Best Practices for Implementing Information and Communication Technologies into Writing
Instruction
Sara Reyes
Western Oregon University
ED 633
Introduction
The progression of technology has undoubtedly influenced the ways in which society
communicates—especially regarding written communication. Educators have a responsibility to
prepare students for the ever-changing world. Technology has provided students and teachers
access to a wealth of knowledge that has revolutionized how material is learned and
subsequently how it is taught. As technology continues to advance, the strategies and teaching
practices educators implement will need to reflect these changes. Sweeny (2010) proposes
schools implement information and communication technologies (ICT’s) that prepare students
“to function in a world where new literacies are the expectation and norm” (p. 122).
Despite the advantages of technology, its benefits in K-12 education have been debated.
Some researchers have indicated that the use of ICT’s has negatively impacted students’ writing
skills. This criticism has added to education’s perspective of ICT’s in the classroom. The
reluctance to implement more technology into teaching practices is likely due to multiple factors,
including a lack of funding, professional development, and access. However, as “digital natives”
students are to some extent hardwired to apply the same technology they use at home to school
use with teacher facilitation to bridge its application (Spires, Lee, & Turner, 2008). With
technology’s influence rapidly growing, educators are seeking information on new ways of
teaching writing skills in the Digital Age.
As a greater emphasis is placed on the value of developing stronger writing skills in
education, the integration of technology to support those skills will be more prevalent. Students
perceive writing that involves digital technologies as meaningful and engaging. The purpose of
this literature review is to: 1) identify the best practices for implementing information and
communication technologies into writing instruction, 2) address how classroom implementation
of ICT’s can promote authentic writing experiences, and 3) address the effects ICT’s have on
students’ motivation to write.
Review of the Research
New literacies, like newer media, offer a more personalized, interactive approach to
learning, socializing, and entertainment that is cost efficient (Holland, 2014). Research studies on
the topic of the best practices for implementing information and communication technologies to
improve writing instruction reveal a common theme regarding the value of bridging the
application of personal, educational, and professional use of ICT’s. The literature selected for
this review show how ICT’s have been implemented into education to improve students’ writing
skills and to encourage purposeful writing opportunities.
Best Practices for Implementation
Recent developments in instructional psychology suggest literacy instruction is best
taught in conjunction with reading, writing, and computer skills within a context that stimulates
problem-solving and analysis. Alfassi (2000) conducted a study examining the impact fostering
learning communities has on improving literacy skills. Fostering communities of learners (FCL)
classrooms use a research-share-perform approach. Students research information, share it, and
perform a consequential task. Afterwards students prepare computer-based teaching materials to
share their expertise with their classmates. Participants in Alfassi’s (2000) study included 18
eighth grade students who annually participate in FCL program for literacy. Data was retrieved
via writing samples, standardized reading measure (Ortar Reading Test), reading assessment
passages, and measurement of reading rate and reading accuracy. Post-teaching phase results
showed students wrote considerably longer passages (essays). Likewise findings indicate
students’ writing performance significantly improved over the course of the year’s study. FCL
instructional programs proved to amend students reading and writing skills, and can serve as a
vehicle for educational growth. However, further research comparing traditional methods of
instruction with FCL instructional programs needs to be conducted to determine the role
problem-solving activities had on writing instruction.
While nearly 73% of Americans have internet access, students’ primary use for texting,
instant-messaging, and social networks is to socialize and its secondary use is for seeking
information for schoolwork and personal interests (Sweeny, 2010). Several research studies
recommend educators build upon the literacy skills students have acquired from using ICT’s in
out-of-school settings. Turner (2011) acknowledges that “new literacies build on traditional
elements of literacy…but require new skills, strategies, and dispositions to navigate through
complex semiotic systems and critically evaluate, synthesize, produce, and distribute knowledge
in a timely way” (p. 613). In a society that is increasingly dependent on time constraints, the
benefits of having mobile technologies seem limitless.
Researchers suggest the mobile learning platform that works best is one where the power
has shifted from the instructors to the learners themselves (Holland, 2014). This do-it-yourself
(DIY) approach allows students to explore the technology’s use in furthering their individual
literacy development. The mobility factor of these technologies has been influential in helping
educators link ICT’s personal use to educational use. Sweeny (2010) identifies students as digital
natives and teachers as digital immigrants. His claim supports the idea that with teacher
facilitation to bridge these applications students can apply the digital technology they use at
home to school use. Furthermore, mobile technology enables learning to be extended beyond the
walls of the classroom.
In a study on how laptops and other portable devices can support students with reading
and writing difficulties, Conway and Amberson (2011) evaluated 31 schools participating in
Laptops Initiative. Laptops Initiative was a project that trialed the use of laptop computers as a
tool to support students with learning disabilities to work independently in mainstream Irish
classrooms. Data was obtained via interviews, school case studies, classroom observations, and
surveys. Results indicate that structured use of laptops promoted student engagement when based
on a check-in/check-out system and conversely engagement was lowered when laptop use was
granted by ‘carrot and stick’ method. The unrestricted laptop use yielded the best results.
Laptops ability to be mobile reinforces the ability for learning taking place inside and outside of
school.
Mueller, Wood, Hunt, and Specht (2009) researched adult learners’ perceptions and
responses to using assistive technology for writing. Fourteen adults participated in this study.
Data was retrieved via surveys and weekly observations. Each learner had the opportunity to
explore various writing software that assists with conventions, sentence fluency, and complex
cognitive processes. Learners naturally gravitated towards the software that accommodated them
with their individual learning needs. Qualitative and quantitative methods reveal four areas of
writing the software impacted most. First, the writing software assisted with mechanics.
Additionally students shared that the software helped them to organize their thoughts and
enabled them to produce text quicker. Lastly, the software helped boost learners’ confidence and
fostered independence. This study highlighted the implications of some valuable digital tools.
For instance, “speech-to-text” helps input text, “text-to-speech” reads back text for editing,
“word prediction” assists with keyboarding, word retrieval, and grammar, and “brainstorming
and mapping” programs help with idea generation and organization. In particular, this research
showed the benefits to using assistive technology in adult learner’s writing. Next, this review
explores how everyday ICT’s are being implemented into writing instruction.
Several research studies have exposed implications that blogging has on students’
writing. Sun (2010) conducted a study to determine the effects that extensive blog writing has on
writing performance in foreign languages. This semester long (18 weeks) study involved 23
undergraduate students in an academic-writing course from a university in Taiwan. Data on these
participants was gathered via blog entries and survey results. The results of this study indicate
the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) has clearly impacted students’ writing.
Regarding syntactic structure, CMC use had the greatest impact on students’ mechanics and
organization, but the least impact on their grammar and vocabulary.
In a similar study, Chen, Liu, Shih, Wu, & Yuan (2011) examined the effectiveness of
peer feedback in improving writing through blogging. Web logs, A.K.A. weblogs and blogs,
promote cyber-communities and a sense of belonging for its users. During this 15 week long
experiment, 33 fifth grade students were provided an online platform for blogging. Data on these
participants was gathered via writing samples (articles), observations, and interviews. Analyses
of the qualitative and quantitative methods assessed indicate blogging can improve elementary
students’ writing. The results of this study suggest blogs provide opportunities for students to
practice their writing skills and gain input from a wider audience in an environment that fosters
writing for a purpose.
Authentic Writing Experiences
A greater connection between information and communication technologies use for
personal, educational, and professional purposes has surfaced through students’ recognition of
the authentic writing experiences they have endured. In the study conducted by Mueller et al
(2009), participants’ survey responses yielded two themes regarding the types of writing
experiences they encountered: expressive and purposeful. Similarly, Sun (2010) claims the
results of his study “indicate that blogs could constitute an effective task-based environment that
prompts authentic, purposeful language use, and enhances writing proficiency in foreign
languages” (p. 337). Moreover, Sun’s research suggests that blogging encourages students to
take authorship of their entries.
Further research implies that participants felt the writing experiences they endured using
ICT’s promoted authorship and authenticity. Turner (2011) conducted a study on how the
acquisition of skills in the multimodal media production (MMP) process can further students’
ability to interpret and produce text. Multimodal learning, as described by Holland (2014),
utilizes “a wide range of multimedia and interactive tools used to engage learners, thereby
providing them multiple modes of interfacing within the system” (p. 20). Participants in the
MMP study included 30 middle school students from an extended-day literacy intervention
program. Data was collected via surveys, observations, videotape of classroom interactions and
fieldtrips, audiotape of debrief sessions, and interviews. One participant (Damion) shared that
prior to taking the MMP course he had not viewed school as a place to express his feelings. As
indicated by interviews, field observations, surveys, and Damion’s final MMP, he was writing
more frequently and his writing was more expressive of his true feelings. There are notable
benefits to exposing students to multiple genres that foster learning and sharing with diverse
audiences. Another participant (Rickey) expressed “students are much more engaged when they
can connect real issues in their communities and see that their work means something beyond the
walls of their school” (Turner, 2011, p. 620). Research insinuates classroom implementation of
ICT’s has contributed to students’ ability to connect with a wider audience and subsequently has
altered their perception of the value of their work.
Motivated Writing Experiences
Genlott and Grönlund (2013) examined what factors are essential in integrating ICT’s
and students’ literacy development to achieve favorable outcomes. This study evaluated the
effectiveness of the Integrated Write to Read (iWTR) method in improving children’s reading
and writing skills. The iWTR method—based on Swedish National curriculum—uses active
writing, publishing, peer feedback, and formative assessment. Participants in this study included
87 first grade students. Data for this study was retrieved via National School Board (NSB)
assessment, H4 test (quantified reading test), and student-produced texts. Aside from the length
of the test group’s texts being longer and clearer, results indicate students benefited greatly from
the social interactions in this study. As a matter of fact, the findings from Genlott and Grönlund’s
(2013) study exemplify how communication can contribute to a student’s increased selfconfidence and motivation. The class website’s implementation fostered communication, where
texts could easily be accessed, commented on, and revised thereafter. Collaboration and peer
feedback have proved to be invaluable tools in helping students improve their writing skills.
Finding indicated participants in this study were eager to understand how others viewed their
text. Consequently, students’ inspiration to review their old texts and make revisions was fueled
by their peers’ written feedback.
The implications for how information and communication technologies are implemented
play a role in the assessment of their educational value. In the study led by Turner (2011),
findings reveal participants felt an increased motivation to write and a deeper level of reflection
when using digital media to write lyrics. These participants’ initial motivation to join a class that
focused on further developing new literacies was due to the real-life application they saw it
having for them. In sum, the findings indicate students recognize new literacies, like MMP, are
translatable across the various contexts they will encounter in the future. Their motivation to
write and learn new literacies supports the growing need for educators to implement ICT’s into
their writing instruction.
Conclusion
The intention of this literature review was to identify the best practices for implementing
information and communication technologies into writing instruction as well as address how
ICT’s foster purposeful writing. Two areas were emphasized: authentic writing experiences and
motivated writing experiences. From the studies discussed, there were multiple cases
demonstrating effective implementation of ICT’s to support improvement in students’ writing
skills. Turner (2011) showed how educators need to search outside traditional reading and
writing to implement other media to further students’ ability to interpret and produce texts. His
study examined MMP, a course that sought to build on students’ out-of-school literacy practices
by teaching them to analyze, critique, and produce their own media. Alfassi (2000) showed how
learning communities can be a tool for enhancing students’ reasoning, problem-solving, and
learning strategies. Research suggests that the current schooling programs limit the amount of
acquired skills students need to apply the material learned. Thus, there is a growing need for
intervention programs that promote thinking strategies in students. In Alfassi’s (2000) study, the
FCL intervention program proved to benefit both low and high functioning students’ writing
performance. As new literacies develop, research indicates students are eager to learn about
ICT’s that benefit them in multiple contexts.
The ease of communicating with a global audience using ICT’s has increased student’s
awareness of its value for collaboration and feedback purposes. Conway & Amberson’s (2011)
revealed how laptop computers can support students with literacy difficulties in home and school
environments. In this study, when laptops were used as an editorial tool in conjunction with
author school visits, a commitment to student-centered and community-based learning was
encouraged. Computers are tools that link employment and skill preparation, remediation, and
lifelong learning. Mueller et al (2009) exposed the impact of students sharing their writing with
their peers. Regarding the most important aspect of the writing program, adult students noted
“self-worth” above letter writing, personal story writing, and being able to prepare job
applications. The idea that ICT’s foster meaningful writing opportunities for authentic audiences
surfaced in much of the literature reviewed.
Blogs promote a sense of belonging for its users. Sun (2010) exposes that blogs prompt
authentic writing and purposeful language that can enhance writing proficiency in secondlanguage/foreign language instruction. The research in this study suggests blogging promotes
autonomy—encouraging students to monitor their performance without teacher feedback. What's
more this study shows how extensive writing through blogs can help build language awareness
and promote confidence and motivation. Studies show links between blogging and writing, and
peer feedback and performance. Chen et al (2010) revealed how blogs can be used to improve
elementary students’ writing. Benefits to writing on blogs include ease of editing, quick
feedback, and the convenience of looking up information on the Internet. Participants in the
study agreed their peer’s feedback helped them edit their articles and improve their writing skills.
Blogs permit students to connect with a wider audience than with traditional forms of writing.
Hence, the best practices for implementing ICT’s into writing instruction are to first consider
what elements of writing it improves, how its implications can be translatable across different
contexts, and whether it encourages authentic, purposeful writing. The participants from the
studies reviewed indicate a growing desire to implement and adapt technologies that are
perceived valuable for personal, educational, and future use.
References
Alfassi, M. (2000). Using information and communication technology (ICT) to foster literacy
and facilitate discourse within the classroom. Education Media International, 37(3), 137148.
Conway, P., & Amberson, J. (2011). Laptops meet schools, one-one draw: M-learning for
secondary students with literacy difficulties. Support for Learning, 26(4), 173181.
Chen, Y., Liu, E., Shih, R., Wu, C., & Yuan, S. (2011). Use of peer feedback to enhance
elementary students’ writing through blogging. British Journal of Educational
Technology, 42(1), E1-E4. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2010.01139.x
Genlott, A., & Grönlund, Å. (2013). Improving literacy skills through learning reading by
writing: The iWTR method presented and tested. Computers & Education, 67, 98- 104.
Holland, J. (2014). Implications of shifting technology in education. TechTrends, 58(3), 16-25.
Mueller, J., Wood, E., Hunt, J., & Specht, J. (2009). Assessing adult student reactions to
assistive technology in writing instruction. Adult Basic Education and Literacy
Journal, 3(1), 13-23.
Sun, Y. (2010). Extensive writing in foreign-language classrooms: A blogging approach.
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Sweeny, S. (2010). Writing for the instant messaging and text messaging generation: Using new
literacies to support writing instruction. Journal of Adolescents & Adult Literacy 54 (2),
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Turner, K.C. (2011). “Rap universal”: Using multimodal media production to develop ICT
literacies. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 54(8), 613-623.