Proof-Revising' with Podcasting: Keeping Readers in …litr630.weebly.com/uploads/6/4/7/9/6479633/davis_podcasting.pdf · "Proof-Revising" with Podcasting: Keeping Readers in Mind

"Proof-Revising" with Podcasting: Keeping Readers in Mind as Students Listen to and RethinkTheir WritingAuthor(s): Anne Davis and Ewa McGrailSource: The Reading Teacher, Vol. 62, No. 6 (Mar., 2009), pp. 522-529Published by: International Reading AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20464458 .

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"Proof-Revising" With

Podcasting: Keeping Readers

in Mind as Students Listen

To and Rethink Their Writing

Anne Davis, Ewa McGrail

Proof-revising is a complex literacy task that requires practice with a real audience in an authentic writing

context, and activities such as classroom blogs and podcasts can help.

Picture a class of fifth-grade bloggers who have

just published stories on their individual blogs, based on dynamic photographs taken by a re

tired school teacher who was a frequent commenter

on the student blogs. Students used a great deal of

imagination, had fun composing, and were mak

ing good connections. One element was missing though-proofreading-to turn their writing into clear, well-organized, and engaging stories for their readers. Students insisted they had reviewed their stories; however, their idea of proofreading involved quick glances over the story. The teacher challenged the students to improve their writing for their read

ers through the use of technology for more effective

proofreading and revising. All teachers encourage elementary students to

check their spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Students are also asked to be sure the story flows

and makes sense. Elementary students, however, of

ten lack an understanding of how their writing comes

across to readers. In our project, students were ex

periencing and learning to communicate with a real

audience through blogging. Blogging is a motivator for students to write better, as they have an extend

ed audience with whom to connect (Penrod, 2007).

Teachers in Felix's (2007) recent study on blogging

agreed, "[Students] seem to be more motivated to do their best when they know they are publishing for a

worldwide audience" (p. 157). With this motivating force in place, we proposed

a different approach-using teacher podcasts to as

sist students in proofreading and revision. In our con text, the blogging teacher recorded all the podcasts; however, parents or paraprofessionals could assist.

Proof-Revising as a Complex Literacy For most people, proofreading is associated with "making sentence-level revisions" that include "check ing for errors of grammar, punctuation, spelling, cita tions, word choice and...also finding typographical errors" (Chromik, 2002, p. 1). The underlying assump tion is that if the product requires work, it involves pri

marily fixing mechanical and usage errors. Because proofreading for surface errors alone is unlikely to help student writers to appreciate their audience's needs as readers, we offer a combination of proof

reading and revision in our podcasting approach. We

call this process "proof-revising." A podcast is an audio recording that can be post

ed on a student's blog. The podcasting and blogging

technologies engage two senses, hearing and seeing. In addition, audio and text are merged through the

voice of a reader, rather than that of the student. The

audio recording by the teacher, acting as a reader,

helps students experience firsthand the reader's reac tion to their writing. Such reading shows them where

their writing is not understood and where it is enjoy

able, engaging, and clear for readers. Proof-revising

The Reading Teacher, 62(6), pp. 522-529 ( 2009 International Reading Association

522 DOI:10.1 598/RT.62.6.6 ISSN: 0034-0561 print / 1936-2714 online



./X At t in this way creates for student writers the opportunity to "listen for meaning as a stranger listens," which in

volves attending to "what is actually written, not to what the author intended to say" (Hanna, 1962, p.

482). The goal is to make students willing to rethink

and revise their writing to make it not only clear and

precise but also engaging for readers. Rowe (1998) complained about the challenge of "getting students to revise their writing" (p. 100, emphasis in the origi

nal). We believe that this initial reluctance may be

overcome when student writers themselves come to realize that even though what they have written

may read as clear and engaging to them, it may not

be perceived in the same way by their readers. Our

podcasts of student writing test the communicative effectiveness of their prose for the reader. As Rowe

(1998) put it, "Students need to understand that the good ideas in their heads must be communicated

effectively in order to be understood by their read

ers" (p. 101). How can we help students develop such

understanding? Our answer to this question is to teach students

proof-revising, a process that is both revision and copyediting. While revision calls for rethinking and rewriting their work to produce effective and engag ing writing for readers, copyediting leaves writing free from mechanical and usage errors. As students

step outside themselves and begin to identify with the audience and their needs as readers, they begin

to comprehend the big picture of how their writing

comes across to their blog readers. Students also

learn about the power they have over the written lan

guage to make their writing clear, precise, and engag

ing to their readers (Rowe, 1998). Auditory input plays a critical role. Like text-to

speech software, podcasts help students "to listen to

drafts to improve their logic and fluency" (Hecker &

Engstrom, 2005). However, unlike typical voice rec ognition software that does the work for students

the program transcribes students' readings of text

to text-podcasts engage students actively. This is

because listening to podcasts requires students to

analyze and modify their writing to make it clearer.

Through actively comparing and adjusting their writ ing to the reader's reaction, students develop the

metacognitive skills of monitoring, diagnosing, re vising, and editing- skills critical for improving the quality of their writing (Braaksma, Rijlaarsdam, van den Bergh, & van Hout-Walters, 2004). The podcasting

approach creates a multisensory process and the stu dent receives prompt feedback. These components, and the high expectations from the teacher, create

an environment that promotes learning.

Scaffolding the Technology and the Proof-Revising Process To probe students' understanding of proofreading, the teacher asked these questions: "When you proof read, do you use any resources such as a dictionary,

spell checker, or someone else?" "When you make

changes in your writing, are they usually small or big

changes?" "How do you know that your readers un

derstand what you mean?" From students' responses, the teacher learned that the process involved only a

quick reread, and most felt their writing was good.

Students reported having used computer spell-check ing, reminders from teachers, peer editors, and work sheets. They rarely asked themselves if their readers understood. Their focus was on small changes involv

ing mechanical errors. Our approach was to offer

specific and personalized feedback through teacher podcasts of each story. The teacher introduced the

rationale for the podcasting approach in the follow

ing way: "When you listen to a story read aloud by

someone else, it helps you hear things as they are

specifically written. When you proof with your eyes

only, you read it like you think you wrote it. You don't

always catch errors."

Teacher podcasts were initially personal com munications between student and teacher. They provided a model that was influential in developing

proof-revising that is reader centered but in a "writ

erly" manner (Swenson, Young, McGrail, Rozema, & Whitin, 2006, p. 256). That is, the students were

asked to review their writing in light of their readers'

needs-being able to understand, follow, and enjoy

the creativity and imagination embedded within that

writing. Then the podcasts, a personal communica

tion between student and teacher, were published

on a blog, making the process transparent for other

educators and students to consider for their use. If

students were to create proof-revising podcasts for their peers, direct teacher instruction of this process

would be necessary. For a student to read a paper correctly word-for-word, as it is written through the voice of another reader, requires practice.

"Proof-Revising" With Podcasting: Keeping Readers in Mind as Students Listen To and Rethink Their Writing 523



Constructing a podcast is easy. All you need are

a computer with a microphone, some recording soft

ware such as Audacity, and a driver such as LAME

(2006) to export a podcast project to MP3 format.

Both software pieces can be downloaded free from

the Internet at audacity.sourceforge.net/ and audacity

.sourceforge.net/help/faq?s = install&item = lame mp3.

The basic steps to record MP3s using Audacity

are as follows:

1. Download the Audacity Program. (Figure 1)

2. Open Audacity, click the pink Record button to begin talking and recording your story, and

click the yellow stop button when you finish re

cording the story. (Figure 2)

3. Go to the File menu and save as a project.

(Figure 3)

4. Download LAME driver. Once downloaded,

unzip and extract it to the folder where you

installed Audacity (Under Program Files

Audacity). (Figure 4)

5. Go to the File menu and export the project as

an MP3, a file that you can include in a blog or

post to the Internet. (Figure 5)

Figure 1 Download the Audacity Program

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Note. From the Audacity website audacity.sourceforge.net/download/.

524 The Reading Teacher Vol. 62, No. 6 March 2009



Figure 2

Open Audacity

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Additional screenshots and tutorials are available at

www.guidesandtutorials.com/audacity-tutorial.html As students engaged in the proof-revising pro

cess, the teacher asked them to revisit their story

drafts. They each were to listen to the podcasts of

their own stories. The students' task was to improve the fluency of the writing by paying attention to the

following questions:

* Does my story flow?

* Does it make sense?

* Does it sound like I thought I had written it?

* Would I have read it the same way?

* Can punctuation help?

*Did misspellings or wording change my

meanings?

To facilitate the task of reading and listening at the same time, students were instructed to open the podcast of their story on the class blog and to use

their individual blogs to follow along. This required students to have two windows open. There was a lot

of confusion on the first attempt. Some were mes merized by the screen designs appearing on their podcast. Others did not know where to begin. The teacher suggested they follow along using a sheet of paper to track words across the screen as they




Figure 3 Save Project

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listened. This time they realized they needed to pay attention. They listened again.

Students recognized how this helped their writing and communication. Michael (all names are pseud onyms) noticed, "I thought that I had no errors until I heard the podcast which said the mistakes." M.V.

realized, "mistakes can actually be useful because they tell you what you can improve on." (All student

quotes are unedited.) Students began to develop self-monitoring hab

its. They were learning to notice how their writing sounded as it was written and to draw conclusions

about how it should have looked in print to reflect

their original intent. A class discussion followed, with

students sharing discoveries. Many were surprised to learn that their writing was not exactly as they had thought. Students found some errors humorous, but others were dismayed about their actual writing. They were beginning not only to understand the complexi ties of proof-revising but also to appreciate its value.

This discussion culminated in students creating mini podcasts with proof-revising pointers for themselves and peers. The following are some examples of the advice they offered.

"You shouldn't use the same word over and over again.

You should change your words and make them more

interesting to the reader."




Figure 4 Download LAME Driver

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Note. From the Audacity website: www.guidesandtutorials.com/audaoty-Iame.html.

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"What I learned is to let somebody read your story, like

to recheck your story."

"Think about what you are going to write, like you

need a brainstorm before you do anything else."

"When you are writing, always pay attention."

Leslie summarized the entire podcasting experience with her realization that reading her writing aloud

had caused her to notice how it sounded to other

readers unfamiliar with the text. The process resulted in her desire to be more careful and ensure that other

readers could understand her writing. Students were proud of their new understandings

and began to embrace the concept of proof-revising

to make meaning clearer to the reader. The teacher

observed carry-over, as many students were reading aloud their revisions as well as brainstorming with classmates to make their writing effective and engag ing for readers.

The Place of Podcasting in the Revision Process Proof-revising is a complex literacy task that requires practice with a real audience in an authentic writing

context such as classroom blogging. It is a challenge

for students as well as teachers, but it is one that can

improve student communication skills and literacies.




Figure 5

Export Project as MP3

.i < < r iS i. .s a.. ._OV .~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~....... .. i '' :' .., .. . .

WS ' S S'" ';" i "S ' 0 ' i005 . : i.j...... . .......... ......... i. _: ... .. .............. .... .. .... 9

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It exemplifies seamless integration of technology with a complex thinking and learning task that goes

beyond editing for surface errors to engage students in rereading, listening, thinking, and relating to the audience. Making the blogs and podcasts public lets others view students' responses and contribute ad ditional improvements.

This approach is not one to be used daily in the

classroom but rather used selectively and purpose fully from time to time. Because a teacher's time is

precious, the teacher may choose only excerpts from student writing for podcast reading. Ideally, excerpts selected should reflect areas of strength as well as

weakness in each student's communication with the audience. This lets the teacher provide individual feedback. Although the use of strategies such as peer

review or cue cards with questions should be con

tinued to improve student revisions, proof-revising through podcasting is worth exploring further in our classrooms.

References

Audacity [Open source audio recorder and editor software].

(2008). Boston, MA: Free Software Foundation. Retrieved

September 24, 2008, from audacity.sourceforge.net/

Braaksma, M., Rijlaarsdam, G., van den Bergh, H., & van Hout

Walters, B.H.A.M. (2004). Observational learning and its ef

fects on the orchestration of writing processes. Cognition and

Instruction, 22(1), 1-36. doi: 10.1207/sl532690Xci2201J Chromik, M. (2002). Proofreading, its value, and its place in the

writing center. Naugatuck, CT: University of Connecticut

Writing Center. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No.

ED476401) Felix, J.P. (2007). Edublogging: Instruction for the digital age learn

er. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California,

San Diego; California State University, San Marcos; San Diego

State University, California.

Hanna, G. (1962). Proofreading, a panacea: Attention, junior

high English teachers. English Journal, 51(1), 482-483. doi:

10.2307/811315

Hecker, L., & Engstrom, E.U. (2005). Assistive technology and

individuals with dyslexia. [Online chapter] In J.R. Birsh

(Ed.), Multisensory teaching of basic language skills (2nd

ed.). Baltimore: Brooks. Retrieved September 24, 2008, from

textbooks.brookespublishing.com/birsh/21/fulltext.htm




LAME [MP3 Encoder Version 3.97]. (2006, September). Retrieved

from audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq?s=install&item=lame

mp3 Penrod, D. (2007). Using blogs to enhance literacy: The next pow

erful step in 21st-century learning. Lanham, MD: Rowman &

Littlefield.

Rowe, S. (1998). Using minilessons to promote student revision:

Helping students realize their power over words. In Weaver, C

(Ed.), Lessons to share on teaching grammar in context (pp.

100-110). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Swenson, J., Young, CA., McGrail, E., Rozema, R., & Whitin, P.

(2006). Extending the conversation: New technologies, new

literacies, and English education. English Education, 38(4), 349-367.

Davis is an information systems training specialist at Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA; e-mail [email protected]. McGrail teaches at Georgia State University; e-mail [email protected].

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Proof-Revising' with Podcasting: Keeping Readers in …litr630.weebly.com/uploads/6/4/7/9/6479633/davis_podcasting.pdf · "Proof-Revising" with Podcasting: Keeping Readers in Mind