How will implementing technology into Writers Workshop impact student motivation in my kindergarten class?

Jena Wagner


Seminar Title


How will implementing technology into Writers Workshop impact student motivation in my kindergarten class?


Concept/Strategy

Focus of the Research


Technology


Grade Level

Research Was Applied


Kindergarten


Relevant Grade Level

Connections


Elementary


Discipline

Where Research Was Applied


Writing


Additional Discipline Areas

I see Application to


Writing


Invitation/Commercial


Now find the iPads belly button and push it two times! Have you ever wondered how to teach a group of kindergarten students how to use the iPad? Well, you have come to the right place! I have spent this entire year teaching my group of kindergarteners how to handle an iPad and use Seesaw© to share their class work with their parents. My main area of focus was the work they were doing in Writer’s Workshop and how knowing they were able to share the work with the parents motivated them as writers. It also touches on how using technology in the classroom impacts student learning. My research took me on a roller coaster ride! On the uphills, students love using the iPad and want to share everything they do! On the downhills, I wondered if using technology in the classroom is beneficial to my students or only harming them in the long run. If you are looking for an opportunity to engage in a deep discussion about how technology impacts student motivation then this is the session for you!


Abstract


The question guiding my research is as follows: How will implementing technology into writer’s workshop impact student motivation in kindergarten? A review of the literature explained the impact that technology has had on students in the 21st century. Technology has evolved over the years and will continue to evolve. As a result of my literature review, I decided to monitor how technology impacts student motivation, engagement, choice, and communication. The mode of technology I implemented was using the iPad and I tracked six different students to determine if using the iPad during Writer’s Workshop helped to motivate and engage them as writers. I taught all my students how to use an app called Seesaw and if parents are connected to their child's Seesaw journal it provides a direct form of communication between students and parents. I tracked six students to determine if they were engaged enough during the writing period to finish their writing piece and upload it onto Seesaw. Using iPad was a choice and I monitored if they were choosing to use it to share their work or if they chose to share with a classmate instead. I also noted if parents were responsive to the communication their student was giving them. Through my research, I have learned how to teach a group of kindergarten students how to use an iPad and excite them during Writer’s Workshop. The number of students who still need support when using an iPad has decreased significantly since the start of the school year. Majority of my students are now capable of using it without adult support. I am finding that a handful of my students are extremely motivated to use it every day while others rarely want to use the iPad. My research has proven that this is dependent on parent involvement and how families are communicating at home about the work the student does at school. As a result of my interest in using iPad to impact motivation in writer’s workshop, I am seeing how students are excited to write a story and share it instantly with their parents. I am going to continue to allow my students to choose how they want to share their writing and I will be encouraging those with less motivation to upload different writing pieces onto Seesaw as they complete them.