Forms of Writing: Design Project

Design Project: Forms of Writing

Write Here, Write Now... Write On!

Jean-Francois Ouellet
Joy Penner
Milena Brunetta
Sabrina Quigley
Sophia Barton-Bucknor

ETEC 510
University of British Columbia
Jeffrey Miller
April 1, 2012

Forms of Writing: Design Project

Section 1: Key Frameworks

Introduction
Our design project focuses on elementary school students, more specifically grade three
and four students. Students have the opportunity to explore, learn about, engage with, and reach
or exceed the grade appropriate expectations in the four basic forms of writing: narrative,
persuasive, descriptive, and expository. The created activities are available to students via the
Learning Management System, Moodle. The site provides introductions, explanations, examples
of, and activities related to the four forms of writing. Students will have already been introduced
to the forms of writing in class, as well as participated in writing activities specific to those
forms, prior to being given the opportunity to access the Moodle site. It is our intention to help
students solidify their knowledge through the additional information and activities available on
the Moodle site. We wish to support students in better understanding writing forms, as well as
help guide them through the writing process. By providing visual motivation, scaffolded
information, choice, real-life authentic connections, and opportunities for collaboration, the site
will afford students the opportunity to be builders (Papert, 1980) of their own knowledge.
Research
Research indicates that many students struggle with reading and writing (Tompkins,
2010). There are numerous factors that attribute to poor writing skills. "Children who aren't
fluent English speakers, children whose parents had difficulty learning to read and write, and
children from low-SES communities are more likely to have difficulty reaching grade level
proficiency in reading and writing" (Tompkins, 2010, p. 372). It is for this reason that Harris,
Graham, and Mason (2006) say that "as early as second grade, the writing performance and
knowledge of young struggling writers can be improved substantially by teaching them general

Forms of Writing: Design Project

and genre-specific strategies for planning in conjunction with the knowledge and self-regulatory
procedures needed to use these strategies effectively" (p.335).
When it comes to writing, students may struggle with the development and organization
of their ideas. Some may find it difficult to pick the right words, write complete sentences, make
effective transitions, and use capitals, punctuation, and proper grammar (Tompkins, 2010).
Others may show no interest in writing, or may simply become frustrated with the process
(Tompkins, 2010). It is therefore "beneficial to explicitly and systematically teach struggling
writers specific strategies for carrying out writing processes" (Harris et al., 2006, p. 335).
Furthermore, it is crucial that students be motivated to learn more about writing and have more
opportunities to practice writing in order to build their confidence and become more successful"
(Tompkins, 2010, p.373 & 378). Providing students with the appropriate resources to improve
their writing, will not only benefit struggling writers, but can also help proficient writers refine
their skills.
Constructivism
By partaking in the Moodle activities, students will be active and engaged learners,
constructing their own knowledge. According to Tompkins (2010),
the theory of engaging students with experiences so that they construct their own
knowledge, has been widely applied to literacy instruction; here are the applications for
teaching students to read and write: students relate what they know to what they're
learning, students create their own knowledge, and motivated students are more
successful. (p. 6)
Through the use of the Moodle site, students will have the opportunity to apply what they have
already learned in class, as well as, what they have learned thorough the information provided on

Forms of Writing: Design Project

Moodle, to the activities that accompany each form of writing. In return, this will allow students
to build on their understanding of each of the forms of writing. Additionally, the Moodle site is
set up in such a way that instructions and information are clear and concise. Navigation within
each form, and among all forms is also easy to follow. Moreover, the activities speak to the
interests of the age group we are targeting. The latter points amalgamate to help increase student
confidence and motivation, which helps to promote a favorable learning environment.
Supporting the Writer
Teachers play a major role in the development of students as readers and writers.
"Teachers address students specific problem areas in their instruction, but high-quality
instruction usually includes these five components: mini lessons, interactive writing, daily
opportunities to write, conferences, and daily opportunities to read" (Tompkins, 2010, p. 373 &
378). Moodle will allow us to incorporate these five components, in a user friendly, constructivist
manner. Each form of writing includes a mini lesson, explaining and defining the form and what
it encompasses. Students can navigate through the Moodle site at their own pace. The activities
that have been created for each form of writing include interactive writing activities. The
assortment of activities gives students options, and appeals to a variety of students. The Moodle
site can be accessed on a daily basis, and provides students the opportunity to read examples, and
read their classmates work, as well as respond and comment on each other's work. In addition,
activities are designed in order to scaffold writers through the writing process, which consists of
five stages: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing (Tompkins, 2010).

Forms of Writing: Design Project

Section 2: Intentions and Positions

Intention and Goals
In addition to supporting students, we also intend to support teachers. They will have the
option of introducing blended learning to their classroom by using this site as a supplemental,
online learning environment for curriculum that they are already mandated to teach. Ideally, it
would be used after students have already received some instruction on at least one of the forms
of writing. In one unit (one form of writing) students will be able to read for information, take a
short quiz to assess their knowledge, and choose one or more activities as time allows or teacher
directs. Clear instructions and a built in glossary will aid students to work independently. The
time required would depend on the students own pace and teacher direction. By utilizing this
site as part of their instructional program, teachers will have the freedom to focus on those
students who need further individual scaffolding while the rest of the class is engaged in
independent work.

Scholarship in Education
Learning to write in the primary classroom is essential if young children are to become
literate members of society (Beck and Fetherstone, 2003, p. 140). Literacy is a major and
significant part of any curriculum, yet writing remains a challenge for students and teachers,
meeting with varying levels of success (Arrowood and Overall, 2004; Beck & Fetherstone, 2003;
Papert, 1980). Therefore it is vital that children develop positive attitudes, and gain confidence
for writing in their early years (Beck & Fetherstone, 2003).
Research has found that writing improves in young students when they are allowed to use
word processing software as part of the school writing program (Arrowood & Overall, 2004;
Beck & Fetherstone, 2003; Papert, 1980). In all cases reviewed, it was found that the mechanics

Forms of Writing: Design Project

of handwriting inhibited students motivation and ability to improve in writing. By providing an

alternative to the laborious (Papert, 1980, p. 30) process of creating multiple drafts through
revision, it is possible to see improvement in motivation and quality of writing in a short period
of time (Beck & Fetherstone, 2003; Papert, 1980).
In Mindstorms, Papert (1980) proposes that the computer, if used correctly, can be a
powerful tool to aid children in their thinking and knowledge building. According to
constructivist theory (Windschitl, 1999), in order for knowledge to be built, several conditions
are required: learning begins with previous knowledge, students must have access to raw data in
order to conduct investigations, students need to explore ways to represent, transform, and
analyze information so they can make sense of it (Windschitl, 1999, para. 5), students need to
work in social environments that provide collaboration, and they need to be able to demonstrate
what they have learned with authentic tasks. The computer, and Moodle in particular, affords us
the ability to design a rich learning environment based on the conditions of constructivist
learning. With the initial guidance of the teacher, students will be able to work together within
the bounds of the classroom in an online environment that allows collaboration.
Counter Arguments
While no one would argue that writing is an important skill, one that provides students
with general tools for manipulating and expressing ideas and information (Fulwiler, p. 122),
the way in which writing is approached may give rise to disagreement. Those whose focus for
writing is on the correct acquisition of grammar and spelling, may find that computers, and
specifically word processing programs with their autocorrect, and spelling/grammar error
notification functions, do not engage students in learning correct methods. Research has found
that when it comes to spelling acquisition in young children, it is the motoric activity involved

Forms of Writing: Design Project

in tracing or writing (Cunningham, & Stanovich, 1990, p. 159) that aids memory.
A second argument may arise over efficiency. Ausebel in his Meaningful Learning
Theory (Novak, 1998) agreed with the constructivist notion that learning must be linked
meaningfully with previous information, however, he found discovery methods of learning to be
inefficient, favoring direct instruction (Ausebel, 1962). Teachers, who agree with Ausebel, may
not be willing to use a website designed according to constructivist principles, fearing that
valuable class time will be lost.
A further objection related to efficiency is that of typing skills. The use of a keyboard
requires skills that students may not yet possess (Burnett, Dickinson, Myer, and Merchant, 2006).
Students frustration with the challenge of typing could lead to a focus on the physical typing
skill rather than on the process of discovery within different genres of writing. Additionally,
very few young children are able to type efficiently using QWERTY hand placing. This leads to
time consuming, highly inefficient, one-finger pecking, and in some cases even floundering in
search of the correct letters.

Larger Sets of Goals

A sampling of elementary school curriculums from within Canada (British Columbia,
2006; Saskatchewan, 2010) and in other English speaking countries (United States, Common
Core Standards; New South Wales, Australia, 2007) reveal that writing is an important element
of a three-fold language arts curriculum (oral, reading and viewing, writing and representing).
Students in grades three and four are expected to develop skills both in the mechanics of writing
and, in recognizing and using a variety of genres. B.C. curriculum suggests that teachers allot 20
to 40 percent of their class time to writing in grades one to three and 25 to 35 percent in grades
four to six (Ministry of Education, 2006, p. 8). This significant amount of time suggests that

Forms of Writing: Design Project

value is placed on the skill of writing by education departments and curriculum developers, and
therefore gives credence to our topic of design. Additionally, the offer of online, collaborative
writing activities, is in line with the changing face of literacy in this digital age (The New
London Group, 1996).

Predominant Technology
As has been stated, we are using Moodle as our predominant technology. At the beginning of
our project we considered placing our design within Weebly, Wikispaces, Googlesites, and
Moodle. With our grade three/four age group in mind, we needed a site that would be easy to use
and keep students within one place. Moodle provided the greatest amount of affordances within
one technology that fit well within a constructionist framework. Multiple passwords, and signups are not required, thus simplifying teachers ability to sign students to this site. Additionally,
Moodle provides the ability to create different kinds of activities within the site such as
discussions, wikis for group writing, voice recording, and a glossary to help explain unknown
words, thereby increasing student choice, independence, and motivation.

Section 3: Key Concepts and Contexts

Prerequisite Knowledge
Students who access our project will need to have basic writing and computer skills. The
students will be required to read for information, write in complete sentences and edit their work
for correct capitalization, punctuation, grammar and sentence structure. We have set up our
project to be used in addition to regular writing lessons in the classroom. Given the age and
experience level with technology of our targeted audience, the teacher will need to lead the
students through the Moodle site until they become familiar enough with it to use it

Forms of Writing: Design Project

independently. The students will require a username and password, and will benefit from prior
experience surfing the web and utilizing basic web pages as they navigate within Moodle.
Our Team Project
Writing is a critical skill that students need to develop in order to successfully
communicate with others. Our project targets narrative, expository, descriptive and persuasive
writing skills. Students will read about the characteristics of each form, complete a quiz about the
information they have read and experiment with writing within each form. Our project utilizes
the forum, journal, quiz and language lab functions within Moodle to encourage students to
practice their writing skills.
Perspectives
There are many potential positive and negative aspects to utilizing technology with
primary students. Do the benefits outweigh the difficulties that arise from emerging typing and
word processing skills? Do teachers have the necessary foundational skills to make use of
technology in a positive way when teaching writing? Has technology affected the role of the
teacher during writing lessons? Does technology enable students to enhance their writing skills
or just beautify the presentation of the finished product?
Hawisher and Selfe (1991) debate the positive and negative aspects of using technology
in writing classes. They argue that computer technology offers us the chance to transform our
writing classes into different kinds of centers of learning if we take a critical perspective and
remain sensitive to the social and political dangers that the use of computers may pose yet admit
that:
What many in our profession have yet to realize is that electronic technology, unless it is
considered carefully and used critically, can and will support any one of a number of

Forms of Writing: Design Project

negative pedagogical approaches that also grow out of our cultural values and our
theories of writing. (p. 56)

Teachers need to be cognizant of how they incorporate technology into their writing lessons and
the impact it will have on their students. Hawisher and Selfe (1991) warn that, our objections
lie not in the use of computer technology and online conferences but rather in the uncritical
enthusiasm that frequently characterizes the reports of those of us who advocate and support
electronic writing classes (p.56).
Our Position
We believe that teachers play a critical role in students learning to write although their
role has evolved with the integration of technology into classrooms. As Lacina (2003) states, as
technology continues to advance, teachers need to demonstrate how students can use multimedia
in all stages of the writing process, through a writing workshop environment, instead of merely
teaching print-based writing (p.102).
We believe that integrating technology into primary writing lessons will motivate
students to experiment with narrative, expository, persuasive and descriptive writing. Technology
allows students to write, edit and publish with ease, which appeals to many students. This leads
to more time and effort being spent on the ideas and structure of the writing rather than the
repeated printing or handwriting of the written piece.
Design
We created tasks using Moodle, which will allow students to write using the different
forms as they work through the writing process. Students will have the opportunity to edit and
revise their work before publishing it for others to read and comment upon. They will be able to
use peer comments and collaboration to revise their writing further.

Forms of Writing: Design Project

Section 4: Interactivities

Our completed project can be found at the address below.

http://www.moodle.csud.ca

Section 5: Assessment
The purpose of this verification plan is to determine the whether our design environment is
meeting our goals and expectations. The scope is to determine the effectiveness and efficacy of:
i. Course impact on learning outcomes
ii. Content and technical design
iii. Users satisfaction
We will utilize the following tools/data sources -- A. grading report in Moodle; B. tracking report
in Moodle; and C. course evaluation feedback reports -- to inform our verification decisions and
action to: fine tune, amend activities and/assignments, or maintain/do nothing.

1.

Areas

Data
Sources

Assessment

A and B

Verification Plan
What is Being Verified

Learning outcomes that match teacher expectations

Effectiveness and clarity in communication, such as
instructions

Participants

Students

Reliability and validity of activities and assignments

2.

Learner
Satisfaction

A and C

3.

Teacher
Satisfaction

4.

Content
Design

Learning outcomes that match teacher expectations

Students are pleased with their experiences in
learning online, including interaction with teachers
and peers, and assessment results; activities are
authentic and engaging; activities are completed
Teachers are satisfied with the effectiveness online
learning environment: improvement in writing is
noted; activities are authentic; resources and support
are provided; students can work independently
The content is relevant and current

Teachers

Students and
Teachers

Forms of Writing: Design Project

5.

Technical
Design

The learning environment is accessible, navigable,

easy to use

Students,
Teachers and
Independent
Instructional
Designer

Section 6: Group Reflection and Connections

Our group learned many valuable skills while designing our activities for this course. We
worked together to sculpt an online learning environment that targets narrative, expository,
persuasive and descriptive writing skills for grades three and four students. Through this
process, we have learned how to design, build and edit learning activities using Moodle as a
learning platform. We have also learned to adapt and work collaboratively as a group within a
learning structure to create a cohesive and consistent learning experience for students. While
working on this project we made use of email, Skype, Google Docs, Voxopop, and Moodle to
design the activities and collaborate as a group.
As a group, we worked very well together. All five members of our team met regularly
using Skype as well as communicated between group meetings using email and Google Docs.
All team members were committed to working well together to create a useful tool that can be
used with elementary students to support writing lessons in grade three and four classrooms. All
five individuals worked tirelessly to create valuable components for our group design project and
final paper, which contributed to a very successful collaborative experience. Jean-Francois was a
gold mine of information on how to best set up and utilize Moodle to design a learning
environment and he led us through our journey of exploration using this tool. Joy, Milena,
Sabrina and Sophia each focused on one of the forms of writing to design learning activities in

Forms of Writing: Design Project

addition to working on a section of the final paper. We shared our sections for feedback and
revision. We met regularly with one hundred percent attendance and participation from all team
members. The commitment and collaboration amongst our group made for a very positive
experience.

Section 7: Personal Reflections

Milena
Although initially quite anxious about creating a Moodle site, I found myself quickly
getting comfortable with Moodle and most of its components. There are many tools available to
create effective and interesting activities students can enjoy. Being able to create this project has
made me realize how achievable creating such a site for students can be. I now know the steps it
entails to create a Moodle site. This is not to say that I would have been able to complete this task
on my own. Our group worked effortlessly on this project. It is as if we had worked together in
the past.
Tasks were easily divided. We each worked on one section of the proposal. For the final
paper, we each revised the section we had previously worked on, and added information where
needed. All the while, we emailed each other our edited versions, gave our feedback, and then
complied the final version. Meetings were regular, and everyone attended each one, which
helped create the cohesiveness and teamwork we were able to really flourish from.
When creating the Moodle site, once again we split up the work into manageable parts.
Jean-Francois was able to get us access to Moodle through his school board, in order for us to
have access to all the components we needed to create the activities we had in mind. Joy, Sophia,
Sabrina, and myself split up the four forms of writing. Jean-Francois did not have a form of

Forms of Writing: Design Project

writing because he was our go-to individual with any questions we had about Moodle. He took
care of all the technical components that as beginners we were not able to do, and did not have
experience with.
This project, and the process we took as a group to achieve our final product, could not
have been better. Everyone was thoroughly involved, and put their outmost effort into the
sections they were assigned.

Joy
I am always very nervous when a group project is assigned in MET. My past brief
experience has been that not everyone participates equally and those who want to get a decent
grade have to step up to complete much of the work. This assignment has been different
however. Each member contributed in a meaningful and equal way to the project. Although we
are spread out from Montreal to Beijing, All members showed up at our almost weekly Skype
meetings. Through this forum, we were able to negotiate ideas, edit our written work together,
and collaborate on our design.
For efficiency, we divided the tasks up among ourselves. However, these tasks were not
isolated projects within a project. Rather, we actively discussed content and ideas, giving each
other input and feedback. Google Docs, group email and Skype were valuable tools in aiding
this communication. Additionally, our personal strengths and perspectives, such as a Moodle
expert among us, became invaluable as we worked together to produce a design.
A frustrating aspect for me was working with the Moodle site. I have had no experience
with Moodle in the past, but really appreciated the affordances it provided. Jean Francois was our
expert and guided us in the process. Each of us contributed content and participated in building
the site. While we were all able to contribute, I felt restricted in what I could do because I didnt

Forms of Writing: Design Project

know how to set things up structurally. I did learn a lot about Moodle over the course of this
project, however the frustration has pushed me to want to learn more and I intend to do this when
I have more time at the end of the course.
Sabrina
While working on our group design project for this course, I have gained great insight
into the planning and work that goes into developing online learning environments. As a
complete beginner in this area of technology use, I had no idea what setting up activities in
Moodle would entail. Fortunately, Jean-Francois was able to help us all in the area as we set up,
designed and edited activities using Moodle. Joy, Milena, Sophia and I each focused on one of
the four forms of writing and began developing our individual sections with support from JeanFrancois and feedback from all group members. We also each wrote a section of the paper and
passed the sections along for feedback amongst the members of our group.
I have experienced Skype, Moodle and Voxopop for the first time and had the opportunity to
explore the features of Google Docs while working collaboratively with this terrific group. It has
been a very positive experience working with a dedicated and dynamic group of individuals
committed to working together towards a common goal. I appreciate the respect and
consideration shown towards all group members ideas during our groups many online meetings
and emails. All members of our team were valued and treated with respect throughout the entire
process. The climate built amongst our group members during this project allowed me to feel
comfortable and confident enough to offer suggestions to other group members as well as receive
feedback from them on my contributions. I consider myself very fortunate to have had the
opportunity to work with such a dedicated group of professionals while learning the skills and
knowledge needed to construct an online learning environment.

Forms of Writing: Design Project

Sophia

I have worked with many teams, with varying degrees of success. This has been one of
my best experiences of group work. This was made possible because of team members who were
committed, invested, open to discussion and consensus building, and goal oriented.
All team members contributed very well to the development of our project proposal and
build. All members were present and participated in the planning sessions. As well, all members
edited and provided feedback on the document and the design environment. We used the
affordances of Google Docs, Skype, and conventional emails to plan, discuss, write and edit and
track our collaborative efforts, discussions, decisions and accomplishments.
While this was not my first technical project and not my first experience with Moodle, this
was the first one where I was one of the technical designers. Joy, Milena, Sabrina and I each
developed a section within Moodle. Jean-Francois was responsible for overall technical design
because of his expertise with Moodle and he was an invaluable resource; he provided Moodle
training, guidance and support we needed for the technical design. The suggestions, revision and
editing activities of other members were also valued.
I really enjoyed constructing the online learning environment within Moodle. While I
recognize some of its limitations it affords so many possibilities that I will continue to explore as
I develop other projects. I was great to work with a team of committed professionals and as this
project comes to an end, I value the contributions off all.
Jean-Francois
At first, I was a bit anxious about this project. It is an interesting and challenging
one. One of my challenges was that I never taught Grade 3-4 in English. I have the background
of teaching Grade 4, but in French. It is a little bit different. But wasnt a teacher supposed to

Forms of Writing: Design Project

adapt to the circumstances? One of the best parts of that project is that as a team, we decided to
use Moodle as our main platform to develop our designed course. I do know this one very
well. That was reassuring for me. Finally, it turned out to be a very good experience, as all
members of my team were really dedicated to the work they had to accomplish and to our
meetings. It was a pleasure working with them.
Tasks were easily divided, as each of us picked one and proposed our insights on it, and
following this effort, we proposed our section to the others, using collaborative features of
Google Apps. When working on the course design, Joy, Milena, Sabrina and Sophia focused
each on one of the four forms of writing and I created the course on Moodle, gave them access to
this course on my school board site, and guided and supported them in creating the multiple
sections of this course. We had multiple meetings through Skype and we used Google Docs and
Google Groups to exchange ideas and information. Everybody did their part in this and it was
very effective. It is a great team to work with. For the final paper, each one of us revised their
section and proposed the fruits of their labor to the team and Joy put it all together, in one final
document. Afterwards, everybody revised the document for final revisions.
This teamwork couldnt have been easier because everybody put their heart to it and our
project was well facilitated by the tools we used. It was a fulfilling and exciting experience of
working with you all. I appreciated your dedication in this project and hope we'll meet again in
another course.

Forms of Writing: Design Project

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