Using the Makebook collaborative authoring system to develop middle school students' extended writing capabilities - teacher perceptions

This case study aimed to determine the impact of using an online collaborative writing program (called Makebook) on teachers' attitudes towards and abilities in developing high school students' sustained writing capabilities. By offering a structured online framework for collaborative writing the system supported a range of pedagogies to develop students extended writing capabilities, including the provision of situated scaffolding, integration of models into the instructional sequence, and the use of multimedia to enhance concept formation and motivation. The technology enabled teachers to construct collaborative learning designs where students were required to not only co-author their compositions but also reflect upon one another's work. Teachers generally found the Makebook program made it easier to provide students with examples and feedback, and simpler for students to make several revisions and provide one another with suggestions. Teachers also indicated that as a result of the program they had significantly increased their confidence in using technology, would be significantly more likely to provide their students with opportunities to make revisions to their writing, and would attempt to provide students with more feedback about their writing in future.