Erica C. Boling

Collaborative Literacy: Blogs and Internet Projects.

Popular technologies offer new and exciting ways to capitalize on the strengths of authentic writing, the power of the writing process, and the engagement of collaborative writing. Blogs are one of those technologies. Blogs are websites that allow individuals to create personal webpages of text, pictures, graphics, videos, and other multimedia with the same ease as creating a word processing document. Unlike traditional websites, however, they provide a space where people can post comments and engage in online conversations. Collaborative Internet projects are another way to use technology in the classroom. Such activities can result in increased motivation and literacy engagement as students read, write, create, and produce for meaningful and authentic purposes.

“Yeah, but I still don't want to deal with it”. Changes in a Teacher Candidate's Conceptions of Inclusion

This study documents one teacher candidates conceptions about the inclusion of children with special needs in the general education classroom and how these conceptions changed over time. The study illustrates which experiences contributed to an individuals evolving understandings and changing attitudes towards inclusion. Throughout a 15‐week literacy methods course, the researcher collected data in the form of observations, interviews, course reflections, and other written assignments. Using grounded theory and constant comparative methods for analyzing data, the researcher discovered how a teacher candidate struggled to understand the purposes and goals of inclusion and was resistant to the idea of teaching students with disabilities. Class readings and course discussions appeared to heighten feelings of frustration and concern; however, making connections between course activities and actual classroom teaching practices and reconsidering the role of the teacher in inclusive classrooms assisted the teacher candidate in forming a commitment to teaching students with disabilities. Findings raise questions and offer possibilities for how to prepare teacher candidates for inclusive classrooms.

Cognitive Apprenticeship in Computer-Mediated Feedback: Creating a Classroom Environment to Increase Feedback and Learning

This qualitative case study of 1 teacher and 10 students in an Advanced Placement English class explores the role of computer-mediated feedback in the creation of a classroom learning environment that was supported through hybrid learning experiences. Data sources included classroom observations, online conversations, interviews with 10 high school students, and informal conversations with a high school English teacher. Both inductive and deductive analyses, framed using a cognitive apprenticeship model, revealed how asynchronous online discussions can support the development of safe and productive communities where students actively engage in subject matter learning. The study reveals how online discussion forums can provide an excellent medium where students observe models of writing, engage in the writing process, and observe, reflect upon, and discover expert strategies in context. This study illustrates how both the quantity and quality of computer-mediated feedback increased over time, resulting in students learning not only from their teacher but from each other.