Emergent Themes and Connections to Research Question/Sub Questions Throughout my research the three emergent themes regarding wiki

application in the classroom were motivation/engagement, increase of knowledge/application of skills, and collaboration/communication. From these reoccurring themes I developed my essential research question, What happens when I use web-based applications wiki in a !i!th-grade classroom to teach various language arts concepts"# $y sub questions that !ollowed this overall inquiry and three emergent themes were% &. 'oes this motivate students increase engagement" (. What is the time immersed in school and out o! school" ). Is this meaning!ul learning to students" *+tudent viewed bene!its, -. 'o students make personal connections to the real world" *.ased upon the technology I teach them using the wiki, Research and Findings I. otivation/Engagement

/an, 0o, 1 2hung *(334, suggest that providing students with a social environment allows them to draw ideas, interact, and challenge one another5s work. The key is that students are able to view other classmate5s ideas and work on a web-based plat!orm, continuously changing and improving their work both re!lectively and critically over time. The study /an et al. *(334, conducted supports that web-based environments e!!ectively aid a student5s social interaction, motivation, and overall writing and re!lection. When conducting my research regarding motivation and engagement I !ound similar results to the /an et al *(334, article. $y results were based on student surveys, pictures o! students working in base groups, wiki pro6ects *student work e7amples,, observations and my notes. +tudents were observed right !rom the start interested in working on the classroom wiki, using the tools, and viewing one another5s work. There were numerous times in my notes that students actually commented about how the wiki was a !un educational tool that made learning !un8 +tudent survey comments validated my notes and observations regarding motivation towards learning more about the wiki and the !igurative language tasks I had challenged them with. The !ollowing quotes were taken !rom student surveys number one through three, !ollowed by overall parent comments taken !rom survey !our. Surve! "#$ Results I think the purpose o! our classroom wiki is to learn but to have !un at the same time. I think this because when we were e7ploring mi7tures and solutions we were listening to videos that were !unny but they also told us a lot about mi7tures and solutions.#

 It is pretty !un but it is still a help!ul tool to all o! us in the class to get good grades and make us get !urther in li!e like in college.# I think these games are !un and some o! them are challenging. I played harder games it helped me learn.# The purpose o! our classroom wiki is to keep organi9ed. I think that because it tells us what to do without the teachers telling us.# %arent comments $y child en6oyed viewing other students videos and other work.# :s parents we thought it was a !un way to e7pose the students to this in!ormation sharing tool. It was great they go to be active participants in the process.# +he en6oyed it enough that she wanted to sign up !or their !ree program *;o:nimate,.# $y child loves the wiki and I don5t mind her on it.# $y child was very e7cited to show me his ;o:nimate# video he made it class. <e things the wiki website is neat and I think it5s a great way to share in!ormation with students.# I think it5s an e7cellent resource= these are technology-based kids and anything that can make learning interactive !or them is positive.#

>e7t, Woo, Wah, and ?i *(3&), state wikis have been shown to be viable means o! accessing a wide audience, which has been !ound to enhance the motivation o! primary school students !or writing# *p. (@3,. The writing task !or young students is daunting and results in students rushing through writing pieces and not e7cepting meaning!ul critique. These sel!- regulation constraints when it comes to writing and other school tasks leads students to not critically think, re!lect, or learn !or meaning. It becomes a must do# process where younger students have trouble retaining the content altogether. In their study, e7citement was gained when students became !amiliar with the communicative !unction o! a wiki plat!orm and the bene!its o! an open !orum *higher rate o! communication between their peersABC2ITB$B>T,. This particular article encouraged me as a researcher and teacher to pay closer attention to when students were being asked to either blog or write independently and or in base groups to see i! the rushing# and must do# components o! writing were upli!ted. Interestingly enough, students responded e7tremely well *motivated e7cited, to the blogging !eature on their classroom wiki and could not wait to read other classmates blogs responses. The must do# component was not observed and I as the researcher !ound that students slowed down, checked their work and even went back to make corrections i! need be *student-to-student collaboration or suggest to correct was observed,. :n e7ample o! a base group blog is !eatured in !igure @. In !igure @ the poem The Doad >ot Taken# by Dobert Frost was presented to students in base groups *groups o! three, and the challenge was to analy9e and interpret what Dobert Frost meant by a walk in the woods# as

well as what types o! !igurative language were used throughout the poem. +tudents were asked to collaborate, record their thoughts in their writer5s notebook, communicate their !indings to the rest o! the group, come to a consensus, and be!ore blogging support their team5s reasoning with evidence taken !rom the te7t poem. Bven though this particular task *observed noted, seemed daunting to students at !irst, all groups came together, loved the challenge, and en6oyed listening and coming to a consensus with their base group. +tudents did remark that this task o! analy9ing !amous poetry although di!!icult at !irst encouraged them to view words poetry critically and look !urther into the meaning behind the sentences. They also stated that it would be very di!!icult i! they had to do it themselves and that they liked working in base groups because it bene!ited the quality meaning o! their !inal analysis blog response. Blogging examples by participant on classroom wiki Figure 8 (additional student blogging responses can be found under Figure 8 of each of the five participants A Closer Look tab)

$y observations and notes also re!lected ?an, <ung and <su *(3&&, !indingsE blogging could improve student5s writing attitudes in terms o! motivation# *p.&-@,. Fverall, web-based environments can provide learners the opportunity to be creative, !ind learning !un and meaning!ul resulting in more con!idence to analy9e, collaborate and e7cept critique !rom others. ?an et al. suggest that web-based learning environments with high richness media could reduce an7iety *the overload o! the writing process,, provide en6oyment and motivation as students view rich media environments as authentic environments because they have a real audience# viewing their published work. Fverall, student attitudes and con!idence towards blogging and analy9ing literature poetry increased over my research period. For e7ample, during one o! my student interviews a student responded, I! we think something is !un we do it more and that could drill a concept in our heads# G in response to wiki meaning towards learning. :nother student interview comment was, I liked working in base groups !or poetry analysis because we can bounce ideas and because we can work at our own pace.# This idea o! a !un# environment is also discussed in ?an, <ung and <su *(3&&, article where they suggested blogging could improve student5s writing attitudes in terms o! motivation# *p.&-@,. Fverall, web-based environments can provide learners the opportunity to be creative, !ind learning !un and meaning!ul resulting in more con!idence to analy9e, collaborate and e7cept critique !rom

others. ?an et al. suggest that web-based learning environments with high richness media could reduce an7iety *the overload o! the writing process,, provide en6oyment and motivation as students view rich media environments as authentic environments because they have a real audience# viewing their published work. The overall vocabulary, use o! !igurative language, e!!ort, and student communication put in by all participants was ama9ing to view. <ere are a !ew photos taken o! students in small base groups while analy9ing poetry literature.

+tudents also !ound true educational meaning behind their classroom wiki. For the most part my data results taken !rom student survey three regarding using talking about the wiki at home was split.

Interestingly enough, the students that responded no# to logging on at home talking about their classroom wiki with a parent responded to me personally that they were waiting until the wiki reveal day#. :s the research and classroom teacher I almost !orgot that I did tell my participants early on that their parents would be invited in late $ay to view their wiki process student work. In the end, this may be the reason why some students did not share their wiki with a parent. Those students that did share responded on survey three with% I have logged on at home. I used the wiki to view the poetry pro6ect and to show my mom go animate !ilms. It was !un.#

 The wiki is !un, inspirational, and help!ul.# I have logged in at home and tried the !igurative language games, my sisters also tried.# I think its awesome and I think we should do another go animate thing. I liked sharing my work.# I would go on at home and look at the study tools.# I have shown both o! my parents the wiki website and my overall thoughts on the website is that it is a !un, use!ul, in!ormational study website.# $y mom said it is a good way to share in!ormation.# I love the classroom wiki. I viewed my classmates wild sel!5s.# ?ast, <art *(33@, suggests that computers address di!!erent learning styles and abilities o! the emergent students. .logs promoted discussion and technology eliminated the recopying penalty. This idea o! multimodal tools environment o! technology seemed to stimulate literacy learning# *p. &HI,. I !ound this to be true as well as participants worked on the various !igurative language writing assignments *Figure I, and games linked on our classroom wiki. In survey two students were asked to rate each !igurative language game 3-4 *3Adid not like 4Areally en6oyed bene!ited !rom,. The results were averaged and the overall result was that students viewed these games as learning tools that helped them learn and practice !igurative language. Figurative &anguage 'ames Student Rating Results *Taken !rom +urvey Two,

(() (ncrease in knowledge/ application of skills concepts ?isenbee *(33H, takes a constructivist theory approach stating that by embedding appropriate technological tools in the curriculum we as teachers e7tend children5s interaction, e7ploration, and perspective. Technology beckons young children and teachers who make use o! this power!ul educational tool will !ind that their students develop a sense o! independence and a deeper sense o! classroom community. 2hildren must have their FW> role when it comes to building their own understanding and e7periences. Technology !osters e7ploration and authentic learning which promotes students to re!ine their own thinking processes. 2lassroom teachers that o!!er students a variety o! technological e7periences understand the true essence o! di!!erentiation.

F!!ering my students the opportunity to work with the classroom wiki has resulted in !urther e7ploration o! technology and or literacy concepts !or some o! my students. For e7ample, one student is working on creating her own literacy interactive game through Java and another students have stated that they are continuously checking out# their classmates5 writing work and revising or adding to their personal page. These !ew e7amples o! student initiated e7tensions are e7actly what I yearned to hear view during my research study. To validate student knowledge o! !igurative language I conducted a pre and posttest, as well as, a !ollow up +tudy Island :ssessment. Klease note% +tudy Island was purchased through West 2hester +chool

'istrict and made available to classroom teachers and their students both at school and at home. It is an academic so!tware provider o! standards-based assessment, instruction, and test preparation.
%re and %ost Figurative &anguage *ssessments Figure "

Both pre and post assess ents !ere broken into t!o sections" #he first section !as identification of figurative language and the second section !as application of figurative language !here students !ere asked to develop their o!n sentences using specific t$pes of figurative language" Figure % indicates that all classroo participants increased their kno!ledge of figurative language and the application of this skill in !riting" As for the &tud$ 'sland follo! up assess ent the follo!ing five participants validated for the selves their kno!ledge of figurative language" Study Island Figurative Language Results (specific to ( participants)

Mike-->90%=10 questions Sarah --> 100% = 20 questions Kira--> 100% =10 questions Anthony--> 100%= 10 questions Amber --> 90% = 10 problems
It is important to note that technology is not going away and students currently already are e7posed to te7ting, cell phones, and touch screens. Wikis allow students to work at their own pace, be creative, and develop and share their

learning with teachers, students, and !amily members. The idea o! a classroom assignment or pro6ect now e7tends !rom the conventional classroom where a teacher 6ust grades an assignment and gives it back to the student. The !ollowing student wiki pro6ects and student writer5s notebook responses blogging responses provide more application o! !igurative language support to my study.

Application of skills) online figurative language poster (personal tool) * bedded on student !iki Figure +

+tudent Wiki poetry analysis G base group responses to teacher initiated prompt Figure @ *student response !irst teacher prompt second,

+riters ,otebook/Student +ork E-amples from +iki/.logging *Figures -,4,I,L, @ o! each o! the !ive participants data sheets,

Figures /0 is one e7ample o! how students applied their knowledge o! !igurative language to construct responses to various poems *analysis o! !amous poems,. This particular e7ample showcases one base group using te7t evidence to support their reasoning as well as base group discussion notes be!ore blogging their !inal response. Kroviding students the opportunity to share and view other student work led to a rich authentic learning e7perience. For e7ample, students loved sharing Figure I% their !inali9ed Figurative ?anguage Wiki Koster, their ;o:nimate !igurative language !ilm and their magnetic poetry- http% magneticpoetry.com. :ll e7amples have been embedded onto each student classroom wiki page.

Msing a wiki as a vehicle to aid in student learning was apparent. Karticipants throughout the study were observed looking back in their writer5s notebook and or

the classroom wiki to veri!y !igurative language be!ore handing in wiki pro6ect tasks. Wikis epitomi9e the potential !or new technologies to create an environment in which learning is a collaborative 6ourney# *+anden 1 'arragh, (3&& p.&@,. Bducators need to stop worrying about enlarging the current curriculum and instead e7pand their e!!orts to provide thought!ul integration o! literacy with new technologies. :ddressing the (& st century Web (.3 generation and broadening a more meaning!ul view when it comes to reading and writing is critical at this point o! time. +imilar to Woo et al. *(3&), Ki!arre and Fisher *(3&&, state that wikis can enlarge young writers5 e7perience o! the process o! composition and revision both through their own e!!orts and by observing the process in others# *p. -4&,. Ki!arre and Fisher *(3&&, e7amined H-&3 year-old-students and the potential wikis have to support teachers and students in the writing process. Karticipates in their study were able to view published pages, re!lect, negotiate, and brainstorm ideas both !ace-to-!ace and through blogging. :nother advantage reported o! wikis, with regard to the development o! the writing process, particularly revision strategies, is that as students work towards the !inal document, all intermediate copies are retained# *p-4-,. The preservation o! writing allows teachers and students to perceive writing as a process-orientated activity. There!ore, in the wiki pro6ect, students were involved in a peer-review process which educational literature has highlighted as power!ul in the development o! students5 critical re!lection about what they have written and why# *p.-I(,. ?eading a small-scale study on wikis mysel!, with ten and eleven-year-old participants, I agree that this social so!tware presents a positive pathway allowing students to actively participate in a shared space that supports the development o! composition and revision strategies. The essence o! the Woo et al. *(3&), article is that wiki participants become publishers rather than merely consumers o! in!ormation# *p.-4),. This concept o! students being publishers is key and a research outcome that I !eel I have reached and observed through my research time!rame as well. In conclusion, the !ollowing student survey comments !rom surveys one through three validate how students view their classroom wiki as an educational learning tool. I think games are !un ways to study !igurative language. These games do help me remember the things we learned.# It is a great tool these games, it helped me on the !igurative language test.# The wiki helps us learn new skills by watching videos and playing games.# Fur classroom wiki lets us e7plore di!!erent kinds o! things and learn new things. :lso to show our writing and so other people can get an idea.#

((() Collaboration/Communication Woo, Wah, 1 ?i *(3&), !ound that wikis could support students during the

collaborative writing process as well as in!luence the re!lection and peer-!eedback steps. Web (.3 tools have shown promise as plat!orms !or !acilitating collaborative language learning in general and writing in particular# *Woo et al. (3&), p. (@3,. >ew (&st century technologies are increasingly impacting learning and teaching resulting in a strong emphasis to integrate them into the e7isting evolving curriculum. Fverall, Woo et al. *(3&), suggest that the quality o! student writing improved because o! their dedication and motivation during the revision process on the wiki plat!orm. $ills and 2handra *(3&&, discuss as well how technology promotes meaning!ul discussion and learning. Through technology and plat!orms such as a wiki teachers can build a community o! learners who collaborate and learn !rom one another. Web (.3 plat!orms help students critically analy9e and view authentic peer work allowing students to rethink and revise their initial thoughts, resulting in a more critical and meaning!ul thought process and product. The photos *as shown in Kart I, that I took visually capture participants working in base group collaboratively working towards analy9ing poetry and blogging. :ll base groups were impressive as they reread the poems out loud, wrote initial thoughts down in their writer5s notebook, communicated thoughts and ideas, coming to a consensus, and writing a thought!ul !inal blog response !inal analysis. :llsop *(3&&, also suggested that !eedback and sharing became easily assessable through a wiki plat!orm. This I !ound true with my study as participants could access !eedback and other student work easily through the wiki plat!orm. The !act that students did not have to work under the authority o! an adult *at all times, gave students the !reedom to collaborate and better e7plore and communicate their work to peers. Figures - and 4 present how students applied their knowledge o! !igurative language to construct responses to various poems *analysis o! !amous poems,. These e7amples showcase students using te7t evidence to support their reasoning as well as base group discussion notes be!ore blogging !inal responses. $y observations led me to note that students constantly were showing and viewing other student work *presented on classroom wiki,, providing !eedback, resulting in students being positively rein!orced. They were also !orced to problem solve on their own at times or with one another when they !ound me busy assisting other students on their classroom wiki page. +tudents towards the end o! my study were observed not ever needing my assistance at all, as they would seek classmates when needed. Figure @, shown on each o! the !ive participants data sheets represent the result o! working in base groups regarding analysis o! poetry. These e7amples are !orms o! !ormative assessment as the summative assessment will be their !inal poetry pro6ect analysis, which is currently being worked on by students and due $ay (nd. +tudents have commented to me that through modeled and group practice *poetry analysis, they !ind analy9ing their chosen# poem on their own easier then they originally thought. They like that they can go back onto the wiki and view my e7amples and suggestions as they analysis their poem. Figure @ also supports students critically thinking, analy9ing literature poetry in a meaning!ul way and

showcases higher level skills such as using te7t details and vocabulary within that particular poem to support analy9e and construct a meaning!ul response to the poems overall theme symbolism. $y continued research led me to 'avidson *(3&(, who also believes that wikis could increase communication and collaboration. The study !ocused on how students in base groups worked and communicated with one another using a wiki plat!orm. +imilar to my research study 'avidson *(3&(, !ound that even though paper-and Gpencil group pro6ects work well a wiki plat!orm provides groups an interactive way to come together and have equal partnership over their work. The traditional paper-and-pencil group pro6ects un!ortunately have a negative connotation, which a wiki plat!orm eliminates. The idea o! is all group members# pulling their weight can be easily monitored by the teacher to ensure grading re!lects individual contribution. Fverall, 'avidson *(3&(, !ound that the wiki plat!orm promotes a balance between shy and dominant students regarding communication and collaboration and suggests that wikis be !urther implanted into the academic system. This held true to when students in my research study created ;o :nimate !ilms with !igurative language. :s students were highly motivated during the construction o! this wiki pro6ect students also were e7tremely interested to view one another5s work. : wiki plat!orm made sharing in school and out o! school much easier as discussed in .ogard and $c$ackin5s article because students were able to share and embed their !ilms right onto their personal wiki pages. The concept o! authentic learning and sharing does not get more real then that. :uthentic learning is supported through the !ollowing two student comments recorded during two separate interviews that I believe encompasses my overall research wonderings and validates meaning!ul learning and engagement are% The classroom wiki is a place to share what we have learned with each other through pro6ects. I think this because we are going to share pro6ects like our !igurative langue animation and our historical person pro6ects *those two pro6ects have not been done yet, but you said we will eventually do them,# I could see our wiki helping us in the !uture because we have lots o! resources to study !rom and it is available !or us to go back and use even when we are in Ith grade. Fverall, the data I collected throughout my research pro6ect supports my overall inquiry o!, What happens when I use web-based applications wiki in a !i!th-grade classroom to teach various language arts concepts"# The three reoccurring themes o! motivation, meaning!ul application, and collaboration were evident throughout my research and can be validated in the !orm o! data charts, graphs, my observations, and survey interview results. This was a !antastic 6ourney !or me as I look !orward to utili9e the classroom wiki each year.