What follows is my published project definition for my capstone project: My Online Writer’s Notebook.

 

Fourth grade is a tough year for boys, academically, socially, and developmentally. Many students are coming into their own as individuals and are facing challenges in and out of the classroom. On Ohio fourth grade writing assessment tests, 20% of boys are below proficiency, while only 10% of their female classmates are at the same level. Writing has the largest gender gap of any of the tested subjects at this age, and the gap only grows as students enter middle and high school.

Writing is an important skill for any student to have. Not only is it necessary to be proficient in high school and college, but writing can be a very therapeutic exercise. It has a unique ability to be both organized and analytical while allowing a student to express both emotion and creativity. Doubtless, there are innumerable issues that are facing our education system, begging for design solutions; however, writing is an area that is often overlooked in an society focused on raising math and science test scores in global rankings. By focusing on writing we will raise more well rounded and creative individuals.

Boys face many unique challenges in the writing classroom, especially in third and fourth grade. Developmentally, their fine motor skills are behind those of their female classmates, making the physical aspect of writing laborious. They also are more likely to think in pictures than words. Boys can often be found sketching out comics or visualizations of their stories to frame it in their mind. I aim to address these traits with my project.

Technology in and of itself is a huge motivator to boys at this age, they go home and sit in front of computer or TV screens. They enjoy the communication and entertainment value that the internet brings to their day to day lives. This engagement and entertainment can be harnessed to raise a student’s interest in their writing both in and out of the classroom.

My Online Writer’s Notebook is a website focused on organizing and leading students through the narrative writing process. Many boys struggle with the open ended nature of writing and are unwilling to revise or share their writing. By bringing a more transparent structure to this process boys will be able to more knowingly work on their writing with concrete goals defined. The site will start by leading students through the pre-writing process; guiding them to create a story map and illustrations to express their ideas before drafting their story. After pre-writing, students will be able to draft, revise and edit their writing, as well as share it with peers and instructors. Bringing a social aspect to the process is very important. Writing can be used as way to build friendships and connections to teachers and classmates, and therefore motivate students to be more open with the stories they create.

Students will use this site in and outside of the classroom. While it will be built in a way that teachers will be able to easily integrate it into their writer’s workshops, students will have access from home or personal devices so as not to limit access to their own work. While few public classrooms are constantly stocked with devices for each child, many are equipped with multiple shared computers, and teachers can often check out laptops for every students for use during their writing workshop.

While there are technical limitations, namely access to individual devices, This site strives to bring structure and a more holistic view to the writing process. Students are encouraged to write in an open environment and share their work with peers and teachers. By improving composition skills such as pre-writing, revising and editing in the classroom students will be more aware of the process when they face standardized testing, and will have gained skills needed as they grow as students and individuals.