ED458043 PS029910

 

Title:The Synthesis of Writing Workshop and Hypermedia-Authoring: Grades 1-4.
Author(s): Mott, Michael Seth; Klomes, Jeannine M.
Source: Early Childhood Research & Practice, v3 n2 Fall 2001 Pages: 12
Publication Date: 2001
Notes: For full journal issue, see PS 029 906.
Available from: EDRS Price MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.
Availability: For full text: http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v3n2/index.html.
Language: English
Document Type: Journal articles (080); Reports--Research (143)
Geographic Source: U.S.; Illinois
Journal Announcement: RIEMAR2002

A process writing and hypermedia literacy program was designed, taught, and evaluated by
early childhood teachers. The program, funded through a Goals 2000 grant, took place in a
public school summer camp for children (n=160) ages 6-9 in a public school in rural northeast
Mississippi. Reactive-participant data collection methods were used to enable the teachers
to react to the needs of the children while collecting data on their experiences. Children
experienced an 8-week process writing/hypermedia curriculum that required each learner to
create a "hypermedia story" using HyperStudio 3.0. Process writing consisted of children
engaging in writing using five discrete stages: brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing,
and publishing. Hypermedia-authoring took place through the use of HyperStudio 3.0
hypermedia presentation software that supported text, audio, video, and graphics tools.
Field notes were analyzed using pattern matching and revealed differences and similarities
between the younger (6-7) and older (8-9) children. Younger children preferred to create
linear hypermedia stories (beginning, middle, and end), whereas older children preferred
nonlinear programming. Additionally, younger children were less comfortable drafting on the
computer, choosing instead to use concrete materials (paper, crayons, scissors, watercolors,
and markers). Older children overwhelmingly preferred to draft on the computer in
HyperStudio. In general, all participants exhibited high motivation and intense focus in all
aspects of the program, particularly for their work on the computers. Findings indicate the
need for early childhood educators to evaluate the curriculum, instruction, and assessment
process for writing with hypermedia. (Contains 24 references.) (Author/LLP)

Descriptors: *Childrens Writing; *Computer Uses in Education; Creative Writing; *Hypermedia;
Multimedia Materials; Primary Education; *Process Approach (Writing); *Writing Instruction;
*Writing Workshops
Identifiers: HyperStudio