Memo #1

Maybe I am a neglectful cousin, but I rarely get a chance to visit my younger cousins and help them with their homework. Recently, though, I was given an opportunity to help my 13-year-old cousin with her homework. It was during this moment that I accidentally happened upon my topic for my I-Search; how has the influx of technology changed the way students learn and implement writing.  While sitting with her, I noticed that she did not have any books or spiral notebooks with her. Instead she had her iPad and my aunt’s laptop. I asked her where here homework was and she quickly pulled up an unfinished paper for ELA on her iPad. She explained that she was finishing her rough draft that she worked on during class that day.  After further questioning I realized that my cousin does not really participate in that much pen to paper composition. Her school allows students to bring in or borrow personal devices.
For my ISearch project I am interested in studying technology and composition. More specifically I want to explore how the influx of technology in the classroom effects student writing and how they are taught. I want to learn more about the use of word processing or computer programs and how it aids the teacher in teaching writing and how it compares to pen and paper writing. What is gained through writing on a computer? Also, what is lost?

I understand that much has changed since I was in middle school.  Composition was almost exclusively done with pen and paper, especially with assignments like rough drafts. One of the very few times I used word processing was for final drafts of papers and book reports and that was done in the school computer lab or at my home computer. Tablets or smartphones had yet to be invented, never mind incorporated into daily curriculum.

This question is important to me because this influx of technology is changing the way teachers teach writing. I am interested to see how other teachers make use of technology in their classrooms. Before becoming a teacher I would be excited to learn new techniques and opinions about how technology is used in the field of teaching writing.
Knowing that not every school district has access to the technology that my cousin is lucky to; my primary resource selections may be tricky. My first step would be to come up with a questionnaire about teaching writing using technology. I would attach a note explaining my assignment and my interest on the topic. Also, I would state my desire to meet personally with teachers who are willing to share their opinions at length. I will then visit different schools and ask if administration will allow me to distribute the questionnaire to teacher mailboxes. I currently take a class at Central Falls High School so I intend to ask permission from them. I already have confirmed permission from five schools from Cranston and a handful of teacher who are willing to be interviewed. I do want to get perspectives from multiple districts to get a wider range of opinions and perspectives, so I intend to go to school In East Greenwich, Coventry, Westerly, Providence and Warwick.
Finding suitable student interviews will not be difficult. I have already scouted a number of cousins and their friends ranging in ages 7-16 (thank god for my father's huge family) from varying school, districts and states. When I am interviewing them I will have a set of thoughtful questions about my topic and record them using my IPhone. By interviewing students I will be able to get an understanding about how they are currently learning how to write or how they continue to write. I will be interested to find out how they've learned how to write. I want to hear their opinions about writing and how they feel about writing. I believe that interviewing students about how they are learning to write and whether or not technology plays a part in success is important in my ISearch project.
As I mentioned before, not all districts have the funding to supply classrooms with abundance of technology. So, I will have to keep that in mind when I am searching for answers. I have to always keep an open mind when searching for information and make sure I do not show bias in my questioning. I am looking forward to learning about technology and composition through secondary sources, and interactions with different teachers and students.