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**Author:** Kirk Checkwood **Class:** Research Seminar MEDT 8484 **Professor:** Danilo Baylen
 * Title:** Integrating Technology Into the High School Writing Classroom

**Overview**

I have always been interested, as a senior English teacher, in improving student writing and introducing my students to the expectations of any college professor they may encounter – yes, I know this is impossible. During my Masters program I focused on Peer Editing and its influence and effect on student writing. Now – with all this technology jumping into and out of our pockets – I have begun to look more closely at writing and the integration of technology. More specifically: How can I use Blogs or Wikis to enhance student writing?

Keeping advanced students (gifted, Advance Placement, Honors, et cetera) and college bound students in mind: How can I prepare these students to be successful in his or her college composition class (writing analytical, explication, persuasive, et cetera) utilizing technology and web 2.0 applications (wikis, blogger, VoiceThread, Comic Life, Google Applications, et cetera); How can I prepare advanced and college bound students for the technological tidal wave colleges are now surfing?

The researcher’s goal is to go beyond how the students feel about his or her writing and more so towards the “has it improved” his or her writing. More specifically, will social collaboration through Web 2.0 applications improve student innovation, individual style, and creative problem solving or, as argued by Lanier (2010), will social collaboration through Web 2.0 applications lead to a loss of innovation creating a social collective quietly but quickly losing any form of individuality, creativity, and the greater parts that make us human.

Before the researcher can collect data on whether or not student writing has improved through the use of Web 2.0 applications the researcher must determine what Web 2.0 tool they will use, how collaboration through the use of such Web 2.0 tool effects writing, and how students’ comfort level while using the Web 2.0 tool effects writing.