Soaring With the Written Word: Teacher Candidates Use Storybird to Teach Writing

• In Event: How Teacher Preparation Is Being Transformed by Digital Technologies at an Urban Comprehensive College

Abstract

Objectives
Technologies provide educational institutions with new instructional possibilities and have changed the traditional boundaries and limitations of teaching and learning (Hewitt, 2005). Web 2.0 tools are examples of these new technologies that allow students and teachers to interact and collaborate with each other in a social media dialogue as creators of user-generated content in a virtual community (Bower, Hedberg, & Kuswara, 2013). The goal of this research was to identify and discuss the effectiveness of using Storybird, a Web 2.0 tool, in a graduate-level early childhood education method course.

Conceptual Framework
Many K-12 schools embraced the use of technology more widely than many colleges and universities, which raises the question of how teacher training programs can better prepare their candidates to integrate technology in K-12 classrooms? (Lanahan, 2002). Writing is a process of using language, our most powerful cultural tool (Vygotsky, 1978), to mediate our thinking and actions. This investigation examined how teacher candidates used a Web 2.0 application to make writing development more engaging to students.

Methods
In a graduate-level early literacy method course in a teacher preparation program located in the northeastern part of the United States, 36 teacher candidates (respectively from two semesters) were introduced to Storybird. Teacher candidates were required to use Storybird when they worked with their students during field experiences hours. These were the central research questions: 1. How will Storybird affect teacher candidates’ interests and engagement in the course? 2. What are teacher candidates’ opinions about using Storybird in their learning process in this course? 3. What are teacher candidates’ opinions about using Storybird in their teaching?

Data Sources
Teacher candidates were required to write a 3-4 pages of reflection paper on using Storybird in their learning as well as in their practice teaching. Teacher candidates were also invited to a focus group discussion after the course ended. For the first semester, a group of 6 out of 17 students participated in the focus group discussion; and for the second semester, a group of 7 out of 19 students participated in the focus group discussion.

Results
As the data revealed, teacher candidates stated that Storybird greatly improved their interests and engagement in the course. They also found that StoryBird was a useful tool for teaching writing because the application could be used for a more complete writing process from peer collaboration to editing and final publishing. In addition, teacher candidates identified students as young as Pre-K could benefit from this web-based application because Storybird greatly encouraged students to write individually as well as collaboratively.

Implications
The paper concludes with implications that digital technologies such as StoryBird not only contribute to pre-service teachers’ learning experiences and the content knowledge, but also enriched PK-12 classroom practices, which increases the likelihood of students meeting the technological demands of their future personal and professional lives.

Author

• Jing Zhang, Buffalo State College - SUNY