching and learning. Attach the report at the end of
this document- so the report and paper are one continuous document.
through and what you
discovered about the web based
resources you selected. SEE BELOW
YOUR PAPER SHOUD
BE 2-3 PAGES (800-1000
words), SO WORDSMITH
AND BE SPECIFIC.
Step7 Taking informed action You do not write in this section, yet. We will discuss this step in
the during 422B.
STEP SIX REPORT:
I was amazed by the technological advancements that have been implemented in modern
classrooms. To guide my research, I focused on how technology can be used in secondary
classrooms. I was especially interested in how computers and computer programs could be used
to enhance writing, create collaborative spaces, and how, in general, technology can be used in
an English classroom. Before conducting my research, I was convinced that STEM subjects were
receiving the focus of technology in education, and I feared that it would be difficult to find great
sources that displayed how computers could be used in a language arts classroom. I also wanted
to know if the use of technology in language arts classrooms would inhibit the instruction of
writing. Many language teachers felt that the act of physically writing with a pen and paper is
essential for teaching grammar and language, so I wondered of the use of a keyboard disrupt this
process. Furthermore, I wanted to know if online discussion forums could create a collaborative
environment for students to edit each others work, discuss ideas, and connect with a larger
community of writers who could help students improve their writing. I sifted through the
CSUSM database in search for articles that would reveal how technology can be used to
facilitate writing, and I discovered some excellent sources.
Through reading the articles, I learned that technology is widely used in English
classrooms. This may have not been exactly typical at the high school that I attended, but modern
language arts classrooms are embracing technology with open arms. Many high school
classrooms are using writing forums in order to improve students writing skills. Students are
able to write about whatever they want on these forums. This makes the activity more enjoyable
and increases the likelihood that students will actively engage with the material since they are
personally invested in it. Writers from the around the world are also on these forums, and
students are able to connect with these advanced writers to improve their own writing. When I
read this, it was clear to me that technology can be used in language arts classrooms to facilitate
collaboration, discussion, socialization, and networking. Students who have used programs such
as these have shown great growth in their writing abilities. Furthermore, the use of technology to
teach writing allows students to access an array of materials such as journals, databases,
websites, videos, and social networking sites. These connect students to the real world and are a
perfect example of NETS 2 and 3 in which teachers design and develop digital-age learning
experiences and assessments. Students are using digital tools to learn writing, pursuing their
interests in a technology-enriched digital environment, and working in collaborative digital
environments.
As I continued my research, I came across a study done in an elementary school
classroom. In this experiment, researchers introduced a multimedia project for students who were
working on their writing skills. Students were paired into collaborative groups of ten students,
given a topic to select, and then given a pretest. Another group of ten students was selected to
work on a writing project that did not use technology. The pretest had students write an essay
about what they would like to learn from their respective writing projects. Once the projects were
completed, students were required to write a posttest essay stating what they had learned from
their project. The essays were collected, graded, and compared to the pretest essays. The results
of the experiment showed that the students who engaged in the technology-based program had
exponential growth in the writing when compared to the non-technology based students. The
results and conclusions of this experiment answered one of the initial questions I had when
beginning my research, and I now know that technology can be used successfully in an English
classroom to teach writing. The use of technology in this way shows how NETS 1, 2, and 3 can
be met in a single project. Through this project, students were able to learn creatively by using
technology, model collaborative group work, use digital tools in a technology-enriched learning
environment to complete the project, communicate through digital media, and demonstrate
effective use of digital materials in the classroom. I was very excited by the results of this study.
As a future English teacher, I was curious whether technology could successfully teach writing.
Now I know what I can use computer programs to facilitate my students learning while being
confident that they are grasping the concepts.
My research also guided me to several great programs that can be used in the classroom.
One such program is called ClassK12. This program takes common core curriculum and presents
them to students in an engaging way. Lessons are taught through games that model real-world
situations, which, again, displays the use of NETS 1b where students explore real-world issues
and solve authentic, realistic problems using digital tools and resources. The article that
discusses this program explains that students have a great time using it, and because they find it
fun, they are fully engaged in the learning experience. Another great program to use in the
classroom is Fanfiction.net. This program allows students to write what they would like and
collaborate with others about their writing. It connects them to a world of writers who can
comment upon their writing, and as I have stated before, help students improve their writing by
editing their work. What I like most about fanfiction.net is the freedom that it grants students.
Students are able to write about any subject freely and without fear of judgement, and if the
students find it fun, they will be more likely to engage in it. I feel that schools today provide too
rigid of a structure with writing, and through the use of the program, students can break away
from that structure in order to pursue what interests them, all the while learning how to improve
their writing skills.
I am extremely relieved to know that technology works in the language arts classroom. I
am not necessarily surprised, but I thought that the use of technology in the subject would prove
to be more difficult than it really is. I am pleased to know that there is an array of engaging
programs out there for both teachers and students to access. I will use these materials in my
future classroom with the full knowledge that they will be effective teaching tools for both
myself and my students.
