What is your students’ reaction when they are assigned a written task? Are they reluctant to write? Why is writing so hard for most students? What can teachers do in order to enhance their motivation?
Writing is a hard task, and motivation is the first step to help our students learn how to do it well. The inclusion of technology-mediated strategies can definitely improve their motivation and create a positive attitude towards self-directed learning. The shift from a teacher-centred to a student-centred focus requires our students to be more active and responsible. Technology allows them to work more independently and at their own pace. When implementing technology in our classrooms, teachers should always consider its advantages as well as its disadvantages in order to make informed decisions.
Advantages:
It fosters a more student-centred learning.
It enables flexibility in the use of time for both students and teachers.
It tracks their learning process.
It enhances their writing skills.
It provides good practice opportunities.
It encourages collaboration among peers.
It reduces anxiety.
It lets students move forward at their own speed.
Disadvantages:
Students who are not committed enough could find it hard to work on their own.
Technology problems/ system failures may arise. Consequently, there is a need for back-up plans.
Sense of feeling “lost and lonely”.
The following video, which is available on youtube.com provides insights on how to teach writing by using computers. The speaker, from youngwritersworkshop.com , explains some of the different ways to teach computer teach writing : editing, communicating by email and getting feedback, and publication online.
This article intends to offer advice to teachers for incorporating writing instruction in the EFL classroom, using technology. Here are some guidelines/steps for using the computer in a writing lesson:
Before the lesson : Teachers should plan the lesson carefully. As explained before, problems related to system failure or technical problems may arise. As a consequence, teachers should always have a back up plan.
When planning the lesson you should bare in mind the following aspects: aim of the lesson, time, resources (equipment, number of computers available, software, Internet access), seating arrangement, anticipated problems, possible solutions, etc.
Pre- writing stage : You may have your students do a brainstorming session before actually engaging them in the written activity itself. Once the brainstorming session is over, students may collect data: google searches, encyclopedias, CD ROM, web pages.
Composing / drafting : Once materials have been collected, the learners may develop an outline which will be the basis for their task. Depending on the aim of the lesson, they will make use of the word processor, email accounts, blogs, wikis, etc in order to compose their first draft.
Revising and Editing : While writing their first draft, make sure that students use various computer tools. Possibilities include: Grammar and spell checker, online dictionaries, thesaurus, collocations dictionaries, etc. If students are working individually, peer correction must be fostered. Peers may insert comments in their mates’ written reports, they may complete online peer correction worksheet, teachers may organize an online discussion forum.
Publishing : Depending on the aim of the lesson, students’ final outcomes can be published on website, they can be sent to the teacher’s email address for grading, they can also be published in forums, or even the student’s own blogs (with supervision of adults in case the learners are under 18)
Evaluation Checklist : The teacher can provide online feedback or face-to-face feedback.
Useful links
http://www.edutechintegration.com/2011/03/10-resources-for-teaching-writing-with.html
Conclusion
To sum up, we highly recommend the use of technology to help students improve their writing skills. The advantages of implementing technology-based learning clearly outnumber the possible disadvantages. It contributes to foster motivation, helps students increase the level of engagement with their own progress, enables self-paced learning and can provide activities that easily accommodate to different preferences and learning styles. However, classes should be carefully planned, and monitoring, scaffolding and support from the teacher should always be present.
Bibliography
Brown, D (2007), Teaching by Principles : An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy, Pearson Longman. Chapter 12
Harmer, J. (2007), The Practice of English Language Teaching, Pearson Longman. Chapter 11
Teeler and Gray (2000), How to Use the Internet in ELT, Pearson Longman
Haz clic para acceder a chapter7_using_technology_learning_materials.pdf
Haz clic para acceder a WDASyllabus.pdf
http://ajaanrob.blogspot.com/2010/10/teaching-writing-to-diverse-thai-ells.html
http://www2.nkfust.edu.tw/~emchen/CALL/unit8.htm
http://www.edutechintegration.com/2011/03/10-resources-for-teaching-writing-with.html
Authors:
Valeria Moreno Trillo
María Florencia Cajal