Integration of an iPod Touch into the Editing Process

Abstract

This thesis was designed to explore my growing curiosity about how and why students edit their work and if technology can improve those editing skills. I conducted a case study into a group of six sixth graders. I interviewed the case study students to find out about their perceptions of editing and looked for insight into how they edited. After the initial interview I taught my students how to use an iPod Touch during a peer editing conference. I then observed my students for an hour for six weeks during their writers workshop . I studied to see how their interactions and feelings changed based on the implementation of the iPod Touch. Once the six weeks were finished I again interviewed each of the students to see if their perceptions of editing had changed. I found that originally the students in my particular classroom understood why and how to edit, but many factors stopped them from editing their work. By the end of the study the students found the iPod Touch to be a useful tool to support their editing process.