Using Collaborative Writing Tools for Literary Analysis: Twitter, Fan Fiction and 'The Crucible' in the Secondary English Classroom

National Association for Media Literacy Education. 10 Laurel Hill Drive, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003. Tel: 888-775-2652; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/jmle/

Y

8

Literature; English Instruction; Literacy Education; Collaborative Writing; College Faculty; Secondary School Teachers; High School Students; Electronic Publishing; Essays; Creativity; Social Networks; Rural Schools; Units of Study; Teacher Role; Drama; Teaching Methods; College School Cooperation

2167-8715

This article describes a research group project that included students and faculty affiliated with Indiana University, along with secondary English teachers and administrators at several high schools in Southeast Indiana, as they developed and refined an approach to literacy instruction that embraces an expanded notion of literacy and supports engagement in new media literacy practices while also helping learners to be successful in the English classroom. This paper summarizes one unit that made use of the microblogging tool "Twitter," fan fiction practices, and the crafting of a traditional literary analysis essay. This unit was not about "Twitter," but was about developing creative strategies for working within the constraint of 140 characters per post. The authors believe the early lessons learned in implementing the unit in a rural secondary school in Southeast Indiana are instructive for other researchers and practitioners interested in incorporating new technologies and literacy practices into the classroom.

ERIC

27

2011

EJ1071872