Writing Through College: Composing Writing in the Life of a College Student
Where to begin?
As time goes by technology is becoming more and more prevalent in our everyday lives. We are incorporating this technology into things such as having tickets on our phones as opposed to the paper printouts, or being able to send emails directly from our phones. Why not incorporate this wave of technology use into our world of academics? Rebecca M Sullivan shows just how the use of the technology in a classroom can benefit a student's writing. The technology that she focuses on is the iPad. Because in my own college experiences I have had my iPad there to use as a tool for my writing process, I was curious to see how Sullivan's article would apply. How does my own experience compare to the experience of students in a classroom? Well, I have found similarities and differences along the way but it seems that I experience some of the same benefits along with the distractions that occur with the students in the secondary learning level classroom.
What did Sullivan have to say?
The most important thing that I noticed about Rebecca M Sullivan's article, The Tablet Inscribed: Inclusive Writing Instruction with the iPad, is that this article was written very recently; it was published in January of 2013. The iPad is a very new technology and the recency of the article is something that shows the iPad is introducing a new form of writing in a more modern classroom. Rebecca M Sullivan shows the integration of technology of the iPad into the secondary learning level classroom in order to compose writing with the tablet technology. Sullivan mentions that there have been debates as to whether or not technology was a good thing to integrate into the classroom setting because of the distractions that it may bring to the learning process. In the classes where the iPad has already been integrated they have added and deleted different applications that would be helpful to the class and a distraction to the class respectively. For example, the Music, Calendar and App Store applications were removed from the iPads because these were felt to be intended for the single-user as opposed to the sharing use in a secondary level classroom. As an instructor herself, Sullivan faces the potential problem of distraction by providing covers for the iPads and gives a clear instruction during her classes when the cover on the iPad is to be closed in order to provide her, the instructor, with the students' full attention.
When the students are working they are writing more efficiently and at a higher level of quality work when they are composing their work on an iPad. The students are able to track their writing process more easily on the iPad that they use on a more frequent basis in their class. Also, the use of discussion is a major part in the writing process and the use of the iPad allows for an easier connection with others to initiate this discussion. Things that initiate this discussion that is used in the study is a Google Doc. The entire class can now view, edit and give feedback to a paper that is posted. The iPad also allows for an easy connection to online databases and a variety of other resources that are literally in the hands of the students while they are writing. The ease of accessibility is what leads to the better quality of paper.
The student's writing in a classroom setting is improved by the use of an iPad. It was my goal to see if any of the occurrences that happened in the study that Sullivan refers to would take place in my own experiences.
How does this college student work?
I have been keeping track of the my use of the iPad over the course of nine weeks and I have seen just what I have used it for. My iPad is something that I use for all of my school work. I compose each of my papers, no matter the length, on my iPad. I order to type up my paper I have a Documents application which is available in the apple App Store as a free application. The touch screen is convenient for me and when I type I hold the iPad horizontally so the the keyboard is wide enough for my hands to touch the 'keys' with ease. When I compose my writing I typically am not at a desk, I carry my iPad around with me in my bag wherever I go. I will sit in my room on the floor or in my bed in order to write a paper if I am at home or I will compose papers in my car between classes. In all of the places that I use my iPad for academic writing there is no music or any other outside source of any kind around to serve as a distraction, no food or drinks, nothing. Typically when I am in my car on campus I do not have access to an Internet connection which allows me to focus on my work as opposed to navigating away from my paper. When I am at home I will even turn off my wifi connection to my iPad in order to avoid outside distractions. I have seen that I typically navigate away from my paper when I am using a source that is on the Internet. I will go between the two applications of Documents, where I compose my paper, and Safari, the Internet server that is on the iPad. When the Safari is open and running I have a tendency to travel to other websites and lose focus on my paper.
Although I may lose focus on what I am doing within the different applications, when I use the iPad I focus on it solely. This undivided focus is a benefit to my writing because it allows me to focus on the topic of my paper and allows me to produce a better quality of work. When I only keep the applications open that pertain to the work that I am doing it makes it a lot easier for me to focus. In the course of taking notes on myself, I also noted that I have taken a screen shot, or a picture of any image that is on the iPad screen that gets saved to the photo application, of the Internet windows that I am using so that I can use them at a later time. These screen shots allow me to access the information from a website without needing access to the Internet. This helps with my wondering when I am doing a paper. When I am not connected to the Internet it also allows me to better my focus because I am not receiving any text messages to my iPad that would tempt me to answer them. In my notes I found that I answer text messages quite often when they come to my iPad. Answering the text message pulls my focus away from the paper that I am writing and extends the amount of time that it takes me to complete an assignment, when I am working with a deadline this is not always the best thing.
From the data that I have collected on my own personal iPad habits and took notes on, I can see how Rebecca M Sullivan relates iPads to composing writing. Obviously the study is different because she focuses on the use of the iPad in a classroom and the classroom alone, while I travel with my iPad and use it in a variety of settings. Something else that plays a role in the differences is that the iPads that are used in the secondary learning classroom that Sullivan refers to have also been programmed specifically for a class; all of the distractions that I deal with on my iPad have been removed from the iPads that these students used. However, the benefits of using the iPad are something that I share with the students in Sullivan's classroom. I am able to connect with the Internet and databases for sources all from one device and I am able to connect with other people in order to gain more ideas in my writing, even though I admit that sometimes I sway off topic and get distracted. Overall, what I have seen is very similar to Sullivan's article although it talks about iPad use on a larger scale than just one person the uses are similar and the benefits correlate.
Wrapping it up
Overall I would say that the use of an iPad is something that academics should really be researching for the classrooms of not only the future but of the present. Children are being ale to use these great forms of technology to expand their writing abilities. Sullivan shows that the use of iPads in the classroom is a positive addition on a secondary education level. Through my own collection of data I would say that Sullivan's conclusions are accurate. Composing writing through technology of an iPad is something that benefits the student. As a college student without a lot of time to sit at a desk the convenience of the iPad is incredible. I think that I have shown that the use of technology should be incorporated into the academic lives of all students and that through this technology children's writing abilities and quality will only improve.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Using the criteria below, write an evaluation of your research project.
I'm going to evaluate my paper as follows:
The writing process is something that I was not always the most prompt with throughout the semester. We said that the writing process should consist of 100 points. With the work that I have posted and the work that I have shown that I have done I do not think that I would quite get all of those points. I did not receive all of the points when Dr. Chandler went through my blogs and I feel that that should be accounted for in this final grade. So out of the 100 points I'm going to say that I should probably receive around 90 of them. I had a majority of my posts up and I personally know I made progress along the way but it was not as prompt as it could have been.
On to the essay grade of 100 points. We divided it so that focus could receive 30 points, audience/genre receives 25, organization receives 20, development 20 and correctness 5.
For my essay I would say that I think my focus is there and that you are able to tell what the paper is talking about but I think that possibly I could have gone in and developed it some more so I would probably give myself around 25 points of that 30. In regards to genre, I think that it is written as a research paper it has the different sections that a search paper has but may it is a little too personal. I realize that I wrote an auto ethnography which would refer to myself but it might be too much. I would say 23. The organization is pretty well done. For what I have it is presented in a way that you can figure it out I would give myself 18. I think when it comes to the development I think I may have been able to delve in a little more with the connections and the example usage. I would say it is 15 points worthy. As far as correctness I think that I should receive the full 5 points because there is nothing that terrible that is distracting to the reader. This gives me 86 out of the 100 points.
The analysis grade is out of 300 points. I would basically split it in half in regards to promptness and the development of the analysis. So for promptness and having my data and analysis on the blog in a timely manner I would give myself about 140 points. Like I mentioned earlier, I was not always right on time but I had the information that was needed. The remaining 150 points would be for the actual use of analysis. I think that my analysis could have been more in depth in some parts. I think that I could have used more connections along the way. I would probably only give myself around 100 points of the 150.
So I have 90 in the writing process, 86 in the essay, and 240 in the analysis. All together this adds up to being 416 points out of the possible 500. This would give me an approximate 83% for my grade. I would say that a B would be a reasonable grade for this paper.
The writing process is something that I was not always the most prompt with throughout the semester. We said that the writing process should consist of 100 points. With the work that I have posted and the work that I have shown that I have done I do not think that I would quite get all of those points. I did not receive all of the points when Dr. Chandler went through my blogs and I feel that that should be accounted for in this final grade. So out of the 100 points I'm going to say that I should probably receive around 90 of them. I had a majority of my posts up and I personally know I made progress along the way but it was not as prompt as it could have been.
On to the essay grade of 100 points. We divided it so that focus could receive 30 points, audience/genre receives 25, organization receives 20, development 20 and correctness 5.
For my essay I would say that I think my focus is there and that you are able to tell what the paper is talking about but I think that possibly I could have gone in and developed it some more so I would probably give myself around 25 points of that 30. In regards to genre, I think that it is written as a research paper it has the different sections that a search paper has but may it is a little too personal. I realize that I wrote an auto ethnography which would refer to myself but it might be too much. I would say 23. The organization is pretty well done. For what I have it is presented in a way that you can figure it out I would give myself 18. I think when it comes to the development I think I may have been able to delve in a little more with the connections and the example usage. I would say it is 15 points worthy. As far as correctness I think that I should receive the full 5 points because there is nothing that terrible that is distracting to the reader. This gives me 86 out of the 100 points.
The analysis grade is out of 300 points. I would basically split it in half in regards to promptness and the development of the analysis. So for promptness and having my data and analysis on the blog in a timely manner I would give myself about 140 points. Like I mentioned earlier, I was not always right on time but I had the information that was needed. The remaining 150 points would be for the actual use of analysis. I think that my analysis could have been more in depth in some parts. I think that I could have used more connections along the way. I would probably only give myself around 100 points of the 150.
So I have 90 in the writing process, 86 in the essay, and 240 in the analysis. All together this adds up to being 416 points out of the possible 500. This would give me an approximate 83% for my grade. I would say that a B would be a reasonable grade for this paper.
if you gave your presentation earlier, post your ongoing revisions
So far I have changed some headings
Writing Through College: Composing Writing in the Life of a College Student
Where to begin?
As time goes by technology is becoming more and more prevalent in our everyday lives. We are incorporating this technology into things such as having tickets on our phones as opposed to the paper printouts, or being able to send emails directly from our phones. Why not incorporate this wave of technology use into our world of academics? Rebecca M Sullivan shows just how the use of the technology in a classroom can benefit a student's writing. The technology that she focuses on is the iPad. Because in my own college experiences I have had my iPad there to use as a tool for my writing process, I was curious to see how Sullivan's article would apply. How does my own experience compare to the experience of students in a classroom? Well, I have found similarities and differences along the way but it seems that I experience some of the same benefits along with the distractions that occur with the students in the secondary learning level classroom.
What did Sullivan have to say?
The most important thing that I noticed about Rebecca M Sullivan's article, The Tablet Inscribed: Inclusive Writing Instruction with the iPad, is that this article was written very recently; it was published in January of 2013. The iPad is a very new technology and the recency of the article is something that shows the iPad is introducing a new form of writing in a more modern classroom. Rebecca M Sullivan shows the integration of technology of the iPad into the secondary learning level classroom in order to compose writing with the tablet technology. Sullivan mentions that there have been debates as to whether or not technology was a good thing to integrate into the classroom setting because of the distractions that it may bring to the learning process. In the classes where the iPad has already been integrated they have added and deleted different applications that would be helpful to the class and a distraction to the class respectively. For example, the Music, Calendar and App Store applications were removed from the iPads because these were felt to be intended for the single-user as opposed to the sharing use in a secondary level classroom. As an instructor herself, Sullivan faces the potential problem of distraction by providing covers for the iPads and gives a clear instruction during her classes when the cover on the iPad is to be closed in order to provide her, the instructor, with the students' full attention.
When the students are working they are writing more efficiently and at a higher level of quality work when they are composing their work on an iPad. The students are able to track their writing process more easily on the iPad that they use on a more frequent basis in their class. Also, the use of discussion is a major part in the writing process and the use of the iPad allows for an easier connection with others to initiate this discussion. Things that initiate this discussion that is used in the study is a Google Doc. The entire class can now view, edit and give feedback to a paper that is posted. The iPad also allows for an easy connection to online databases and a variety of other resources that are literally in the hands of the students while they are writing. The ease of accessibility is what leads to the better quality of paper.
The student's writing in a classroom setting is improved by the use of an iPad. It was my goal to see if any of the occurrences that happened in the study that Sullivan refers to would take place in my own experiences.
How does this college student work?
I have been keeping track of the my use of the iPad over the course of nine weeks and I have seen just what I have used it for. My iPad is something that I use for all of my school work. I compose each of my papers, no matter the length, on my iPad. I order to type up my paper I have a Documents application which is available in the apple App Store as a free application. The touch screen is convenient for me and when I type I hold the iPad horizontally so the the keyboard is wide enough for my hands to touch the 'keys' with ease. When I compose my writing I typically am not at a desk, I carry it around with me in my bag wherever I go. I will sit in my room on the floor or in my bed in order to write a paper or I will compose papers in my car between classes. In all of the places that I use my iPad for academic writing there is no music or any other outside source of any kind around to serve as a distraction, no food or drinks, nothing. Typically when I am in my car I do not have access to an Internet connection which allows me to focus on my work as opposed to navigating away from my paper. When I am at home I will even turn off my wifi in order to avoid distractions. I have seen that I typically navigate away from my paper when I am using a source on the Internet. I will go between the two applications of Documents, where I compose my paper, and Safari, the Internet server that is on the iPad. When the Safari is open and running I have a tendency to travel to other websites and lose focus on my paper.
Although I may lose focus on what I am doing within the different applications when I use the iPad I focus on it solely. This undivided focus is a benefit to my writing because it allows me to focus on the topic of my paper and allows me to produce a better quality of work. When I only keep the applications open that pertain to the work that I am doing it makes it a lot easier for me to focus. I also noted that I have taken a screen shot, or a picture of any image that is on the iPad screen that gets saved to the photo application, of the Internet windows that I am using so that I can use them at a later time. These screen shots allow me to access the information from a website without needing access to the Internet. This helps with my wondering when I am doing a paper. When I am not connected to the Internet it also allows me to better my focus because I am not receiving any text messages to my iPad that would tempt me to answer them.
From the data that I have collected and noted on from my behavior I can see how Rebecca M Sullivan relates iPads to composing writing. Obviously the study is different because she focuses on the use of the iPad in a classroom and the classroom alone while I travel with my iPad and use it in a variety of settings. The iPads that are used in the secondary learning classroom that Sullivan refers to have also been programmed specifically for a class and all of the distractions that I deal with on my iPad have been removed from the iPads that these students used. However, the benefits of using the iPad are something that I share with the students in Sullivan's classroom. I am able to connect with the Internet and databases for sources all from one device and I am able to connect with other people in order to gain more ideas in my writing, even though I admit that sometimes I sway off topic and get distracted. Overall, what I have seen is very similar to Sullivan's article although it talks about iPad use on a larger scale than just one person the uses are similar and the benefits correlate.
Writing Through College: Composing Writing in the Life of a College Student
Where to begin?
As time goes by technology is becoming more and more prevalent in our everyday lives. We are incorporating this technology into things such as having tickets on our phones as opposed to the paper printouts, or being able to send emails directly from our phones. Why not incorporate this wave of technology use into our world of academics? Rebecca M Sullivan shows just how the use of the technology in a classroom can benefit a student's writing. The technology that she focuses on is the iPad. Because in my own college experiences I have had my iPad there to use as a tool for my writing process, I was curious to see how Sullivan's article would apply. How does my own experience compare to the experience of students in a classroom? Well, I have found similarities and differences along the way but it seems that I experience some of the same benefits along with the distractions that occur with the students in the secondary learning level classroom.
What did Sullivan have to say?
The most important thing that I noticed about Rebecca M Sullivan's article, The Tablet Inscribed: Inclusive Writing Instruction with the iPad, is that this article was written very recently; it was published in January of 2013. The iPad is a very new technology and the recency of the article is something that shows the iPad is introducing a new form of writing in a more modern classroom. Rebecca M Sullivan shows the integration of technology of the iPad into the secondary learning level classroom in order to compose writing with the tablet technology. Sullivan mentions that there have been debates as to whether or not technology was a good thing to integrate into the classroom setting because of the distractions that it may bring to the learning process. In the classes where the iPad has already been integrated they have added and deleted different applications that would be helpful to the class and a distraction to the class respectively. For example, the Music, Calendar and App Store applications were removed from the iPads because these were felt to be intended for the single-user as opposed to the sharing use in a secondary level classroom. As an instructor herself, Sullivan faces the potential problem of distraction by providing covers for the iPads and gives a clear instruction during her classes when the cover on the iPad is to be closed in order to provide her, the instructor, with the students' full attention.
When the students are working they are writing more efficiently and at a higher level of quality work when they are composing their work on an iPad. The students are able to track their writing process more easily on the iPad that they use on a more frequent basis in their class. Also, the use of discussion is a major part in the writing process and the use of the iPad allows for an easier connection with others to initiate this discussion. Things that initiate this discussion that is used in the study is a Google Doc. The entire class can now view, edit and give feedback to a paper that is posted. The iPad also allows for an easy connection to online databases and a variety of other resources that are literally in the hands of the students while they are writing. The ease of accessibility is what leads to the better quality of paper.
The student's writing in a classroom setting is improved by the use of an iPad. It was my goal to see if any of the occurrences that happened in the study that Sullivan refers to would take place in my own experiences.
How does this college student work?
I have been keeping track of the my use of the iPad over the course of nine weeks and I have seen just what I have used it for. My iPad is something that I use for all of my school work. I compose each of my papers, no matter the length, on my iPad. I order to type up my paper I have a Documents application which is available in the apple App Store as a free application. The touch screen is convenient for me and when I type I hold the iPad horizontally so the the keyboard is wide enough for my hands to touch the 'keys' with ease. When I compose my writing I typically am not at a desk, I carry it around with me in my bag wherever I go. I will sit in my room on the floor or in my bed in order to write a paper or I will compose papers in my car between classes. In all of the places that I use my iPad for academic writing there is no music or any other outside source of any kind around to serve as a distraction, no food or drinks, nothing. Typically when I am in my car I do not have access to an Internet connection which allows me to focus on my work as opposed to navigating away from my paper. When I am at home I will even turn off my wifi in order to avoid distractions. I have seen that I typically navigate away from my paper when I am using a source on the Internet. I will go between the two applications of Documents, where I compose my paper, and Safari, the Internet server that is on the iPad. When the Safari is open and running I have a tendency to travel to other websites and lose focus on my paper.
Although I may lose focus on what I am doing within the different applications when I use the iPad I focus on it solely. This undivided focus is a benefit to my writing because it allows me to focus on the topic of my paper and allows me to produce a better quality of work. When I only keep the applications open that pertain to the work that I am doing it makes it a lot easier for me to focus. I also noted that I have taken a screen shot, or a picture of any image that is on the iPad screen that gets saved to the photo application, of the Internet windows that I am using so that I can use them at a later time. These screen shots allow me to access the information from a website without needing access to the Internet. This helps with my wondering when I am doing a paper. When I am not connected to the Internet it also allows me to better my focus because I am not receiving any text messages to my iPad that would tempt me to answer them.
From the data that I have collected and noted on from my behavior I can see how Rebecca M Sullivan relates iPads to composing writing. Obviously the study is different because she focuses on the use of the iPad in a classroom and the classroom alone while I travel with my iPad and use it in a variety of settings. The iPads that are used in the secondary learning classroom that Sullivan refers to have also been programmed specifically for a class and all of the distractions that I deal with on my iPad have been removed from the iPads that these students used. However, the benefits of using the iPad are something that I share with the students in Sullivan's classroom. I am able to connect with the Internet and databases for sources all from one device and I am able to connect with other people in order to gain more ideas in my writing, even though I admit that sometimes I sway off topic and get distracted. Overall, what I have seen is very similar to Sullivan's article although it talks about iPad use on a larger scale than just one person the uses are similar and the benefits correlate.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
So Far
Research Paper
Introduction
As time goes by technology is becoming more and more prevalent in our everyday lives. We are incorporating technology into every aspect of our lives such as having tickets on our phones as opposed to the paper printouts, and being able to send emails directly from our phones; why not incorporate this wave of technology use into our world of academics? Rebecca M Sullivan shows just how the use of the technology in a classroom can benefit a student's writing. The technology that she focuses on is the iPad. Because in my own college experiences I have had my iPad there to use as a tool for my writing process I was curious to see how Sullivan's article would apply. How does my own experience compare to the experience of students in a classroom? Well I have found similarities and differences along the way but it seems that I experience some of the same benefits and distractions that occur with the students in the secondary learning level classroom.
Literature Review
The most important thing that I noticed about Rebecca M Sullivan's article, The Tablet Inscribed: Inclusive Writing Instruction with the iPad, is that this article was written very recently; it was published in January of 2013. The iPad is a very new technology and the recency of the article is something that shows a new form of writing in a more modern classroom. Rebecca M Sullivan shows the integration of technology of the iPad into the secondary learning level classroom in order to compose writing with the tablet technology. Sullivan mentions that there have been debates as to whether or not technology was a good thing to integrate into the classroom setting because of the distractions that it may bring to the learning process. In the classes where the iPad has already been integrated they have added and deleted different applications that would be helpful to the class and a distraction to the class respectively. For example, the Music, Calendar and App Store applications were removed from the iPads because these were felt to be intended for the single-user as opposed to the sharing use in a secondary level classroom. As an instructor herself, Sullivan faces the potential problem of distraction by providing covers for the iPads and gives a clear instruction during her classes when the cover on the iPad is to be closed in order to provide her, the instructor, with the students' full attention.
When the students are working they are writing more efficiently and at a higher level of quality work when they are composing their work on an iPad. The students are able to track their writing process more easily on the iPad that they use on a more frequent basis in their class. Also, the use of discussion is a major part in the writing process and the use of the iPad allows for an easier connection with others to initiate this discussion. Things that initiate this discussion that is used in the study is a Google Doc. The entire class can now view, edit and give feedback to a paper that is posted. The iPad also allows for an easy connection to online databases and a variety of other resources that are literally in the hands of the students while they are writing. The ease of accessibility is what leads to the better quality of paper.
The student's writing in a classroom setting is improved by the use of an iPad. It was my goal to see if any of the occurrences that happened in the study that Sullivan refers to would take place in my own experiences.
Data Analysis
I have been keeping track of the my use of the iPad over the course of nine weeks and I have seen just what I have used it for. My iPad is something that I use for all of my school work. I compose each of my papers, no matter the length, on my iPad. I order to type up my paper I have a Documents application which is available in the apple App Store as a free application. The touch screen is convenient for me and when I type I hold the iPad horizontally so the the keyboard is wide enough for my hands to touch the 'keys' with ease. When I compose my writing I typically am not at a desk, I carry it around with me in my bag wherever I go. I will sit in my room on the floor or in my bed in order to write a paper or I will compose papers in my car between classes. In all of the places that I use my iPad for academic writing there is no music or any other outside source of any kind around to serve as a distraction, no food or drinks, nothing. Typically when I am in my car I do not have access to an Internet connection which allows me to focus on my work as opposed to navigating away from my paper. When I am at home I will even turn off my wifi in order to avoid distractions. I have seen that I typically navigate away from my paper when I am using a source on the Internet. I will go between the two applications of Documents, where I compose my paper, and Safari, the Internet server that is on the iPad. When the Safari is open and running I have a tendency to travel to other websites and lose focus on my paper.
Although I may lose focus on what I am doing within the different applications when I use the iPad I focus on it solely. This undivided focus is a benefit to my writing because it allows me to focus on the topic of my paper and allows me to produce a better quality of work. When I only keep the applications open that pertain to the work that I am doing it makes it a lot easier for me to focus. I also noted that I have taken a screen shot, or a picture of any image that is on the iPad screen that gets saved to the photo application, of the Internet windows that I am using so that I can use them at a later time. These screen shots allow me to access the information from a website without needing access to the Internet. This helps with my wondering when I am doing a paper. When I am not connected to the Internet it also allows me to better my focus because I am not receiving any text messages to my iPad that would tempt me to answer them.
From the data that I have collected and noted on from my behavior I can see how Rebecca M Sullivan relates iPads to composing writing. Obviously the study is different because she focuses on the use of the iPad in a classroom and the classroom alone while I travel with my iPad and use it in a variety of settings. The iPads that are used in the secondary learning classroom that Sullivan refers to have also been programmed specifically for a class and all of the distractions that I deal with on my iPad have been removed from the iPads that these students used. However, the benefits of using the iPad are something that I share with the students in Sullivan's classroom. I am able to connect with the Internet and databases for sources all from one device and I am able to connect with other people in order to gain more ideas in my writing, even though I admit that sometimes I sway off topic and get distracted. Overall, what I have seen is very similar to Sullivan's article although it talks about iPad use on a larger scale than just one person the uses are similar and the benefits correlate.
Conclusion ?
Choppy?
Connections that still need to or should be made?
Anything!
Introduction
As time goes by technology is becoming more and more prevalent in our everyday lives. We are incorporating technology into every aspect of our lives such as having tickets on our phones as opposed to the paper printouts, and being able to send emails directly from our phones; why not incorporate this wave of technology use into our world of academics? Rebecca M Sullivan shows just how the use of the technology in a classroom can benefit a student's writing. The technology that she focuses on is the iPad. Because in my own college experiences I have had my iPad there to use as a tool for my writing process I was curious to see how Sullivan's article would apply. How does my own experience compare to the experience of students in a classroom? Well I have found similarities and differences along the way but it seems that I experience some of the same benefits and distractions that occur with the students in the secondary learning level classroom.
Literature Review
The most important thing that I noticed about Rebecca M Sullivan's article, The Tablet Inscribed: Inclusive Writing Instruction with the iPad, is that this article was written very recently; it was published in January of 2013. The iPad is a very new technology and the recency of the article is something that shows a new form of writing in a more modern classroom. Rebecca M Sullivan shows the integration of technology of the iPad into the secondary learning level classroom in order to compose writing with the tablet technology. Sullivan mentions that there have been debates as to whether or not technology was a good thing to integrate into the classroom setting because of the distractions that it may bring to the learning process. In the classes where the iPad has already been integrated they have added and deleted different applications that would be helpful to the class and a distraction to the class respectively. For example, the Music, Calendar and App Store applications were removed from the iPads because these were felt to be intended for the single-user as opposed to the sharing use in a secondary level classroom. As an instructor herself, Sullivan faces the potential problem of distraction by providing covers for the iPads and gives a clear instruction during her classes when the cover on the iPad is to be closed in order to provide her, the instructor, with the students' full attention.
When the students are working they are writing more efficiently and at a higher level of quality work when they are composing their work on an iPad. The students are able to track their writing process more easily on the iPad that they use on a more frequent basis in their class. Also, the use of discussion is a major part in the writing process and the use of the iPad allows for an easier connection with others to initiate this discussion. Things that initiate this discussion that is used in the study is a Google Doc. The entire class can now view, edit and give feedback to a paper that is posted. The iPad also allows for an easy connection to online databases and a variety of other resources that are literally in the hands of the students while they are writing. The ease of accessibility is what leads to the better quality of paper.
The student's writing in a classroom setting is improved by the use of an iPad. It was my goal to see if any of the occurrences that happened in the study that Sullivan refers to would take place in my own experiences.
Data Analysis
I have been keeping track of the my use of the iPad over the course of nine weeks and I have seen just what I have used it for. My iPad is something that I use for all of my school work. I compose each of my papers, no matter the length, on my iPad. I order to type up my paper I have a Documents application which is available in the apple App Store as a free application. The touch screen is convenient for me and when I type I hold the iPad horizontally so the the keyboard is wide enough for my hands to touch the 'keys' with ease. When I compose my writing I typically am not at a desk, I carry it around with me in my bag wherever I go. I will sit in my room on the floor or in my bed in order to write a paper or I will compose papers in my car between classes. In all of the places that I use my iPad for academic writing there is no music or any other outside source of any kind around to serve as a distraction, no food or drinks, nothing. Typically when I am in my car I do not have access to an Internet connection which allows me to focus on my work as opposed to navigating away from my paper. When I am at home I will even turn off my wifi in order to avoid distractions. I have seen that I typically navigate away from my paper when I am using a source on the Internet. I will go between the two applications of Documents, where I compose my paper, and Safari, the Internet server that is on the iPad. When the Safari is open and running I have a tendency to travel to other websites and lose focus on my paper.
Although I may lose focus on what I am doing within the different applications when I use the iPad I focus on it solely. This undivided focus is a benefit to my writing because it allows me to focus on the topic of my paper and allows me to produce a better quality of work. When I only keep the applications open that pertain to the work that I am doing it makes it a lot easier for me to focus. I also noted that I have taken a screen shot, or a picture of any image that is on the iPad screen that gets saved to the photo application, of the Internet windows that I am using so that I can use them at a later time. These screen shots allow me to access the information from a website without needing access to the Internet. This helps with my wondering when I am doing a paper. When I am not connected to the Internet it also allows me to better my focus because I am not receiving any text messages to my iPad that would tempt me to answer them.
From the data that I have collected and noted on from my behavior I can see how Rebecca M Sullivan relates iPads to composing writing. Obviously the study is different because she focuses on the use of the iPad in a classroom and the classroom alone while I travel with my iPad and use it in a variety of settings. The iPads that are used in the secondary learning classroom that Sullivan refers to have also been programmed specifically for a class and all of the distractions that I deal with on my iPad have been removed from the iPads that these students used. However, the benefits of using the iPad are something that I share with the students in Sullivan's classroom. I am able to connect with the Internet and databases for sources all from one device and I am able to connect with other people in order to gain more ideas in my writing, even though I admit that sometimes I sway off topic and get distracted. Overall, what I have seen is very similar to Sullivan's article although it talks about iPad use on a larger scale than just one person the uses are similar and the benefits correlate.
Conclusion ?
Choppy?
Connections that still need to or should be made?
Anything!
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Data
iPad Data
Class work
Homework in the car
- no music
At home in room
- in bed
- on floor
Holds iPad long ways to type
Uses documents app
Emails papers to desktop
Reformat paper on desktop
Easier to text when doing papers
Unknown length of papers
I think it is ironic that I'm taking notes for data on my iPad
I don't take notes in class on it usually
I use safari for researching
Check emails
Keep it in my purse at all times
Use it even with no Internet access
Make online purchases on it
I never let anyone really use my iPad
When I am writing on the iPad I go into my own zone and I tune out the rest of the world
I hate the fact that it autocorrects and yet I like that it auto corrects
My hands hover over the keys and I don't like this because its like a carpel tunnel type of feeling
Easy to navigate from one app to another
Class work
Homework in the car
- no music
At home in room
- in bed
- on floor
Holds iPad long ways to type
Uses documents app
Emails papers to desktop
Reformat paper on desktop
Easier to text when doing papers
Unknown length of papers
I think it is ironic that I'm taking notes for data on my iPad
I don't take notes in class on it usually
I use safari for researching
Check emails
Keep it in my purse at all times
Use it even with no Internet access
Make online purchases on it
I never let anyone really use my iPad
When I am writing on the iPad I go into my own zone and I tune out the rest of the world
I hate the fact that it autocorrects and yet I like that it auto corrects
My hands hover over the keys and I don't like this because its like a carpel tunnel type of feeling
Easy to navigate from one app to another
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Data in Class
I am currently working on my data in class. I will post it as soon as I am done today. I hope.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Things I Still Need to Do
Ok so for this research project I have a lot of work to do to continue on the right track. In class today we talked about the grading and the values given to the different sections. Because I now know what I kind of need to be graded well I am going to list the things that I still have left to do.
So far I have been collecting data, or basically taking notes on myself, to see what my personal habits are in regards to my iPad. This is a good start to my data but I am continuing to add to these notes because I want to have as much information as possible.
I still have to:
- take the data that I have collected and thoroughly analyze the data that I have collected,
- I have to discover exactly what others have said about the use of iPads or I might have to broaden it to technology because there may be a lack of research on the use of iPad,
- I have to relate or disconnect my own idea that I have about my research to this previously researched ideas,
- I also have to set up how I am going to present my ideas in the actual paper itself,
- I am going to try and present my purpose of my research in a clear way so I need to think about how I can be clear to the audience
I think that this looks like there is not too much left to do but I realize that there is a lot of work that goes into each one of these sections and I am in for it.
So far I have been collecting data, or basically taking notes on myself, to see what my personal habits are in regards to my iPad. This is a good start to my data but I am continuing to add to these notes because I want to have as much information as possible.
I still have to:
- take the data that I have collected and thoroughly analyze the data that I have collected,
- I have to discover exactly what others have said about the use of iPads or I might have to broaden it to technology because there may be a lack of research on the use of iPad,
- I have to relate or disconnect my own idea that I have about my research to this previously researched ideas,
- I also have to set up how I am going to present my ideas in the actual paper itself,
- I am going to try and present my purpose of my research in a clear way so I need to think about how I can be clear to the audience
I think that this looks like there is not too much left to do but I realize that there is a lot of work that goes into each one of these sections and I am in for it.
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