St.

Cloud State University

theRepository at St. Cloud State
Culminating Projects in Teacher Development Department of Teacher Development

5-2016

Perceptions of Technology Use and Its Effects on

Student Writing
Tessa E. Strain-Moritz
St. Cloud State University, [email protected]

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Strain-Moritz, Tessa E., "Perceptions of Technology Use and Its Effects on Student Writing" (2016). Culminating Projects in Teacher
Development. 8.
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Perceptions of Technology Use and Its Effects on Student Writing

by

Tessa Strain-Moritz

A Starred Paper

Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of

St. Cloud State University

in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree

Master of Science in

Curriculum and Development

May, 2016

Starred Paper Committee:

Ramon Serrano, Chairperson
Stephen Hornstein
Mary Beth Noll
 2

Table of Contents

Page

List of Tables ................................................................................................................... 3

Chapter

1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 4

Purpose of the Review ................................................................................... 6

Definition of Terms........................................................................................ 7

2. Literature Review................................................................................................. 9

Students’ Perceptions of Technology ............................................................ 9

Teacher Perceptions of Technology............................................................... 11

Attitudes Toward Writing .............................................................................. 11

Attitudes Toward Technology Use ................................................................ 12

Impact of Technology Use on Writing Ability .............................................. 13

Academic Dishonesty .................................................................................... 15

Online Resources ........................................................................................... 17

3. Implications.......................................................................................................... 18

References ........................................................................................................................ 24
 3

List of Tables

Table Page

1. Teacher Ranking of Student Writing Ability ....................................................... 14

 4

Chapter 1: Introduction

Teachers frequently complain about the decline in writing quality and effort of secondary

students, but they have a difficult time figuring out what is causing this to happen. These

examples are pieces of actual student writing I have seen in my class this last year:

“i wake up for the great weekend. i usually get up and talk to my dad and figure out what

we are gonna do. i eat breakfast. then i get up and get dressed and feel great.” – 11th grade

“After sitting at home for an hour i got the sudden urge to go for a little bike ride. i asked

the wife if she wanted to join and as well the neighbors john and ashley.” – 12th grade

A plagiarized copy of Jack London’s “To Build a Fire,” renamed “In Need of a Flame.” –

12th grade

“It’s about a girl named casey newton and she is trying to save the world so it dont go to

crap and the economy doesn’t go downhill and so this little girl named athena gives casey this

pin and she can go into the future to fix things.” – 12th grade

A copy and pasted Wikipedia page, explaining the plot of “Walter Mitty.”

The purpose of this paper was to explore the effort of increased technology use on

students’ writing ability. I wanted to research this because I am a high school English teacher,

and as the years progress I see that academic writing has become more and more of a struggle.

Due to the added use of technology in schools, I think students are having a more difficult time

differentiating when it is appropriate to use this type of writing and when it is not. Their papers

indicate they do not understand how to make this differentiation.

Students’ papers are worrisome enough, but they also do not know how to write a

professional email, which is going to affect them in their future careers. Aside from the
 5

occasional abbreviation of “LOL” or an emoticon/emoji (see definitions below) in an academic

paper or email, I have also noticed that writing using a basic sentence structure has become more

and more difficult for students as well. They do not understand when they use fragments or

when they use run-on sentences. I started thinking it may have something to do with their

technology use. Aside from using abbreviations when they text or write online, they do not use

proper grammar and punctuation.

When texting and when using Twitter, Snapchat, and Facebook, it is common not to write

in complete sentences. Perhaps this has generalized to academic writing for many high school

students. There seems to be a new literacy being created as text messaging evolves and as a

person’s online presence grows. More and more people have at least some kind of online

presence, and they have adapted to a new way of writing while online.

The idea behind Twitter is that a person has 140 characters to “tweet” his or her thoughts.

This is a very truncated form of communication in which complete sentences are not used, and

sometimes complete words are not used. Facebook is also designed to be able to share thoughts

and ideas quickly. Although there is no character limit, many people write in phrases and

fragments on the site as well. Texting is another current technology that has an effect on writing.

Texting is sending text messages between two or more people via telephone. These can include

characters such as letters, numbers, and emojis. Emojis are symbols-a face or other image-used

to convey a message without actually using any words. They are becoming more widespread as

more people use smartphones and are a very short way to communicate a feeling to someone

rather than typing out what they mean to say.

 6

In school, students are expected to learn how to use technology to collaborate,

communicate, and be a successful digital citizen. In our school, students are given Chromebooks

and are expected to use them to access and complete assignments, collaborate with peers, submit

work, communicate with teachers, and check grades. Our school uses a learning management

system called Schoology, and many teachers use Google apps as well for students to complete

work and share ideas. Not only does technology have an evolving role in our schools, but it does

in our workplace as well. As a teacher, I use technology every day. I use it for posting

assignments and notes online so students have access, communicating with parents and staff,

collaborating with coworkers on a new unit or assignment, and teaching my students how to use

it to be effective communicators. For example, my writing class uses Google Docs heavily so

they can collaborate on assignments, peer edit, and share content.

Purpose of the Review

The purpose of this review was to explore the effects that specific types of technology

use have on students’ writing and achievement at the secondary level. This review of the

literature is important because education and the environment students learn in are changing so

quickly. More schools and teachers are embracing technology in their classrooms, and they need

to have the tools and ability to continue to teach students in their evolving world. Students need

to learn to effectively use technology to communicate because it is such a large part of most

workplaces and communication is a highly valued skill in modern workplaces. They will be in

professional positions soon, and they need to be equipped for communication in that type of

setting.
 7

Definition of Terms

For the purpose of this starred paper the following terms are defined as follows:

 Emoticons or emojis–symbols that demonstrate an “emotion” in text. Examples from

NetLingo List of Smileys and Emoticons (2016):

 : typed as : and ) together; standard smiley face

 ;) : winking face
 0:) : angel
 :D : big smiley face, “sweet”
 : typed as : and ( together; unhappy/sad face
 :’( :crying

 Social Media–online forums in which people interact and communicate. For

example: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

 Technology–digital tools including but not limited to cell phones, computers,

programs and websites used on these platforms, texting, email, and so forth.

 Text shortcuts–abbreviations that are frequently used in informal writing. Examples

from NetLingo List of Chat Acronyms and Text Message Shorthand (2016):

 LOL: Laugh out loud

 BRB: Be right back
 BTW: By the way
 IDK: I don’t know
 FTW: For the win
 SMH: Shake my head
 ROFL: Rolling on the floor laughing
 HBU: How about you?

 Turnitin (2015)–a website teachers and students can use to submit work to check for

plagiarism. It checks the internet for similar words and phrases to show how much of

a student’s writing is original.

 Writing Process–the process of writing and producing a written work

 8

 Prewriting–generating an idea, building on it, and planning the structure and flow of a

writing piece

 Writing–the first rough draft of a written piece

 Revising–second draft of the piece. This is the stage where a writer adds, deletes,

rearranges, et cetera.

 Editing–the stage where one reads and revises a draft for mechanical errors

(capitalization, punctuation, repetition, etc.)

 Publishing–submit the final draft

 9

Chapter 2: Literature Review

This literature review covers student and teacher attitudes toward writing and technology.

It also covers the impact of technology use on writing ability and academic dishonesty.

Students’ Perceptions of Technology

Students perceive the effects of their technology use on their writing in many different

ways. Of teens who text, email, instant message (IM), and use social media or other online

communication tools, 73% see little or no impact of technology on their writing abilities in

school (Lenhart, Arafeh, Smith, & Macgill, 2008). Lenhart et al. conducted a study consisting of

eight focus groups that reported 15% of teens think technology has improved their writing,

whereas only 11% say it has been harmful. Overall, 59% of teens say that computer use makes

them better writers because they can revise and edit more easily (Lenhart et al., 2008).

Interestingly, teens who viewed communication with friends through technology as “writing”

were more likely to use informal writing styles in their academic work. Drouin and Davis (2009)

found that more than half of the 80 college students they surveyed thought text speak was

hindering their ability to remember standard English.

Researchers found many effects of technology use on student writing. Students agreed

with some of the claimed effects of research findings, and disagreed with others, so some

students do recognize an impact of technology on their writing. One of those effects is their use

of vocabulary. According to Adams (2007), students who were accustomed to communicating

online tended to stay away from higher level vocabulary, because that is not how they speak to

their peers. It is beginning to have an effect on their academic writing. They just do not use the
 10

vocabulary in their everyday lives, so they are not familiar with using it in academic contexts.

One student had this to say:

I would say it definitely cripples your vocabulary if all you are using is the same couple

of hundred words that are abbreviated. If you are only seeing the same things in different

combinations from people, then you aren’t going to expand. I guess your mind can only

get so small. If the extent of your reading is only the text messages and emails from your

friends, then, yea, definitely, it isn’t going to help you that much as opposed to a book.

9/10th grade boy, Pacific Northwest City (Lenhart et al., 2008).

From a survey conducted by Adams (2007), students also admitted they do not put a lot

of thought into their writing. They have a difficult time concentrating on the task at hand since

they are so used to multitasking with what they do online. This is affecting their ability to

complete full and thoughtful writing assignments.

Some students do see technology as a positive tool in their learning. For example, a

study conducted through two sections of 40 college students found that they rated the

collaborative ability of Google Docs as high (a 4) and very high (a 5) on a scale of 1-5, and

nothing lower (Suwantarathip & Wichadee, 2014). The study included two groups of students;

one worked on Google Docs face-to-face with their peers in class, while the other group worked

through Google Docs out of class. Students responded that: (a) they liked the ability to share

ideas, (b) Google Docs promoted collaborative learning, and (c) its use increased interaction.

However, results revealed the students gained only moderate knowledge. The researchers found

no substantial difference in writing scores between the two test groups.

 11

Teacher Perceptions of Technology

Carver (2016) surveyed 68 teachers on their perceptions of technology use in K-12

school settings. The survey was administered to teachers enrolled in graduate education

programs. Survey questions addressed barriers in implementing technology into classrooms,

benefits of technology implementation, factors that impact the frequency of teacher use, and

factors that impact the frequency of student use. Of the 68 teachers who participated in the

study, 74% were English or Language Arts teachers, and 19% taught high school. Carver found

that the biggest barriers were the amount of technology available (61% of respondents identified

this as a barrier), the location of technology (6%), limited instructional time (6%), and teacher

knowledge or skills (24%). The findings of this study revealed that teachers had differing

perceptions of technology. Aside from the barriers, teachers cited benefits that technology use

has in their classrooms. Fifty-nine percent of teachers thought technology led to increased

student engagement, 23% thought it helped their student’s understanding of the material, and

95% thought it helped in differentiation.

Attitudes Toward Writing

Students, parents, and teachers all have very distinct views on writing and its importance

in a successful life. For example, Lenhart et al. (2008) reported 86% of students believe good

writing is important to success in life, whereas 56% of them would say it is essential. That

number is even higher among those who write in their free time, with 65% agreeing that writing

is essential. Eighty-three percent of parents see also see a need to be successful in writing, and

they indicated there is a greater need to write well today than there was 20 years ago. Parents

also think that their children write more today than they did when they were in school.
 12

According to Purcell, Buchanan, and Friedrich (2013), 92% of 2462 teachers surveyed think

writing is essential to formal learning, and “writing effectively” is necessary for success in life.

Attitudes Toward Technology Use

There are different attitudes among students, parents, and teachers towards technology

use in writing. As mentioned previously, many students do not see a negative effect that

technology has on their writing, whereas teachers would largely disagree. That being said, some

students can recognize some of these effects, and are aware of them in their writing. According

to Lenhart et al. (2008), 64% of students acknowledge their informal styles in academic writing,

50% know they sometimes use incorrect mechanics (grammar, punctuation, capitalization), 38%

have admitted to using text shortcuts, and 25% have admitted to using emoticons in academic

writing. According to Jackowski-Bartol (2001), many do not double-check their work; they

simply use spellcheck. Students generally had the attitude that what they wrote on the computer

was correct and did not need revision. It appears that although students can recognize traits that

do not belong in academic writing (problems with structure, lower vocabulary use, and informal

styles as a whole), they either do not see them as “negative” or they simply do not care enough to

change their writing for academic purposes.

Parents generally view technology as a positive force in students’ lives, although some

would disagree. Twenty-seven percent of parents think their child is a poorer writer because of

their children’s technology use, whereas 40% claim to not see an impact on their children’s

writing (Lenhart et al., 2008).

Purcell et al. (2013) found teachers had different attitudes toward the use of technology in

their classroom for writing. They found that 94% of teachers surveyed still encouraged students
 13

to do at least some writing by hand. Responses to this survey varied greatly; some teachers

preferred to use online tools to teach and assess writing, and some still had students do the

majority of their writing by hand to prepare for standardized tests or to prevent plagiarism.

Impact of Technology Use on

Writing Ability

This section reviews information on technology’s impact on writing ability. It reviews

how technology has an impact on the writing process and how it affects various writing skills.

This section also addresses technology’s impact on academic dishonesty.

Writing process. Adams (2007) reported that both teachers and students have seen an

impact in the drafting stage. In this study, students tended to write in shorter “spurts,” similar to

how they write online and in text messages. They also tended to use more abbreviations in their

writing, again very similar to how they communicate electronically. Students also admitted to a

low effort to revise their papers, opting to use spellcheck instead of edit sentences and paragraph

organization for structure or fluency. Nonetheless, because teachers were optimistic about the

effect technology had on the publishing stage of students’ writing. They thought students were

able to reach a wider audience, and that was a positive writing with technology outcome.

Academic writing. Teachers have also seen a change in writing ability due to

technology use among their students. Purcell et al. (2013) asked teachers to rate nine important

writing skills on a scale of “poor, fair, good, very good, excellent” in their students’ papers.

According to Purcell et al. a cultural emphasis on shortened forms of communication, is affecting

students’ ability to organize and structure an essay. In the category of organization and structure,

24% of students received an “excellent” or a “very good,” and 43% received a “good” or “fair.”

This means 33% of students are not demonstrating the skills necessary to organize and structure
 14

an essay. In the category of tone and style, 56% of students were rated as “good” or above on

their ability to use appropriate style for their intended audiences. This is how students ranked in

the other seven categories (percentages reflect those that scored “good” or above): understanding

and considering multiple viewpoints, only 60% were ranked “good” or above; providing

constructive feedback to peers, 50%; appropriately citing and referencing sources, 43%;

synthesizing information from multiple sources, 56%; constructing a strong argument, 51%; read

and comprehend a long complicated text, 33%; and navigate issues of copyright and fair use,

33%. Table 1 reports Purcell et al. teacher’s ranking of student’s writing ability.

Table 1

Teacher Ranking of Student Writing Ability

WRITING SKILL POOR-FAIR GOOD-EXCELLENT

Tone/Style 1083 (44%) 1378 (56%)

Consider multiple viewpoints 984 (40%) 1477 (60%)
Provide constructive feedback 1231 (50%) 1231 (50%)
Appropriately cite sources 1403 (57%) 1058 (43%)
Synthesize information from 1083 (44%) 1387 (56%)
multiple sources
Construct strong argument 1206 (49%) 1255 (51%)
Read and comprehend long and 1649 (67%) 812 (33%)
complicated text
Navigate issues of copyright and fair 1649 (67%) 812 (33%)
use
n=2462

Professional writing in academic settings and the workplace, falls into this category as

well. Drouin (2011) found a negative relationship between text speak and professional

communication (e.g., emailing a professor) and literacy (reading accuracy). This study examined

152 undergraduate students in a college setting, so it does not account for the population that

does not attend college. Conversely, Drouin found a positive relationship between frequent text

messaging and literacy skills such as spelling and reading fluency.

 15

Academic Dishonesty

Williamson, McGregor, Archibald, and Sullivan (2007) researched information use by

secondary students in four schools and their attitudes toward research and plagiarism. They

found that the students they researched did not think they had to cite sources if they put the

information in their own words, even if the information was new to them (they did, however,

know they had to cite the source when using a direct quote). Basically, the students thought they

did not have to cite sources internally when paraphrasing, and that a bibliography was enough.

One student in their study had this to say about whether or not they needed to cite sources: “Um,

not really. It was all pretty basic information. Like, if it was in depth but when I found it and

did a dot point and expanded on it, it became pretty much in my own words.” Their study also

found that of students that plagiarize, and they all copied more from the internet than they did

from books. The availability of the internet had a major impact on student work, with students

seeing Google as a “total answer to all their information needs.”

College students admitted to frequently cheating or plagiarizing. One of the most cited

reasons for academic dishonesty was easy access to the internet (Grohe, Schroeder, & Davis,

2013). Cheating and plagiarism are unfortunate products of the increased use and access to

technology. Not only does the internet make sharing assignments easier between peers, but

students can literally copy and paste others’ work and claim it as their own. Forty-nine percent

of teens say they are more likely to take shortcuts or plagiarize when using computers (Lenhart

et al., 2008). Sixty-eight percent of teachers think digital tools make students more likely to take

shortcuts and not put effort into their writing, and based on responses in student focus groups,

students seem to agree (Purcell et al., 2013). Also interesting were the findings that, according to
 16

teachers in the same study, only 44% of students were able to properly cite sources. Academic

dishonesty and an inability to know when or how to cite sources seems to be a major problem

that teachers and students face in this technological world.

Addressing academic dishonesty. Plagiarism is a major issue that teachers face in their

profession. In collaboration with teachers and media specialists, Williamson and McGregor

(2011) developed and tested teaching methods in three schools to increase awareness and

avoidance of plagiarism at the secondary level. The first method was raising awareness of

plagiarism in the classroom. Teachers accomplished this by conducting group and class-wide

discussions as well as direct instruction, document comparisons, hypothetical situations, and

examples of plagiarism. The second method they used was developing students’ information

handling skills. They taught students how to take notes by focusing on main ideas and facts,

retaining essential information, and putting notes into students’ own words in bullet-point form.

Teachers taught these concepts by modeling, examples, and providing scaffolding for note

taking. The third strategy was teaching students to attribute direct quotes and ideas they used

while paraphrasing information. After implementing these strategies, teachers and researchers

found that students had good recall of the information. They were most successful in recalling

how to take notes in their own words, using bullet points. The research also found that students

learned how to acknowledge direct quotes and paraphrased ideas, which is what a previous study

had found students struggled with (Williamson et al., 2007). Williamson and McGregor (2011)

interviewed teachers and concluded that there had to be school-wide changes to address the

issues. Teachers know that plagiarism will always exist, and the best way to combat that is by

continuously and consistently reinforcing student learning and plagiarism policies. Overall, the
 17

research in this study found that teaching students to become aware of plagiarism and teaching

them how and when to cite sources should be consistently revisited across subject matter and

grades beginning in the secondary levels.

Online Resources

Students and teachers see values in using online resources in the classroom. According

to Vurdien (2013), tools such as blogs helped students put more thought into their writing if they

knew their peers would be looking at it, and not just their teachers. They also reported that

online tools increased their writing skills, provided them with better planning tools prior to

writing, and even helped keep them motivated. The 23 first-year college students in the Shih

(2011) study supported this idea. Students reported online tools assisted them with organization,

vocabulary, and spelling because they were able to obtain feedback and encouragement from

their peers.

Grohe et al. (2013) contended even though students admitted they have plagiarized, the

use of online resources helped change students’ attitudes and practices toward plagiarism. Being

able to use sources like Turnitin helped students to have more confidence in their writing and to

shy away from being academically dishonest.

 18

Chapter 3: Implications

While researching the effect technology has on writing, I came to the conclusion that it

has a profound effect, but it does not need to be a negative one. Several studies showed the

negative effects technology use can have on a student, but there are some positives to this use as

well. In conversations with my students, I learned that technology use while writing helps with

their spelling, it is faster to type, and it is easier to turn in assignments. They can keep track of

their papers much better, and it provides easier access to research. To me, this means that I

should continue using technologies such as Google Docs in my writing classes, at least for

students to revise drafts and turn in final assignments.

One of the recurring themes in the research on this topic was that since technology and

our use of it is evolving, our language use is evolving as well. Twitter is an example of a

platform in which a person is supposed to write in short spurts, and keep it as succinct as

possible. Online articles that are published today can even come in a list format (e.g., Buzzfeed).

We see an emphasis on shorter and more frequent communication, and that is coming through

into our society as these issues we see in student writing and reading ability. Purcell et al. (2013)

found teachers rated only 33% of their students as being able to read and comprehend long or

complicated texts. Many of my students have expressed that they would rather read a shorter

article or list than a longer, more complicated text. As a teacher, this tells me that we need to

teach students both the skills to be able to do this, and the motivation or purpose to complete a

task like this. As our society shifts to these shorter forms of expression, it is still important to

teach students why they should care about longer texts and teach students to work through more

challenging texts they may not be accustomed to reading.

 19

With regard to writing, I learned I need to be very purposeful in teaching students when it

is appropriate and necessary to use academic writing. I need to teach them what it looks like,

sounds like, and should be written like. I have come to the realization that some students simply

do not know when to make the shift between informal and academic writing. I have also come

to the realization that we need to teach students to revise their writing. According to Jackowski-

Bartol (2001), students perceive that if they wrote it on a computer, it must be correct and does

not need revision. This is something I see in my writing classes today. Students know they

should use spell check; some do, some do not. In my conversations with students, the majority

said they used it to fix their mistakes when they knew they had made them, and they cared to fix

their mistakes as well. However, I notice that many of them do not realize when they need to

revise their writing. Revision is something I now understand I need to teach in a more

purposeful manner.

My students had some opinions on how technology may hurt their writing. Many of

them said that using it provides distractions that would not otherwise exist. Many of them also

said they think technology hurts their spelling and grammar skills. They indicated they do not

know how to spell any longer. The computer automatically tells them it is wrong, and they do

not care to learn how it should be spelled. The same problems apply to grammar when students

are told they made a mistake and do not care to learn the rules. Their grammar skills do not then

translate to when they produce a handwritten work. In my own experience in school, technology

did not automatically fix the spelling and grammar mistakes I made. That is why we had

spelling tests and learned proper grammar. When I was in high school, revision and editing

skills were emphasized, often days were set aside to focus on this and conference with the
 20

teacher. Now, even if students have time in class to complete revision and edits, they will often

not fix them because they assume their work was written correctly the first time and any

mistakes will be autocorrected.

One major disadvantage of autocorrect is miscommunication. Typing and texting

provide ample opportunities for miscommunication due to autocorrect, but talk-to-text

technology is also a major contributor to this issue. This is becoming a popular option for people

texting and completing school assignments. For example, I recently received a text message that

stated: “On the way now to get th em. V poo ukf you drnf s pic of your ins card?” Luckily, I had

the context from previous messages to understand the gist of it, but even with context I did not

understand other parts. If I had not received previous messages, I would have had no idea of the

message content. Aside from the problems of spelling, grammar, and miscommunication, there

are many other problems with writing and technology that students identified.

Another negative impact of technology on writing is that students say they feel less

inspired. They do not think about what they are writing, and they do not put as much effort into

their writing. They indicate that having access to so much information online while they are

writing leads them to use other people’s ideas, take information and reword it, and they do not

really care to try very hard while word processing their writing. This information has made me

think a great deal about how I organize and assign work for students in class. I think I need to

start providing more paper assignments for things like pre-planning and drafting. This way,

students are forced to use their own ideas instead of searching for what has been done in the past,

and this will help them develop creativity. I also think this would lead to an increase in effort,
 21

because if students cannot go online and find other’s ideas, they need to put in the effort to use

their own. I think students are more likely to put in effort when they truly own a project or idea.

Because the use of other people’s ideas is one of the more negative aspects of

technology’s effect on writing, I asked my students about plagiarism. The Lenhart et al. (2008)

study found that 49% of teens say they are more likely to take shortcuts or plagiarize when using

computers. Many of my students said that cheating or copying another’s work was a negative

effect of technology, and several said it was easy to do and that they had seen their peers do it.

In the past, students had been taught to do research via print sources. Although plagiarism was

not unheard of, it was more difficult to copy another’s work. Students were taught to cite

sources without the use of technology such as EasyBib, and there was a greater emphasis placed

on giving credit to original authors. Now, it is easy for students to cite sources and even easier

for them to find resources to answer their questions to provide them with ideas. The students

with whom I spoke to definitely thought that technology use made students lazier and therefore

more likely to just open a new tab, copy someone else’s writing, and put a little twist on it to call

it their own. However, they also thought technology made it easier for cheaters to be caught.

I also spoke to other teachers about these issues, and they had some similar insights. One

of the major concerns shared was the ease of plagiarism. Teachers said they are dealing with

more plagiarism issues now than 10 years ago, which they attributed to the introduction of

technology in the classroom. They found it was easier for students to copy and paste from an

online source or another student rather than handwrite a passage from information obtained from

a book-which is how reports were written prior to technology’s introduction in schools.

Teachers with whom I spoke said it was easier for students to plagiarize, and they think more
 22

students actually do it now as well. They have had students actually admit to copy and pasting

another person’s work, rewording it, and passing it off as their own. Along with this, teachers

expressed concerns about the lack of originality they see in students’ writing. This leads me to

the conclusion that we have to teach students how to think for themselves and teach them why

originality is so important.

Plagiarism was not the only issue related to the use of technology in writing lessons.

Teachers are also seeing “a laziness” in their students who are relying too much on technology to

fix their mistakes. Students fail to capitalize when they should, include proper punctuation, and

sometimes do not bother to correct spelling mistakes or learn how to properly spell a word. They

rely instead on spell check and autocorrect. They forget basic rules of writing. In addition to

spelling and grammar, teachers are also seeing that students have a poor grasp of formal writing.

Students do not know when to use formal academic language and when to use casual language.

They are so accustomed to casual writing while texting, Facebooking, tweeting, and using other

forms of social media that they cannot make the switch to academic language when in school.

This shows me that as a teacher, I have to teach students when they should use different types of

writing. I need to teach them that even though they are using technology for something like

writing an email, they still need to first be aware of the context in which they are writing and

make appropriate language choices.

Although writing with technology has its pitfalls, there are some ways in which teachers

viewed it as a learning aid in their classrooms. For example, teachers liked technology for its

writing resources such as Purdue OWL, Easybib, and writing prompts. They also liked that it

allowed students to edit and create multiple drafts more easily. In addition to resources, teachers
 23

also liked that word processing helps more with illegible handwriting and its use make learning

more relevant to today’s students. I think we need to teach students how to use technology to

benefit their writing and we need to teach students to use the tools they have at their disposal.

In the future, I plan on creating ways for students to consider issues such as effort and

plagiarism in their writing. During conversations about these issues, Serrano (personal

communication, March 22, 2016) recommended a writing prompt where students are asked to

write a short piece using technology (Google Docs for example). They would then be assigned a

number (instead of their name being attached to it), and exchange their work with another

student. The student who receives this new paper will then use the internet to try to find what

pieces of the writing have been plagiarized. This, in turn, would create a discussion with the

class about where to go from there and how plagiarism should be dealt with in class. I can see

this being very useful to encourage students to think about the issue of plagiarism in their

academic lives and create a dialogue about what constitutes plagiarism. The study conducted by

Williamson and McGregor (2011) supported the idea of having discussions with students about

academic dishonesty and then teaching them strategies for how to avoid it.

Overall, in my research on this topic and my conversations with both students and

teachers, I learned a great deal about technology’s effect on writing. Many concerns were cited,

such as plagiarism, effort, and writing skills. However, positive aspects of technology use were

also reported, including more access to information, collaboration, revision, and providing

students with skills they will need in college and the workplace. The biggest takeaway I had

while researching this is that we need to teach students about technology and how to use it

appropriately in their writing.

 24

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