SURVEYING COLLEGE STUDENTS:“TECHNOLOGY FOR COLLEGE WRITING COURSES”

Scott Stankey

ANOKA-RAMSEY COMMUNITY COLLEGECoon Rapids & Cambridge, Minnesota

Origins of My ProjectCI 5330: Teaching Digital Writing / Fall 2008“Do my students already know what I’m

currently learning in this class?”Using SurveyMonkey, I created a 10-

question informal survey.I chose 3 colleagues (potentially 8 sections)

who sent the survey link to their students via email.

Students were encouraged, but not required, to respond.

The Writing Courses I Teach English 1121: College Writing and Critical

Reading (4 cr) Required course for everyone. “Provides extended practice in critical reading,

writing, and thinking.” Includes an “argumentative research paper.”

English 0950: Elements of College Writing (4 cr) Required only if students do not place into

1121. “Offers intensive work with writing, revising,

and editing essays.”

Question #1: What kinds of "equipment" do you currently own and use? Please read the choices carefully and check all that apply. (86 responses)

Response % #Desktop computer (PC) with "high-speed" internet at home

60.5% 52

Desktop computer (Mac) with "high-speed" internet at home

12.8% 11

Desktop computer (PC) with "dial-up" internet at home

4.7% 4

Desktop computer (Mac) with "dial-up" internet at home

1.2% 1

Question #1: What kinds of "equipment" do you currently own and use? Please read the choices carefully and check all that apply. (86 responses)

Response % #Laptop computer (PC) with "wireless" internet

50.0% 43

Laptop computer (Mac) with "wireless" internet

18.6% 16

Laptop computer (PC) without wireless internet

7.0% 6

Laptop computer (Mac) without wireless internet

0.0% 0

Question #1: What kinds of "equipment" do you currently own and use? Please read the choices carefully and check all that apply. (86 responses)

Response % #MP3 player, such as an iPod or Zune

59.3% 51

Cell phone with both still image and video image capabilities

58.1% 50

Cell phone with still image capability

23.3% 20

Cell phone 23.3% 20

Question #1: What kinds of "equipment" do you currently own and use? Please read the choices carefully and check all that apply. (86 responses)

“Other” (2 responses):

• Multiple Servers for learning and commercial purposes

• PDA

Question #2: Do you currently belong to at least one "social networking" site such as MySpace or FaceBook?

86 answered question

0 skipped question

Yes85%

No15%

Question #3: Have you ever prepared a presentation – either for a class or for another purpose – using a presentation software such as PowerPoint (PC), KeyNote (Mac), or SlideRocket (web)?

85 answered question

1 skipped question

Yes85%

No15%

Question #4: Have you ever engaged in collaborative writing – for a class you've taken or for other purposes – using a "wiki" or Google Docs or Google Presentations?

86 answered question

0 skipped question

Other (1):

“Weekly assignments to contribute to a class website/blog”

Yes31%

No58%

I Don't Know9%

Other1%

Question #5: Do you currently write and maintain a "blog" – either on a social networking site or on a site like Blogger?

86 answered question

0 skipped question

Other (4):

“Not consistent; don’t maintain it; did previously; used to”

Yes13%

No83%

Other5%

Question #6: Have you ever used a "photo-sharing" site such as Flickr, iPhoto, Google Images, or Yahoo Images?

86 answered question

0 skipped question

Other (2):

PhotoBucket

Yes55%

No42%

I Don't Know1%

Other2%

Question #7: Have you ever done any work with "podcasting" or "editing audio" using software such as Audacity (PC) or GarageBand (Mac)?

86 answered question

0 skipped question

Yes19%

No81%

Question #8: Have you ever done any work with film or "video editing" using a software such as iMovie (Mac) or MovieMaker (PC)?

85 answered question

1 skipped question

Yes40%

No59%

I Don't Know1%

Question #9: Have you ever "subscribed" (using "RSS Feeds") to podcasts, newscasts, websites, or other things using an "aggregator" such as iTunes, Google Reader, or Bloglines?

86 answered question

0 skipped question

Yes43%

No49%

I Don't Know8%

Question #10: What kinds of technologies associated with research and writing do you think will be most useful to you in the future – for academic, career, and/or personal purposes? Please read all the choices carefully and check all that apply. (83 responses)

Response % #Using a presentation application such as PowerPoint, KeyNote, SlideRocket, or VoiceThread

85.5% 71

Creating an electronic portfolio of your work

47.0% 39

Using a photosharing site such as Flickr, iPhoto, Google Images, or Yahoo Images

34.9% 29

Question #10: What kinds of technologies associated with research and writing do you think will be most useful to you in the future -- for academic, career, and/or personal purposes? Please read all the choices carefully and check all that apply. (83 responses)

Response % #Participating in a social networking site

31.3% 26

Collaborating with others using a wiki, Google Docs, or Google Presentations

28.9% 24

Using a video editor such as iMovie or MovieMaker to create videos and film

28.9% 24

Question #10: What kinds of technologies associated with research and writing do you think will be most useful to you in the future -- for academic, career, and/or personal purposes? Please read all the choices carefully and check all that apply. (83 responses)

Response % #Doing research by subscribing to "RSS Feeds" using an aggregator such as Google Reader or iTunes

22.9% 19

Writing and maintaining a blog

18.1% 15

Using "mapping" or organizational applications such as Inspiration or Bubbl.us

18.1% 15

Using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), such as Skype or Gizmo, to conduct and record interviews

18.1% 15

Question #10: What kinds of technologies associated with research and writing do you think will be most useful to you in the future -- for academic, career, and/or personal purposes? Please read all the choices carefully and check all that apply. (83 responses)

Response % #Using an audio editor such as Audacity or GarageBand to create podcasts

14.5% 12

Using a cell phone to create a podcast

9.6% 8

Contributing to a wiki

8.4% 7

Question #10: What kinds of technologies associated with research and writing do you think will be most useful to you in the future -- for academic, career, and/or personal purposes? Please read all the choices carefully and check all that apply. (83 responses)

“Other” (N=3, 3.6%)• “I don’t know; whatever I am told to

use or do ... I figure it out and do it!”• “I don't know how to use any of these

technologies, to even think of how they could help me in the future.”

• “Using smart board technologies in the classroom.”

“A Study in Contrasts”

1. Wikis2. Mapping / Organization

Apps.3. Collaborative Writing4. Presentation Apps.5. Electronic Portfolios6. Research / RSS Feeds7. Blogging

1. Presentation Apps.

2. Electronic Portfolios

3. Photosharing Sites

4. Social Networking

5. Collaborative Writing

6. Video Editing7. Research / RSS

Feeds

My Ranking Students’ Ranking

“A Study in Contrasts”

8. Photosharing Sites9. Social Networking10. Video Editing11. Audio Editing12. Voice-over

Internet Protocol13. Cell Phone

Podcasting

8. Blogging9. Mapping /

Organization Apps.

10. Voice-over Internet Protocol

11. Audio Editing12. Cell Phone

Podcasting13. Wikis

My Ranking Students’ Ranking

“The Top Four”#1 – “Presentation Applications” – e.g.,• PowerPoint• KeyNote• SlideRocket• SlideShare• SlideBoom• VoiceThread• Google Presentations

“The Top Four”#2 – “Electronic Portfolios” – e.g.,• Blogs (individual)• Wikis (individual or class)• eFolio Minnesota (for MNSCU

students and faculty)

“The Top Four”#3 – “Collaborative Writing” – e.g.,• Google Docs• for pairs of students working on essays and presentations

• for peer reviews• Wikis• for posting information and documents about essays in progress

• for creating knowledge as a group

“The Top Four”#4 – Doing Research with RSS Feeds”

– e.g.,• Google Reader• iTunes• Bloglines

“Necessary to Support the Top Four”

#5 – “Photosharing Sites” – e.g.,• Flickr• iPhoto• Google Images• Yahoo Images• PhotoBucket

#6 – “Mapping / Organization Applications” – e.g.,• Bubbl.us

Contact Mescott.stankey@anokaramsey.edustan0219@umn.edu