Computer-Assisted

							Computer-assisted Writing Instruction

Kathryn L. Schmitz National Technical Institute for the Deaf Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, New York John E. Panara National Technical Institute for the Deaf Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, New York

Abstract We will demonstrate how we apply technology to the writing process in teaching deaf college students. Our primary instructional tool is the personal computer connected to a projection device. In this paperless process, each student displays his or her work from disk, which then becomes the primary instructional material. Because student writing is projected for all to see, group brainstorming and peer review occur in a supportive and creative environment. During this display sharing, compositions are developed, edited, and revised. Students are encouraged to take over the keyboard to make changes and suggestions. An Internet connection adds value to this particular setup in offering access to online resources, such as grammar and vocabulary checkers.  

Introduction We are living in an age in which computer technology infuses almost every aspect of our lives. Because it is so ubiquitous, its influence on the writing process is significant. Many of us who are old enough look back with incredulity on the days when we used longhand and typewriters as our composition tools and sought print materials as our reference tools. Today’s students enjoy a more “seamless” encounter when they engage in the writing process, using the computer to produce text and the Internet to access information. While the field of writing instruction will always be about “process and product” and what methods work best, now more than ever the role of technology in the writing classroom is being examined, discussed, and tested. Specifically, the role of the computer and the Internet in teaching writing to deaf students provides many opportunities for successful classroom experiences. Computer-assisted instruction The two of us have taken a leadership role at NTID in applying computer-assisted instruction to the writing process with our own students. Our experience has shown us that students are very comfortable with computers and the Internet, using instant messaging, videoconferencing, and on-line bidding software with much greater ease than either of us ever experienced in figuring out how to program our now-almost-defunct VCRs. This kind of

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technological interaction and comfort level is the springboard from which we try to move our students into the more traditional arena of academic writing. Our methodology includes preserving and teaching familiar genres of college writing while also bringing in elements of students’ computer-based milieu to enhance their learning experiences in our writing courses. For us, applying technology to the writing process in teaching deaf college students involves the personal computer along with a projection device to allow display sharing. In this paperless process, each student displays his or her written work from disk, and the writing becomes the primary instructional material. Because student writing is projected for all to see, group brainstorming and peer review occur in a supportive and creative environment. During this display sharing, paragraphs and essays are developed, edited, and revised. Students are encouraged to take over the keyboard to make changes and suggestions. An Internet connection adds value to this particular setup in offering access to online resources, such as grammar and vocabulary checkers. The Smart Classroom At NTID, we teach various developmental writing courses ranging from the very basic to the more advanced courses designed to prepare students for entry into the RIT writing curriculum. In terms of incorporating technology into the classroom dynamic, the ideal classroom is what we call the “Smart Classroom.” Imagine this as a “lab” with a bank of computers; however, we try to avoid the term “lab” because it suggests a room where students go to surf the Web and to work independently without any guided instruction. In actuality, our Smart Classroom looks like a lab, but functions like a classroom. It is where we teach English interactively. The room consists of 10 networked computers. In this context, the term “networked” goes beyond the “wired for web connectivity” definition. These computers are networked for display sharing, which means that each student’s work can be displayed on the other students’ computer screens. In this Smart Classroom, the entire class gives feedback related to a peer’s writing. So, display sharing is really the room’s key feature because of the class collaboration it fosters. This type of peer review goes beyond two students or a small group exchanging papers. This process is very public in that the entire classroom community is seeing a classmate’s writing and responding to it at the sentence level, paragraph level, and essay level, depending on the assignment. This display sharing process on the computer is very natural in that a student can revise/edit in “real time” while other students watch. In this dynamic, students not only see a peer’s product but also the actual process of revising the product. When strong students are composing in real-time for other to see, there is a kind of “organic modeling” which occurs that has proven to be an invaluable instructional technique. However, funding a Smart Classroom can be prohibitive, making this type of classroom an inaccessible model for many schools. Furthermore, one Smart Classroom will only support a limited number of writing sections, as is the case at NTID where oftentimes we are forced to teach in traditional classrooms due to scheduling conflicts, which in our eyes, is not exactly the ideal. As a result, we have implemented Smart Classroom dynamics into the traditional classroom by incorporating one laptop computer and a projection device. It’s what we like to call a compromise between the ideal and the real, yet student learning is not compromised. Interestingly, we have seen the same positive results with this set-up as in the Smart Classroom.

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The next-best thing: Single laptop with display in a traditional classroom As the “next-best thing,” laptop use and projection in the writing classroom enables the entire class to review and respond to a peer’s work. Real-time revision can happen just as it does in the Smart Classroom, as students watch their peer on the laptop make changes and solicit feedback as changes are being made. From our experiences, the “real time” revising/editing part of the writing process encourages the entire class to participate actively as they watch a peer making changes to his or her text. It’s a very student-driven process, as students become the teacher, commenting on a range of topics from grammar errors to need for transitional words to suggestions for idea development regarding a particular paragraph. So, in brief, the Smart Classroom and the traditional classroom with laptop projection have a similar dynamic in that students in both settings are observing and participating in real time composing at different stages (pre-writing, drafting, editing) and at different rhetorical levels (grammar, paragraph, essay). However, the big difference is that equipping a traditional classroom with laptop projection is much more cost effective. Writing from visual prompts The laptop is great for downloading and showing video clips. No VCR is necessary in the classroom using a laptop with display. Students can watch a brief video stored in the laptop and projected to the class, and then write a description of what they’ve seen along with their opinions about it. Working at the sentence level With display sharing on the laptop, teaching grammar becomes less of a chore because students work more interactively. Since the process is student-driven, they often seem more interested in learning from each other’s mistakes. Students take turns on the laptop, helping each other with various grammar exercises such as how to use an on-line grammar resource to recognize and correct word form mistakes. In addition, something as confusing and challenging as active voice vs. passive voice exercises can become much more interesting—and even fun—to students as they watch each other try to wrestle with the sentence structure of active vs. passive voice and offer helpful suggestions to whoever is displaying his or her work. Substance and style at the sentence level Students in developmental courses often have a problem with writing complete sentences. We tell students that of course we want substance: we want the correct answer to the question. However, we also point out that since they are in a writing class, we expect them to express themselves completely in their writing. Therefore, incomplete sentences are strictly taboo. So, this is another activity that lends itself well to display sharing, whether it’s in a Smart Classroom or the laptop-equipped room. Students are projecting, sharing and comparing answers that they have written to questions based on a reading. And, when necessary, they are making changes to those answers—changes that involve style (making a sentence complete perhaps by borrowing key words from the question) and/or changes that involve substance (focusing on accuracy and clarity)—in real-time, in front of their peers. The process is very interactive, inclusive, and invaluable.

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Writing at the paragraph level At the paragraph level, students first create outlines for a paragraph to be written on a given topic and then share these outlines via the laptop with the class. At this stage, the emphasis is not on grammar but on clarity of the controlling idea, relevance of the supporting details, and quality of organization. Feedback is given to each student displaying his or her outline on the laptop and revisions are made. This process of outlining improves the chances for a successful paragraph to be written later. While displaying his or her outline on the laptop, a student can, in real-time, use the copy/paste functions to begin to create a paragraph from the outline in a very seamless way as other students watch. And, at this point, students have an opportunity to discuss how the ordering devices in the outline (numbers and letters) can be converted into transition words in the paragraph and which transition words would make sense. Writing essays In composing an academic essay, prewriting strategies are very helpful. Strategies can include outlines, lists, webs, and other graphic organizers. These are all ways of visually organizing information before beginning to write an academic essay. Students vary widely in their choice of graphic organizers, and some prefer not to use one, but generally, those who do use some prewriting strategies or graphic organizers produce better essays. In an essay, coherence and organization are essential, and working toward these goals together with visual material displayed on the laptop pushes students’ thinking. In this kind of classroom, we rely heavily on peer review of essays from beginning to end. Students brainstorm their ideas and possible approaches, and share, model, and revise their outlines and essay drafts in real time before submitting their final essays. We can see the graphic organizers, then proceed to rough drafts and review and revise them repeatedly until the final essay version is ready for submission. In this entire process, students see the evolution of their own and their peers’ thoughts and support one another in developing concepts and fleshing out ideas. We begin with establishing a thesis statement, the controlling idea of an essay. This thesis statement basically provides the purpose and context of the essay, the reason for writing the essay. Developing a clear thesis statement is a difficult challenge that is perfect for this kind of interactive, visual setting, where students can discuss the ideas and the concepts they want to write about. Then we consider the points that support the thesis statement. Typically, in an academic essay using the traditional 5-paragraph rubric (introduction, three supporting paragraphs, and conclusion), each supporting point will have its own paragraph. And each paragraph consequently must have a clear topic sentence to establish that supporting point or controlling idea, which ties back to the thesis statement. Then each topic sentence must be supported by details that explain the controlling idea within the paragraph. All of these elements in the essay generate lots of discussion and revision, pushing students’ thinking. We can see each step of this process on the laptop display in real time, and we all can work collectively to push the development of the essay toward a nice final version. Benefits of laptop display in the traditional classroom In brief, these are some of the advantages of using a laptop display in the classroom:  Motivates all students to participate, making the classroom more student-driven.  Reduces passivity.

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    

Allows for “real-time” composing and revising. Increases the chances that students will internalize the modeling that they observe. Enables students to compose using the same techniques they use on their own machines. Allows students to see peer work and feel more confident about their own work. Is much less expensive to implement than a writing lab.

 Cost of equipping a classroom The basic costs of equipping a classroom for laptop display are as follows: Laptop $2,300 Projection Unit NEC MT-1065 $3,500 Extron Interface and Cabling $1,300 In terms of set up and support, the equipment could be set up by the user with limited support either through phone support or the local dealer. NTID permanently mounts the projection systems both for consistency and security.

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