- Assignment Guidelines
Overview
For this assignment, you will research your own technology-mediated writing practices by keeping a week-long log of your writing activities, with particular attention to the technologies, tools, and AI systems you use. You will then code and analyze your data (your writing log) and write a report using the IMRAD format to report your findings about how technology and innovation shape your writing processes.
Important Note: When we talk about “technology” in this course, we mean all writing tools—from pencils and typewriters to smartphones and AI assistants. Every tool you use to compose text is a technology with its own affordances, constraints, and history. As you track your writing practices, pay attention to the full spectrum of technologies you employ, including analog tools like pens, paper, whiteboards, or sticky notes alongside digital platforms and AI systems.
Purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to introduce you to designing a writing studies research project focused on technology use, collecting and analyzing data about your writing practices across all technological contexts, and then reporting on that data. This assignment will help you understand how technology—whether a pencil or ChatGPT—influences your writing behaviors, choices, and outcomes.
Report Format
Your report should follow the IMRAD format (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion) as described in Clary-Lemon, Mueller, and Pantelides (Research 159-162), and should make use of headers and subheaders to identify sections. Your report should also include an appendix section (see below). Remember that sections may be multiple paragraphs in length and may include subsections. Treat each section as its own mini-essay with an introduction, discussion, and conclusion.
Researching Yourself as a Technology-Using Writer
For this assignment, you’ll use a week-long writing and technology log to analyze your writing practices with a specific focus on:- Technology tools across the spectrum (analog and digital: pencils, pens, paper, notebooks, typewriters, word processors, smartphones, tablets, etc.)
- AI and automation (generative AI, autocorrect, grammar checkers, predictive text, etc.)
- Innovation in your writing process (new tools, experimental approaches, adaptive strategies—including returning to “old” technologies in new ways)
- Material and digital contexts (platforms, modes, audiences, physical writing spaces)
- Compiling a Writing and Technology Log
For your Writing and Technology Log, you should record your writing practices for one full week (week 3), capturing as much of your writing as possible.
Data you should include:- Date and time
- The kinds of writing/writing activities, including:
- A brief description of what it is (i.e., school-based writing, personal writing, work-based writing, volunteer writing, communication, etc.)
- A brief description of its purpose
- A brief description of the genre/mode
- Technology and tools used (remember: ALL writing tools are technologies):
- Analog technologies: pencil, pen, paper, notebook, index cards, sticky notes, whiteboard, typewriter, etc.
- Hardware: laptop, phone, tablet, desktop computer, etc.
- Software/platforms: Google Docs, Word, Notes app, social media platforms, email clients, etc.
- AI tools: ChatGPT, Grammarly, autocomplete, predictive text, voice-to-text, etc.
- Describe how you used each tool (drafting, editing, brainstorming, research, formatting, etc.)
- Note if you used multiple technologies for a single writing task (e.g., brainstorming on paper, then drafting digitally)
- Innovation/experimentation:
- Did you try a new tool or approach?
- Did you use an “old” technology (like handwriting) in a new or deliberate way?
- Did you adapt your process in response to technology affordances or constraints?
- Did you use technology in an unexpected or creative way?
- How much time you spent
- Any initial thoughts or reflections about the writing and your technology use
- Try to capture even writing that seems insignificant such as a to-do list, text messages, search engine queries, handwritten notes, or AI prompts. (Don’t forget: recording your data and writing analytic memos is also writing!)
In week 2 of the course, set yourself some guidelines as to what and how you want to record your data. Writing an analytic memo to define these parameters for yourself can be quite useful.
Coding Your Writing and Technology Log
The first step in analyzing your writing log is to code your data using a grounded theory approach—let the data itself lead you as you analyze it. What categories and subcategories can you use to describe the kinds of writing and technology use you’ve engaged in?
Possible categories and sub-categories might include:
Writing Types:- “school” or “academic”
- “work” or “professional”
- “creative writing”
- “communication”
- “research”
- “text messaging”
- “revising”
- “personal writing”
- Technology Categories:
- “analog technologies” (handwriting, typewriter, paper-based)
- “digital word processing”
- “AI-assisted writing”
- “mobile writing”
- “collaborative platforms”
- “voice-to-text”
- “automated editing tools”
- “social media platforms”
- “hybrid analog-digital processes”
- Innovation/Adaptation Categories:
- “experimental tool use”
- “problem-solving with technology”
- “technology-driven revision”
- “multimodal composition”
- “AI prompt engineering”
- “deliberate use of analog technologies”
- “technology switching within a single task”
- Once you’ve coded your data, you can describe your data in numerical terms. For example:
- How many instances of handwritten vs. digitally composed writing do you have?
- What percentage of your writing uses AI assistance?
- What percentage of your writing happens on mobile devices vs. computers vs. paper?
- How often do you use multiple technologies for a single writing task?
- What is the relationship between writing type and technology choice?
- Do you use analog technologies for certain stages of writing (like brainstorming) and digital for others (like drafting)?
- Using Analytic Memos
Throughout the data collection and analysis process, keep analytic memos where you reflect on:- Patterns you’re noticing in your technology use across the analog-digital spectrum
- Surprises or unexpected findings (e.g., “I didn’t realize how much I still use paper for…”)
- Questions that emerge from your data
- Connections between technology choices and writing outcomes
- Moments when you deliberately chose one technology over another and why
- Your evolving understanding of how different technologies shape your writing
Report Sections
Introduction
Your introduction should provide context for your study and explain why researching technology-mediated writing practices matters. Consider addressing:- The role of technology in contemporary writing (broadly defined to include all writing tools)
- How both traditional and emerging technologies shape writing processes
- The relationship between analog and digital writing technologies
- How AI and digital tools are changing writing processes
- Your research question(s) about your own technology use
- What you hoped to learn from this study
- Consider: You might discuss how writers have always been technology users—from clay tablets to typewriters to word processors—and how examining our current technological moment requires understanding the full range of tools available to us.
Methods
In the methods section, describe:
Data Collection:- How you kept your writing and technology log
- What you chose to include/exclude and why (including your approach to tracking analog technologies)
- Any challenges you encountered in tracking technology use across different contexts
- The time period of data collection
- Data Coding:
- Your coding schema (categories and subcategories)
- How you developed your codes
- How you categorized different types of technologies (analog, digital, AI-assisted, hybrid)
- Any decisions you made about categorizing ambiguous data
- How you handled instances of multiple technologies used simultaneously or sequentially
- Data Analysis:
- How you analyzed your coded data
- What patterns or relationships you looked for (e.g., correlations between writing type and technology choice)
- Any analytic memos you wrote during the process
- Results
In the results section, present your data without interpretation. This is where you show what you found.
Present your data numerically, representing the various categories you’ve established with your coding schema. You might use:- Tables showing technology use by writing type
- Charts comparing analog vs. digital vs. AI-assisted writing
- Breakdown of specific tools (pen, pencil, Word, Google Docs, ChatGPT, etc.)
- Bulleted lists of tools and their frequencies
- Narrative descriptions of the numerical data
- Visual representations of your technology ecosystem
- Consider presenting:
- Total writing instances and time spent
- Breakdown by writing type
- Breakdown by technology/tool type (analog, digital, AI)
- Frequency of different specific technologies (e.g., pen vs. pencil vs. keyboard)
- Frequency of AI use and for what purposes
- Patterns in device/platform/tool selection
- Instances of technology switching or hybrid approaches
- Instances of innovation or experimentation (including deliberate use of “older” technologies)
- Remember: you are presenting the data without analysis. You provide the analysis in the discussion section.
Discussion
In the discussion section, you will report on findings—takeaways—that come from your data. Address the “So What?” question: what important insights emerge about how technology shapes your writing?
Consider discussing:
Technology and Writing Process:- How do different technologies (analog and digital) enable or constrain different types of writing?
- What role does materiality play? (e.g., the feel of pen on paper vs. fingers on keyboard)
- When do you choose analog technologies over digital ones, and why?
- What role does AI play in your writing process compared to other technologies?
- How do you make decisions about which tools to use?
- The Analog-Digital Spectrum:
- Do you use analog and digital technologies for different purposes or stages of writing?
- Are there writing tasks that seem better suited to particular technologies?
- How do you move between analog and digital contexts (e.g., handwritten notes to typed drafts)?
- What gets lost or gained in these transitions?
- Innovation and Adaptation:
- When and why do you experiment with new tools or return to older ones?
- How do you adapt your writing process to different technological contexts?
- What innovative uses of technology (old or new) did you discover in your own practice?
- Did you find yourself using “traditional” technologies in new or deliberate ways?
- Patterns and Insights:
- What surprised you about your technology use?
- Are there mismatches between your assumptions and your actual practices?
- How does your technology use vary by writing context, purpose, or audience?
- What does your data reveal about the relationship between technology and writing quality, speed, or satisfaction?
- Research Process Reflection: As one of the purposes of this project is for you to engage in research study design, data collection, data coding, and data analysis, you might also want to discuss what you learned about these processes, including where you think you went well and what you might want to do differently in the future.
Conclusion
Your conclusion should be concise and make use of one or more of the following moves:- Summarize major findings about your technology-mediated writing practices across the analog-digital spectrum
- Describe what you learned: What did you learn about your writing practices, your technology use (including both traditional and emerging tools), your relationship with AI tools, research study design, data collection, and data coding?
- State recommendations: What recommendations might you make to yourself based on your findings? Are there technologies (analog or digital) you want to use more intentionally? Are there AI tools you want to explore or avoid? Should you incorporate more handwriting or paper-based composing?
- Look to the future:
- Based on your findings, what writing and technology practices would you like to continue?
- What practices would you like to build on or improve?
- How might you balance analog and digital technologies more effectively?
- How might emerging technologies change your writing in the future?
- What research practices would you apply in future studies?
- If you wanted to continue this study, how might you go about it?
- Works Cited
If you cite anything, include a works cited section.
Appendix
Include your writing and technology log as raw data and your analytic memos. It’s customary to include your data in full in an appendix.
Additional Considerations
Technology as More Than Digital: Remember that every writing tool—from the earliest stylus to the latest AI—is a technology that shapes what and how we write. As you conduct this study, resist the temptation to privilege digital technologies over analog ones. A pencil is as much a technology as a smartphone, and understanding how you use both (and when you choose one over the other) is central to understanding yourself as a writer.
Ethics and Transparency: As you track your AI use, consider:- When and why you choose to use AI assistance vs. other technologies
- How you verify or modify AI-generated content
- The ethical implications of AI use in different writing contexts
- How transparent you are (or should be) about AI assistance
- Technology Access and Equity: Reflect on:
- What technologies (analog and digital) you have access to and why
- How access shapes your writing practices
- What assumptions about technology access might be embedded in different writing contexts
- The environmental and economic costs of different technologies
- Materiality and Embodiment: Consider:
- How does the physical experience of writing differ across technologies?
- What role does the body play in different writing technologies?
- How do sensory experiences (the scratch of pen on paper, the click of keys, the swipe of a touchscreen) affect your writing?
Grading Criteria
Your report will be evaluated on:- Research Design and Execution (30%): Thoroughness of data collection across the full spectrum of writing technologies, appropriateness of coding schema, quality of analysis
- IMRAD Format and Organization (20%): Clear sections, appropriate use of headers, logical flow
- Depth of Analysis (30%): Insightful discussion of technology’s role in your writing (including both analog and digital technologies), meaningful connections between data and interpretation
- Reflection on Innovation (10%): Thoughtful consideration of how you experiment with and adapt to different technologies across the analog-digital spectrum
Writing Quality (10%): Clear, professional writing with appropriate use of evidence
Ron Brooks 