Awesome Academic Writing Empowered by Social Online Mediated Environments

1
AwesomeAcademic Writing Empowered by Social
Online Mediated Environments

• Aisha Walker,
• Rebecca ORourke,
• Vania Dimitrova,
• Melissa Highton

2
How we see the issues

• Although there is much talk these days about
  'digital immigrants' and 'digital natives'
  (Prensky 2001) we believe that there are no
  native speakers of 'academic writing' inside or
  outside digital environments.
• Our interest is in identifying what aspects of
  web 2.0 technologies can best support and
  facilitate the development of academic
  literacies.
• We understand 'academic writing' to be a
  specialist language - to involve specific
  discourses, grammars, vocabularies, genres, texts
  and social practices - which has no native
  speakers.
• We recognise that technology can be both a
  barrier and a bridge.

3
What we plan to do

• Map the use of blogs and wikis by staff and
  students against the forms of academic writing
  required.
• Identify the kinds of writing tasks best suited
  to these web 2.0 environments.
• Understand barriers, incentives and bridges
  experienced by staff and students.
• Develop and test appropriate tools and models for
  academic writing in social mediated environments.

4
Outcomes

• Raised profile for web 2.0 tools in the context
  of academic writing.
• Models for web 2.0 pedagogy in this context.
• Guidance for academic staff staff development
  materials.
• Dissemination through research and practice
  networks
• Writing development
• Academic literacy
• Staff development
• Computer science
• Learning technology

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Possible partners

• Researchers and practitioners working in the
  fields of academic writing skills development.
• Researchers and practitioners working in the
  fields of web 2.0 -particularly blogging,
  collaborative writing and staff development.
• Contact Rebecca ORourke
• r.k.orourke_at_leeds.ac.uk