The August 5th edition of Education Week highlights the impact of technology on the development of student writing. The research presented in the article Digital Education: Teachers Say Tech Helps Student Writing, But Encourages Shortcuts indicates that the majority of teachers feel that technology encourages students to share their writing, leads to greater degrees of collaboration, and increases creativity and personal expression. In summary, the use of technology and the internet has clearly led to an increase in student writing, editing and publication. However, teachers did raise concerns that digital tools increase the likelihood of students taking shortcuts and making careless errors, such as poor spelling and incorrect grammar usage.
According to the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project, the general conclusion is that technology does ultimately contribute to improved student writing, though there are several concerns that need to be carefully addressed by teachers to ensure the quality of student writing is maintained.
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