Learning Management Systems (LSM) have been adopted to provide interaction between instructors and students in online learning courses. In these environments, large volumes of messages are exchanged, making it difficult for the participants to follow all the discussions. When messages are ignored, students' opportunities to effectively construct…

Aim/Purpose: In this study, the authors examine how an online word processing tool can be used to encourage participation among students of different language backgrounds, including English Language Learners. To be exact, the paper discusses whether student participation in anonymous collaborative writing via Google Docs can lead to more…

Online teaching and learning became popular with the evolution of the World Wide Web now days. Implementing online learning tools within EFL contexts will help better address the multitude of teaching and learning styles. Difficulty in academic writing can be considered one of the common problems that students face in and outside their classrooms.…

With the current expansion of digital tools, the media used for narration is changing, challenging traditional literacies in educational settings. The present study explores what kind of activities emerge when six-year-old children in a preschool class write a digital story, using a word processor and speech-synthesised feedback computer software.…

This article reports on a study designed to explore whether and in what ways individual students' technological literacies might impact collaborative teams. For the collaborative team discussed in this article, technological literacy--specifically, limited repertoires for solving technical problems, clashes between document management strategies,…

This study investigates Web-based, project oriented, many-to-many collaborative writing for academic purposes. Thirty-eight Fulbright scholars in an orientation program at a large Midwestern university used a Web-based word processing tool to collaboratively plan and report on a research project. The purpose of this study is to explore and…

Assessment of 20 students who learned word processing through cooperative learning and 20 who used an individual learning method found that cooperative learning students learned faster, needed less teacher assistance, and earned higher scores. Most felt positive about the experience. (SK)

Studies with 8 children in the United Kingdom and 30 in Finland show that verbal interactions of children doing collaborative writing with a computer are highly task-related and characterized by exchange of information, questioning, judging, organizing, and composing. Exploratory and argumentational use of language was found to be low. (SLD)

Describes how using conferencing software in a computer-assisted writing environment became a catalyst for a distinctive learning ecology that interrelated prosocial student behaviors, learner-centered teaching, and assessment. Argues that the conferencing class not only helped students apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills in…

Examined effects of combining cross-age tutoring, peer tutoring, cooperative learning, and computer-mediated writing in a peer-assisted learning package on writing skills of second through sixth graders with learning disabilities. Found that the treatment group enjoyed working with partners, asked each other for help, had friendships extending…

Draft and revised computer-written narratives were produced by 34 fourth graders in individual writing and revising, individual writing and revising with a peer, or paired writing and revising conditions. Results show that children, especially when working with a peer, can carry out revisions even without explicit training. (SLD)

This study sought to examine the group dynamics of children working and learning collaboratively on a computer-based instructional writing task. Standard 3 and 4 children at two urban primary schools in the Dunedin area of New Zealand were assigned the task of producing illustrated interactive stories using the "Twist-a-plot" program.…

A University of Pretoria (South Africa) study investigated the instructional effectiveness of and participant attitudes toward cooperative learning in a computer-assisted instructional setting (a word-processing course for teachers) which also stressed cultural diversity and ethnic relations. Subjects were 10 individuals and 8 groups (with a total…

This study investigated the verbal interactions of fifth grade students within groups when using simulation and word processing software. Students were grouped according to ability, and conversations were analyzed, which found the largest proportion of student talk was cognitively oriented, predominantly in directing and reporting language; group…

Eleven learning-handicapped students, ages 8-13, generated text at microcomputers both alone and as members of dyads. Examination of mechanical errors revealed a lower error rate in the dyad condition compared to working alone. The relationship between error monitoring and the social interaction needed for collaboration is discussed. (Author/JDD)