Pew Internet Report on Writing, Technology, & Teens
The Pew Internet & American Life Project released a report last week which documents their findings on teens’ writing and technology habits.
The report explores writing skills, frequency, and attitude as they relate to student’s access to technology, including cell phones, the internet, and computer availability.
There were many findings that will not surprise most readers, particularly when considering the impact of gender and socio-economic factors, but some helpful factors to include when developing instructional activities for these age groups.
“Teens said they are motivated to write when the can select topics that are relevant to their lives and interests, and report greater enjoyment of school writing when they have the opportunity to write creatively. Having teachers or other adults who challenge them, present then with interesting curricula, and give them detailed feedback also serves as a motivator for teens. Teens also report writing for an audience motivates them to write and write well.” (emphasis mine)
Also from the report, “Summary of Findings at a Glance”
- “Even though teens are heavily embedded in a tech-rich world, they do not believe that
communication over the internet or text messaging is writing. [The report later suggests that students hold writing in higher regard than typical communication.] - “The impact of technology on writing is hardly a frivolous issue because most believe that good writing is important to teens’ future success.
- “Teens are motivated to write by relevant topics, high expectations, an interested audience and opportunities to write creatively.
- “Writing for school is a nearly every-day activity for teens, but most assignments are short.
- “Teens believe that the writing instruction they receive in school could be improved.
- “Non-school writing, while less common than school writing, is still widespread among teens.
- “Multi-channel teens and gadget owners do not write any more — or less — than their counterparts, but bloggers are more prolific.
- “Teens more often write by hand for both out-of-school writing and school work.
- “As tech-savvy as they are, teens do not believe that writing with computers makes a big difference in the quality of their writing.
- “Parents are generally more positive than their teen children about the effect of computers and text-based communication tools on their child’s writing.
- “Teens enjoy non-school writing, and to a lesser extent, the writing they do for school.”
Source: Lenhart, Amanda; Arafeh, Sousan; Smith, Aaron and Rankin Macgill, Alexandra. Writing, Technology and Teens, Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project, April 24, 2008.
Although the report weighs in at about 83 pages, the Summary of Findings captures the essence of their findings in about 7 quick pages.
And speaking of writing, I want to point you to this innovative use of volunteers in teaching student writing skills. The video is part of a series known as the TED Talks (Technology, Education, and Design), which have featured some of the most remarkable contemporary speakers around. [Thanks, Chris, for passing on the link.]
[Video missing? Visit the link above to go to a more filter-friendly option.]
Wednesday, April 30th, 2008
