Let's hear from the learners!
According to Vacca, Vacca and Mraz (2016), "Writing activates learning by helping students to explore, clarify, and think deeply about the ideas and concept they encounter in reading." From my creative synthesis question, I can determine that there is a correlation between the use of multimodal tools and the impact it has on student writing. In my classroom I have a wide range of writers and I wanted to use technology to promote deeper thinking and improve my students writing at all stages of the writer's workshop model.
"Often, in school, student write only to prove they did something they were asked to do, in order to get credit for it. Or, students are taught a single type of writing and are led to believe this type will suffice in all situations...it is important that students have experiences within school that teach them how writing differs with purpose, audience, and other elements of the situation." (NCTE Guideline, February 2016). From my creative synthesis question I learned firsthand that when students understand the purpose of their objective, they have a higher interest in demonstrating their understanding of that objective. For the purpose of my creative synthesis, it was necessary that I offer students the opportunity to use technology in order to help them see the impact it could have on their learning when used with a specific purpose. I did not just want my students to use multimodal tools during writing but across all subjects. With the implementation of Common Core, students are expected to write in all subjects, but what students struggle to understand is that writing in math looks different than when you are writing to demonstrate their knowledge of various writing genres or science objectives.
When given the opportunity to use multimodal tools to impact writing,my students were able improve their writing not only during "writing time" but across the curriculum. Technology isn't always necessary but when it can be used to get students to think and learn, there is no limits to the possibilities a student has to impact and increase their learning experiences. Digital environments require that students take a more active role in their learning and their outcomes. My students and I now see the impact that multimodal tools have in order to have an impact on their writing.
Vacca, L.,Vacca,R.,Mraz,M.,(2016). Content Area Reading: Literacy and Learning Across the Curriculum (12th ed.). Pearson.
National Council of TEacher of English. (2016). Profession Knowledge for the Teaching of Writing. Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/teaching-writing
"Often, in school, student write only to prove they did something they were asked to do, in order to get credit for it. Or, students are taught a single type of writing and are led to believe this type will suffice in all situations...it is important that students have experiences within school that teach them how writing differs with purpose, audience, and other elements of the situation." (NCTE Guideline, February 2016). From my creative synthesis question I learned firsthand that when students understand the purpose of their objective, they have a higher interest in demonstrating their understanding of that objective. For the purpose of my creative synthesis, it was necessary that I offer students the opportunity to use technology in order to help them see the impact it could have on their learning when used with a specific purpose. I did not just want my students to use multimodal tools during writing but across all subjects. With the implementation of Common Core, students are expected to write in all subjects, but what students struggle to understand is that writing in math looks different than when you are writing to demonstrate their knowledge of various writing genres or science objectives.
When given the opportunity to use multimodal tools to impact writing,my students were able improve their writing not only during "writing time" but across the curriculum. Technology isn't always necessary but when it can be used to get students to think and learn, there is no limits to the possibilities a student has to impact and increase their learning experiences. Digital environments require that students take a more active role in their learning and their outcomes. My students and I now see the impact that multimodal tools have in order to have an impact on their writing.
Vacca, L.,Vacca,R.,Mraz,M.,(2016). Content Area Reading: Literacy and Learning Across the Curriculum (12th ed.). Pearson.
National Council of TEacher of English. (2016). Profession Knowledge for the Teaching of Writing. Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/teaching-writing