Last month, The Atlantic featured a multi-article series on the status of writing in America. Topics range from what research concludes about methods used in New Dorp, a once-failing, now-thriving high school where the basics of writing are taught in every class, everyday, to the relationship of why poor writing education informs the poor quality code some software engineers write.
In the context of educational technology, one article stands out among the rest in the series. On October 16, 2012, Deborah Reck and Deb Sabin co-wrote “A High-Tech Solution to the Writing Crisis” in The Atlantic. Therein Reck and Sabin highlight the current pitfalls of effective writing education, most importantly the lack of time for teachers to engage personally and timely with students about writing coupled with their inability to provide topical feedback prior to assessment; a more subtly problematic area is the receptiveness of students to feedback about writing where some are ambivalent and others are overwhelmed and unable to focus on the various critiques. The result is often overwrought, exhausted teachers and confused, uninspired students.
The authors proceed to explicate why existing writing technologies have failed to thrive. Namely, the introduction of ICT into the relationship of teachers of students pertaining to writing in particular removes the critical element of face-to-face or at least an interpersonal exchange where the teacher’s enthusiasm provides necessary social bolsters to students’ interests and receptiveness. In highly ambiguous terms, a software innovation is suggested which allows teachers to provide extra assignments in lacking areas, appropriate feedback, and encouragement all at precisely the moment students need all of these; the authors name no software capable of providing this revolution.
Some technologies do exist to assist with the act of writing; see “Useful Technology Tools for Students with Disabilities” for more information on innovations specifically for students with disabilities like talking word processors, portable notetaking devices, and prewriting organizers among others. Programs like National Novel Writing Month, subitled “Thirty days and nights of literary abandon!”, creates a lively, fun, and community-supporting and -supportive place where children and adults challenge themselves to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November every year. Subscription is free. Sounds crazy, right? Well it works. Last year 36,843 winners were named; a winner is one who completes the challenge and successfully finishes their novel. These innovations are interesting and results-oriented for those who implement them effectively, but what about improving writing, teaching, and learning in the traditional classroom setting?
Last month Edutopia, an education resource hub aiming to improve K-12 education and owned by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, ran an ad offering a free pilot program for an educational writing software innovation. What luck! The pilot is testing Cubert’s Cube touted as a writing toolkit for students and teachers, which appears to be an online platform for students to write and draw and for teachers to provide feedback. Although, without signing up at this stage, it is not possible to assess the success or failure of Cubert’s Cube, it seems to mimic the goals detailed by Deborah Reck and Deb Sabin in their article in The Atlantic. At least for now, though, writing largely remains the domain of teachers and students. We shall see what ICT brings to the table!
Source links:
http://www.theatlantic.com/debates/education
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/10/what-does-science-tell-us-about-teaching-kids-to-think/263055/
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/10/the-real-reason-silicon-valley-coders-write-bad-software/263377/
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/10/a-high-tech-solution-to-the-writing-crisis/263675/
http://educational-technology-vub.blogspot.be/2012/11/useful-technology-tools-for-students.html
http://www.nanowrimo.org/
http://www.nanowrimo.org/about/facts-and-stats/
http://www.edutopia.org/groups/elementary-school/213587
http://pilot.cubertscube.com/cuberts-cube-for-teachers/
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