1. I Search Proposal

My I Search proposal is a around about way of learning why people write the way they do and the reasons why. I wasn’t my I Search Proposal to be the effects of Text Messaging on American Education and concentrate on what it does for our learning the processes of learning. Does it impede the learning? Does it expand our knowledge of language and ability to play with it? Can we go beyond text messaging and have 3 techniques, formal, informal and text or technical language. Is studying text messaging a smart move for educators to know what they are up against? Should text message language be accepted as a language? If so, what do we do as educators with all this knowledge of the technical language that is text messaging? Should we allow it to be expressed in students writing, is it a completely effective way of communicating and therefore should be respected? These are just some of the questions I have about text messaging and how it affects the community and therefore our future students.

If the text messaging option is too far out there I would like to explore the idea of Reading as opposed to writing. What exactly can be benefitted in an English language arts classroom that cannot be accomplished by reading? They do have similar effects on learning but what bare facts are there to back up and justify using writing alone to teach students how to write and analyze information?

2. I-Search Proposal

For the I-search project I would like to work with my master’s thesis topic. At the end of last semester I decided that I wanted to explore Anglo-American relations from 1898 to 1914 for my thesis project. To me this was a critical period in both nations’ histories. British hegemony was being challenged by many emerging powers, especially the United States. In 1898, the United States had been victorious in their war with Spain and as a consequence became a world power. I want to focus on how the British socially, politically and economically perceived the rise of the United States as a new player in the global chess-game.

The idea for the topic stemmed from recent publications that prophesized the inevitable decline of the United States. Many economists, historians and journalists are making arguments that the end of the American era is near. This made me want to look back into history and see what the economists, historians and journalists were saying about the British Empire at the turn of the 20^th century.

More often then not writing academic research is a passive process. Using the I-Search approach will be a good opportunity for me to realign myself with the research process. I will be able to put a personal touch, through the use of the narrative, on my project that will enhance the whole experience.

3.

Right now I am tossing two topics around for my I-Search paper. My first idea and the one I am leaning most towards is the effectiveness of using free-write in Social Studies classes and if it is beneficial. The topic appeals most to me because I have some personal experience in using free-write and how it has affected my own educational career and ever since we started free writing in class this semester it has raised much interest in me. I began to wonder if there was a trend in students doing better in class while free writing compared to those who do not. I would want to interview several students in middle school and high school to get their take on the subject. Also I would like to talk specifically to Social Studies teachers and ask them if they use free-write, is it effective, and if they do not I would like to know why they are not using it. There are many books out there I can get my hands on that take a look into this subject and I would intend to use these resources. My other topic that I would like to look a little more into is if technology is leading to the illiteracy of American students. With text messaging and AOL instant messenger students are using slang terms, abbreviations and writing in fragments constantly. I have even caught myself writing this way while writing an important paper and had to stop myself.

4.

Last semester in my literacy class I was introduced to the idea of an I-Search. From the first time I learned about how an I-Search was conducted I almost immediately thought of how useful this could be in the classroom. As for my I-Search paper that I will be conducting for this class I propose the topic of inter-disciplinary activities, with a focus on writing exercises that link the Social Studies content with that of the English class. From my experience in high school, I had several opportunities to work on projects that involved work in both Social Studies as well as English. These activities gave me a new light on writing, I already had a love for History but I was not that found of writing. This gave me the chance to blend something that I love with something that I have less than fond feelings for to produce something that I was very proud of. I hope to learn more about the benefits of this technique as well as possible ideas for projects to utilize this activity with. My working thesis is that using inter-disciplinary activates combining English with Social Studies can be extremely beneficial to students who normally would not be interested in writing. I hope that working on this paper I will gain a greater understanding of both I-Search papers as well at inter-disciplinary activates.

5.

For my I-Search paper I would like to research how teach social studies using writing. I know that writing is very important, and all too often students graduate high school without the proper writing skills. The Inside Out book has given many great activities to help students strengthen their writing. What I am wondering is how can writing be developed in a social studies classroom. I know that in a social studies class students do have to write essays, particularly DBQ essays, but when I was in high school, none of these essays really helps us develop as writers. When I was in high school, social studies writing was always a dryer sort of writing. The teachers seemed more concerned with facts and dates rather than the quality of the writing. Some of my teachers even told us to differentiate between English writing and social studies writing. When I become a teacher, I would like “coach� my students. I would like them to develop fluency and a voice. What I really would like to know is how to do this while teaching history. Through the I-Search paper I would like to explore this idea.

6.

I propose that given the fact that we live in a very technological age we should be able to use this technology in order to entice and better our reluctant student writers. Many students enjoy technology in some way whether it be through television, movies, the internet, music or video games. I believe that children can be introduced and encouraged to write through many different mediums that we have at our disposal today. Students at the secondary level already interact with many different pieces of technology on an every day biases and as up and coming teachers we should show students that their interests can be brought in to the classroom and used as a tool for writing. I know that technology is taking on a more active role in the classroom, but I am not sure how much of that role is used in writing. In this paper I would like to explore the many different types of technology and computer programs out there and get a better idea on how they are or can be used in the classroom to encourage or better children's writing. For this paper I plan on using many different resources such as the internet, an interview with hopefully a technology education major or teacher and a few books one of them being Harry R. Noden's Image Grammar.

There are all different types of media available to use as writing tools and I would like to clarify what I wish to discuss in each area. Starting with the Internet I am going to look out how the social websites like MySpace and FaceBook can be used to entice children to write more. I think this is relevant to the classroom because writing is a very social activity and these sites can be used for many different aspects of the writing process such as peer revisions, comments, and writing forums.

Movies and or Television shows have been used in the classroom for many years as tools to aid students understanding of literature, history and science. Most adults ages 18 to 28 have been in that classroom where the reward for wading your way through the text version of Romeo and Juliet, was to watch the movie version of the play. However, I propose that these two mediums can be used for more than just better comprehension of a text. The advances that have been made in cinematography in the last twenty years provides students with visual images and story lines that many people imagined to be impossible only twenty years ago. These images and story lines may better help the students understand their own writing.

Music is another medium that has been used in the classroom before to enhance students writing. The use of music with out lyric to create a mood or the lyrics of a song to inspire poetry is nothing new to teachers at the secondary level. However, with so many different types of music available to students and the different technologies available to utilize when it comes to music I am interested to see what kind of lesson's and idea's are available for writing with and around music. Also with the introduction of ipods in to the main stream media the concept of pod-casts have begun to gain steam. I would like to look at how pod-casts can be used in the classroom when it comes to students writing.

Video games are another medium that has yet to be explored when it comes to secondary students writing. Many students on a daily baiest come home from school and power up their X-Box 360 or playstations and spend hours completing missions and interactive puzzles. I am interested how someone may go about using the story lines and puzzles in video games in order to peak a students interest in writing.

Lastly their are many different computer programs available to students today that may enhance their writing. I wish to look at and address the uses of the following programs at the secondary education level; Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Moviemaker and file sharing programs that make it easy for children to share recorded versions of their poetry, prose, essays or papers.

Technology is one of the best tools available to teachers. It provides endless lesson and unit plans that will not only peak a students interest in writing but keep them on the edge of their seats. The main question for most teachers is how can we use it and what can we use it for? I hope in this paper to provide some answers for this.

Proposed Questions

What technologies and media are out there that we can use in order to entice our children to write?

What are some things we can do as Secondary Teachers in order to utilize these things in the classroom?

What kind of computer programs could students use to develop themselves as a better writer? Of these programs what if any are the best one's?

For those schools out there that do not have a lot of technology in the classroom due to budget issues what kind of grants are available to them?

For teachers who are not properly trained or need to update their training on certain technologies where can they go to do this?

7.

I intend to do my I Search paper on the different ways and uses of journaling in the classroom. In the education class that I took previous to this writing course I learned a different way to journaling than that which was discussed in the text inside Out. The way that I was taught to use journal was as a release for the students. If there was something extremely personal that the students did not want the teacher to read they could fold that page over and write on the outside of that page, do not read. The teacher was then not to read what was in that folded page. But I also think that journaling can be a way of free writing, which is stressed in this course. I think that journaling is a good idea and I would love to use it in a future classroom of mine, so I want to be sure of the different ways and tactics of using the journal. I want to learn the rules of what to do and not to do in the journal. I used a journal in writing class in school and I think it is a great idea. For my class we wrote a one page entry every week and the teacher read it. She grades based on whether it was one page and one time. The teacher also commented on the entries. Some of my entries were very personal and had nothing to do with writing. Other entries were on what we were writing in class and my different ideas. So I think that an I Search paper on the different types of journaling will be very useful.

8.

The only use I knew of for freewriting when I started this class was as a pre-writing exercise to generate ideas for a paper. I have never been asked to freewrite in any class but this one. Now, I’m thinking about it in a whole new light and I’m seeing its usefulness as a stand-alone entity. I’ve been hearing a lot about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) lately because of the problems soldiers returning from Iraq are having, and I’ve decided to do my I-Search paper on the therapeutic uses of freewriting in the treatment of PTSD. I have done a bit of preliminary searching on the topic, and though I haven’t seen the word “freewriting” applied to the treatment of PTSD, I can see the parallels between it and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which is being used to treat PTSD.

9.

For my I-Search paper, I intend to research different writing programs that school districts implement in order for their students to familiarize themselves with the writing process. I have worked with a school district that has, in the past year, implemented a writing program called “Step-Up-To-Writing”. This is primarily geared to the K-6 grades but it can be modified in order to reach the upper levels of schools as well. The hopes that this school district has is that students will excel in the field of writing and also, this will increase fluency and literacy rates.

What I propose to do is to research the actual method used in this writing program. I also wish to research both sides of the spectrum in terms of the positives and negatives of a program like this in schools. I hope to find statistics that support the success rate but also wish to shine a light on the possible set back of such a rigid way of learning how to write.

I believe that finding a person to interview will not be difficult within the school district that has implemented this program. I have heard such positive things about the writing program that I know people would enjoy speaking about the success rates within the school district. I would think it would also be beneficial to find someone who has different feelings about the writing program in order to not form a bias opinion.

I know that there is a multitude of information on different writing processes available. This particular program is a nation wide tool that many teachers use so I am sure that I will be able to find what I am looking for.

10.

Throughout my years of schooling, I was rarely given the chance, if any, to freewrite in the classroom. Honestly, I do not recall ever hearing the word “freewrite” used by any of my instructors. Now that I have some insight on what freewriting is, I have come to realize that I have indeed been freewriting through all these years. I have been freewriting in my own time at my own pace. I freewrite when I feel down. I freewrite when I have no one to run to. I freewrite to free my mind and to free troubles, worries, and the unhappiness thoughts that linger from deep inside of me. I freewrite not knowing that I was freewriting. I was using it as a way of simply expressing my thoughts and feelings—as therapy. So what are some of the benefits of freewriting? Are there any downfalls of freewriting? Should teachers encourage their students to freewrite and allow them to freewrite daily? Most importantly, since I will become a Social Studies teacher myself, how can I incorporate freewriting into my classroom activities? These are the questions I am eager to explore. Ultimately, not only will this research help me become more knowledgeable as a person, but it will also certainly help me become a better educator.

11.

When trying to decide what topic to write my I- Search paper on, I took into account two things. First I thought back to what I remember my teachers doing to prompt a writing activity, it usually involved a reading of some sort- whether it be a book, poem, or textbook information. Then I had to think of an idea that I would actually enjoy doing research on and one with which I was somewhat familiar. After these two factors collided, my topic became apparent. I have decided to write my I- Search paper on the use of children’s literature to teach and inspire children to write.

In the course of my research for my paper, I would like to discover how effective using literature can be or has been. I would also like to discover some specific ways literature can be used in the classroom. Personally as a writer I find that I could respond to any piece of literature; however, I want to discover interesting and different ways to inspire my students to write. Finding ways to encourage and inspire my students to write creatively through literature is important to me because literacy is the greatest tool we can equip our students with, and it includes- strongly- writing and reading, hence my paper’s focus.

12.

My I-Search paper I would like to explore the effective ways of teaching writing through the use of picture books. In using picture books students can learn how to use descriptive writing. Students will also be free to develop their own story based on the picture book. If students are placed in a group no one stroy will turn out the same. Again i would like to research the effectiveness of picture book in the writing process.

13.

I would like to do my I-search paper on grading techniques. After reading what the authors of our text say about allowing students freedom in writing and not being too overbearing. Too harsh of grading or the stereotypical red pen can turn student off to even the best teaching practices. I’m curious after the readings if writing should be graded on effort rather than the final result. Should it be graded as the student writer goes through the steps? Should a student be given an A for a good brainstorming session no matter the material outcome? This would be fairer to students with less fluency and wouldn’t hurt the more fluent. You may run into a problem with self-efficacy when a student asks themselves what is the value of writing if you get an A just for trying. Does grammar have the value that has been traditionally placed upon it? Where is the balance of red pen and total creative freedom. I think there are a lot of questions that can be asked and I’m sure that there are many different grading methods. I would like to research different techniques and provide an argument for what I believe to be the most effective and why.