Cloud-Based Writing in K-12 Schools
PI: Mark Warschauer, University of California, Irvine, School of Education
Investigator: Soobin Yim, University of California, Irvine, School of Education
Project Funding: Google Faculty Research Award
Summary: Though learning to write is a vital skill in today’s knowledge economy, writing is poorly taught in K-12 schools. And learning to write collaboratively with others is seldom taught at all. With funding from the Google Faculty Research Award, we investigated the ways that Google Apps for Education, and particularly Google Docs, is used in writing instruction in a successful public school district that provides one-to-one computer access with netbooks and open source software. Using interviews, observations, a survey, server data, and test score outcomes, this study investigated how Google Docs is integrated into instruction for diverse students, what the particular uses are for collaborative writing and receiving and responding to peer or teacher feedback, what the relationship is between use and student test score outcomes in writing, and how all of this can contribute to the design of an online writing environment that incorporates Google Docs and that matches the needs of K-12 schools.
A follow-up study sought to understand L2 students’ collaborative writing experiences in both K-12 and higher education settings. Specifically, we examined the processes and outcomes of these experiences, as well as the perceived benefits and challenges of engaging in collaborative group work. Multiple sources of data including interview, observation, survey, and student writing in Google Docs were collected to address these topics, starting from Fall 2015. This study also aimed to utilize new text mining tools (SCAPES) and Docuviz specifically designed to analyze writers’ collaboration patterns in Google Docs. These advanced methods can help elucidate document development and language-learning processes by analyzing the collaborative writing patterns (e.g., the duration and frequency of feedback and revision) across large numbers of exemplars.
Publications:
Krishnan, J., Yim, S., & Wolters, A. P. (2019). Supporting online synchronous collaborative writing in the secondary classroom. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 63(2), 135-145.
Yim, S., & Warschauer, M. (2019). Ch 15. Student initiating feedback: Potential of social media. In K. Hyland & P. Shaw (Eds.), Feedback in second language writing (pp. 285-303). Cambridge University Press.
Krishnan, J., Cusimano, A., Wang, D., & Yim, S. (2018). Writing together: Online synchronous collaboration in middle school. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 62(2), 163-173.
Yim, S., Zheng, B., & Warschauer, M. (2018). Feedback and revision patterns in cloud-based writing environment: Variation across feedback source and task type. Writing and Pedagogy, 9(3), 487-524.
Yim, S., & Warschauer, M. (2017). Web-based collaborative writing in L2 contexts: Methodological insights from text mining. Language Learning & Technology, 21(1), 146-165.
Yim, S., Wang, D., Olson, J., Vu, V., & Warschauer, M. (2017, February). Synchronous Collaborative Writing in the Classroom: Undergraduates’ Collaboration Practices and Their Impact on Writing Style, Quality, and Quantity. In Proceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (pp. 468-479). ACM.
Yim, S., Warschauer, M., & Zheng, B. (2016). Google Docs in the classroom: A district-wide case study. Teachers College Record, 118(9), 1-32.
Zheng, B., Lawrence, J., Warschauer, M., & Lin, C. H. (2015). Middle school students’ writing and feedback in a cloud-based classroom environment. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 20(2), 201-229.
Yim, S., Zheng, B., Warschauer, M., & Lawrence, J. F. (2014). Cloud-based collaborative writing and the Common Core State Standards. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 58(3), 243-541.
Presentations:
Krishnan, J., Yim, S., & Black, R. W. (April, 2019). “Who wants to be the leader? How middle school students plan for online collaborative writing. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Toronto, Canada.
Yim, S., & Warschauer, M. (April, 2019). Middle school students’ synchronous collaboration using Google Docs: Investigation of contextual factors. Presented at the NSF-sponsored Synthesis and Design Workshop on Digitally-Mediated Team Learning (DMTL), Florida, U.S.
Krishnan, J., & Yim, S. (May, 2018). Online synchronous collaborative writing: Results from middle school and college contexts. Digital Learning in the Humanities and Beyond: A UC Irvine-Tel Aviv University Symposium, Irvine, CA.
Zheng, B., Yim, S., & Warschauer, M. (April, 2016). Collaborative writing patterns in a cloud-based environment. American Educational Research Association, Washington, U.S.
Zheng, B., Yim, S., Warshcuaer, M., & Lawrence, J. F. (Novermber, 2014). Cloud-based collaborative writing and the Common Core Standards. Literacy Research Association, Florida, U.S.
Learn More About DocuViz
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwXm9oS4CgY
Website Link: https://judithsolson.com/docuviz/
Chrome Extension Link: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/docuviz/hbpgkphoidndelcmmiihlmjnnogcnigi?hl=en
Learn More About AuthorViz
Website Link: https://judithsolson.com/authorviz/
Chrome Extension Link: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/authorviz/hfmcmcphnmeljmpbbkhlfplaoegimepj?hl=en
Investigator: Soobin Yim, University of California, Irvine, School of Education
Project Funding: Google Faculty Research Award
Summary: Though learning to write is a vital skill in today’s knowledge economy, writing is poorly taught in K-12 schools. And learning to write collaboratively with others is seldom taught at all. With funding from the Google Faculty Research Award, we investigated the ways that Google Apps for Education, and particularly Google Docs, is used in writing instruction in a successful public school district that provides one-to-one computer access with netbooks and open source software. Using interviews, observations, a survey, server data, and test score outcomes, this study investigated how Google Docs is integrated into instruction for diverse students, what the particular uses are for collaborative writing and receiving and responding to peer or teacher feedback, what the relationship is between use and student test score outcomes in writing, and how all of this can contribute to the design of an online writing environment that incorporates Google Docs and that matches the needs of K-12 schools.
A follow-up study sought to understand L2 students’ collaborative writing experiences in both K-12 and higher education settings. Specifically, we examined the processes and outcomes of these experiences, as well as the perceived benefits and challenges of engaging in collaborative group work. Multiple sources of data including interview, observation, survey, and student writing in Google Docs were collected to address these topics, starting from Fall 2015. This study also aimed to utilize new text mining tools (SCAPES) and Docuviz specifically designed to analyze writers’ collaboration patterns in Google Docs. These advanced methods can help elucidate document development and language-learning processes by analyzing the collaborative writing patterns (e.g., the duration and frequency of feedback and revision) across large numbers of exemplars.
Publications:
Krishnan, J., Yim, S., & Wolters, A. P. (2019). Supporting online synchronous collaborative writing in the secondary classroom. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 63(2), 135-145.
Yim, S., & Warschauer, M. (2019). Ch 15. Student initiating feedback: Potential of social media. In K. Hyland & P. Shaw (Eds.), Feedback in second language writing (pp. 285-303). Cambridge University Press.
Krishnan, J., Cusimano, A., Wang, D., & Yim, S. (2018). Writing together: Online synchronous collaboration in middle school. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 62(2), 163-173.
Yim, S., Zheng, B., & Warschauer, M. (2018). Feedback and revision patterns in cloud-based writing environment: Variation across feedback source and task type. Writing and Pedagogy, 9(3), 487-524.
Yim, S., & Warschauer, M. (2017). Web-based collaborative writing in L2 contexts: Methodological insights from text mining. Language Learning & Technology, 21(1), 146-165.
Yim, S., Wang, D., Olson, J., Vu, V., & Warschauer, M. (2017, February). Synchronous Collaborative Writing in the Classroom: Undergraduates’ Collaboration Practices and Their Impact on Writing Style, Quality, and Quantity. In Proceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (pp. 468-479). ACM.
Yim, S., Warschauer, M., & Zheng, B. (2016). Google Docs in the classroom: A district-wide case study. Teachers College Record, 118(9), 1-32.
Zheng, B., Lawrence, J., Warschauer, M., & Lin, C. H. (2015). Middle school students’ writing and feedback in a cloud-based classroom environment. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 20(2), 201-229.
Yim, S., Zheng, B., Warschauer, M., & Lawrence, J. F. (2014). Cloud-based collaborative writing and the Common Core State Standards. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 58(3), 243-541.
Presentations:
Krishnan, J., Yim, S., & Black, R. W. (April, 2019). “Who wants to be the leader? How middle school students plan for online collaborative writing. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Toronto, Canada.
Yim, S., & Warschauer, M. (April, 2019). Middle school students’ synchronous collaboration using Google Docs: Investigation of contextual factors. Presented at the NSF-sponsored Synthesis and Design Workshop on Digitally-Mediated Team Learning (DMTL), Florida, U.S.
Krishnan, J., & Yim, S. (May, 2018). Online synchronous collaborative writing: Results from middle school and college contexts. Digital Learning in the Humanities and Beyond: A UC Irvine-Tel Aviv University Symposium, Irvine, CA.
Zheng, B., Yim, S., & Warschauer, M. (April, 2016). Collaborative writing patterns in a cloud-based environment. American Educational Research Association, Washington, U.S.
Zheng, B., Yim, S., Warshcuaer, M., & Lawrence, J. F. (Novermber, 2014). Cloud-based collaborative writing and the Common Core Standards. Literacy Research Association, Florida, U.S.
Learn More About DocuViz
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwXm9oS4CgY
Website Link: https://judithsolson.com/docuviz/
Chrome Extension Link: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/docuviz/hbpgkphoidndelcmmiihlmjnnogcnigi?hl=en
Learn More About AuthorViz
Website Link: https://judithsolson.com/authorviz/
Chrome Extension Link: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/authorviz/hfmcmcphnmeljmpbbkhlfplaoegimepj?hl=en
