According to teachers, students\u2019 exposure to a broader audience for their work and more feedback from peers encourages greater student investment in what they write and in the writing process as a whole. <\/p>\n\n
At the same time, these teachers give their students modest marks when it comes to writing and highlight some areas needing attention. Asked to assess their students\u2019 performance on nine specific writing skills, teachers tended to rate their students \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cfair\u201d as opposed to \u201cexcellent\u201d or \u201cvery good.\u201d\u00a0 Students received the best ratings on their ability to \u201ceffectively organize and structure writing assignments\u201d and their ability to \u201cunderstand and consider multiple viewpoints on a particular topic or issue.\u201d Teachers gave students the lowest ratings when it comes to \u201cnavigating issues of fair use and copyright in composition\u201d and \u201creading and digesting long or complicated texts.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n
These findings emerge from an online survey conducted by the Pew Research Center\u2019s Internet & American Life Project in collaboration with the College Board and the National Writing Project. It is a non-probability sample of 2,462 middle and high school teachers currently teaching in the U.S. and its territories, conducted between March 7 and April 23, 2012.\u00a0 Some 1,750 of the teachers are drawn from a sample of advanced placement (AP) high school teachers, while the remaining 712 are from a sample of National Writing Project teachers.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n
\u201cThese results challenge in many ways the notion that students\u2019 writing skills are being undermined by their increasing engagement with digital tools and platforms,\u201d notes Kristen Purcell, Associate Director for Research at the Pew Internet Project. \u201cTeachers do have concerns that digital tools are blurring the lines between formal and informal writing and see writing skills that need improvement, but they also see the benefit of students having more people respond to their writing and the increased opportunities for expression these digital tools offer.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n
Half (50%) of these teachers say digital tools make it easier to teach writing, with just 18% saying digital tools make the process more difficult.\u00a0 In particular, teachers value interactive platforms which allow them to work alongside a student on a piece of writing, and allow students to edit and view one anothers\u2019 work.\u00a0 Among this group of teachers:<\/p>\n\n
- \n
- 52% say they or their students use interactive whiteboards in their classes <\/li>\n
- 40% have students share their work on wikis, websites or blogs <\/li>\n
- 36% have students edit or revise their own work and 29% have students edit others\u2019 work using collaborative web-based tools such as GoogleDocs <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
At the same time, teachers expressed concerns about the \u201ccreep\u201d of informal grammar and style into \u201cformal\u201d writing, as well as students\u2019 impatience with the writing process and their difficulty navigating the complex issues of plagiarism, citation and fair use.\u00a0 Specifically:<\/p>\n\n
- \n
- 68% of these teachers say digital tools make students more likely\u2014as opposed to less likely or having no impact\u2014to take shortcuts and not put effort into their writing <\/li>\n
- 46% say these tools make students more likely to \u201cwrite too fast and be careless\u201d <\/li>\n
- Just 8% describe their students as \u201cexcellent\u201d or \u201cvery good\u201d when it comes to navigating issues of fair use and copyright in composition — 30% give their students the lowest rating of \u201cpoor\u201d\u00a0 <\/li>\n
- Just 15% rate students as \u201cexcellent\u201d or \u201cvery good\u201d when it comes to appropriately citing content, with the majority rating students \u201cfair\u201d (37%) or \u201cpoor\u201d (20%) in this area<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
Reflecting these latter concerns, a majority of these teachers spend class time \u201cdiscussing with students the concepts of citation and plagiarism\u201d (88%) and\u00a0 \u201cdiscussing with students the concepts of fair use and copyright\u201d (75%).<\/p>\n\n
While the survey includes teachers of all subjects, English\/Language Arts teachers in the sample consistently express more positive views of the impact of digital tools on student writing and the potential of these tools to help them teach writing. Almost two-thirds (64%) of English\/Language Arts teachers surveyed say digital tools make teaching writing easier, compared with 32% of Math teachers, 38% of Science teachers, and 45% of History\/Social Studies teachers. English teachers are the most likely to use collaborative online platforms with their students, and are more likely than teachers of other subjects to say digital tools increase the likelihood students will revise and edit their work. They are the least likely of all teachers to say digital tools make students careless in their writing or undermine grammatical and spelling skills.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n
\u201cTeachers, writing teachers especially, do not view good writing and the use of digital tools as being at war with each other,\u201d added Judy Buchanan, Deputy Director of the National Writing Project and a co-author of the report.\u00a0 \u201cWhen educators have opportunities to integrate new technologies into teaching and learning, they are the most optimistic about the impact of digital tools on student writing and their value in teaching the art of writing. They gave countless examples of the creative ways they use emerging digital tools to impart writing skills to today\u2019s students.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n
When it comes to writing skills, here is how these teachers rate their students:<\/p>\n\n
\nTeachers most likely to rate students\u2019 specific writing skills as \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cfair\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
![\"Figure](\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/media\/Infographics\/Report-Infographics\/2013\/18---teachers-technology-and-writing\/01-writing-skills-good-fair.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/b>\u00a0 <\/p><\/div>\n\n
About the Pew Research Center\u2019s Internet & American Life Project<\/b> <\/p>\n\n
The Pew Research Center\u2019s Internet & American Life Project is an initiative of the Pew Research Center, a nonprofit \u201cfact tank\u201d that provides information on the issues, attitudes, and trends shaping America and the world. The Pew Internet Project explores the impact of the internet on children, families, communities, the work place, schools, health care and civic\/political life.\u00a0 The Project is nonpartisan and takes no position on policy issues. Support for the Project is provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts. More information is available at www.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n
About the National Writing Project<\/b> <\/b><\/p>\n\n
The National Writing Project (NWP)<\/a> is a nationwide network of educators working together to improve the teaching of writing in the nation’s schools and in other settings. NWP provides high-quality professional development programs to teachers in a variety of disciplines and at all levels, from early childhood through university. Through its nearly 200 university-based sites serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, NWP develops the leadership, programs and research needed for teachers to help students become successful writers and learners. For more information, visit www.nwp.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
Media contacts:<\/b> <\/p>\n\n
Pew Internet<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n
Kristen Purcell: kpurcell@pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet<\/a>, 202-419-4512 (o), 267-566-9241 (c)<\/p>\n\n
Lee Rainie: lrainie@pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet<\/a>, 202-419-4510<\/p>\n\n