“Computers Are an ‘Our Generation’ Kind of Thing”: Case Studies of Seventh-Grade Hypermedia Writers

Although the e-zeen project held some common meanings for all of the student editors (e.g., being active, interested, and social; having new experiences; feeling productive; and feeling independent), it met certain affective needs more intensely than others for each of the students (Eagleton, 1999b). Using data derived from observational fieldnotes, videotape transcripts, teacher and student interviews, student surveys, and student reflection logs, I investigated these meanings more deeply by analyzing what the project meant to four focal students, selected using Creswell’s (1998) maximum variation sampling procedure.

Cory: “Personally, I don’t like to listen, I like to talk.”

Cory is a vibrant, creative, intelligent young man who describes himself as “loud, uppity, and weird.” He revels in being the center of attention and is both talkative and extremely articulate. He is also frequently in trouble with teachers for being out of his seat, talking back, and getting into fights.

Staci (a pseudonym), his language arts teacher, had been reluctant to select Cory for the e-zeen project because of his chronic behavior problems, but she felt that he “needs something like this.” Cory’s handwritten rationale for why he should have been chosen stated, “I know I get into trouble but it would mean alout [a lot] to me I mean I will really try very hard to stay out of trouble.” Cory was as surprised as the rest of his peers when he was chosen to be an editor. There was an unspoken understanding between Staci, Cory, and myself that he would need to control his behavior in order to remain on the project. We were thrilled that Cory was so motivated by the project that he never felt a need to challenge my authority or distract himself and others by clowning around.

Being active is a strong theme for Cory, who says he often feels “antsy.” One of the aspects of designing the e-zeen that he enjoyed most was interviewing people around campus -- especially school administrators, perhaps because it gave him a chance to interrogate the very people who have often disciplined him. He wrote in his reflection log,

Feb. 17: I liked running around campus and interviewing it was alot of fun
Feb 23: I am real excited it is going very well I like working on the computer and always on the move.

One of the biggest challenges of the traditional classroom for Cory is the requirement to stay seated almost all the time. During the project he willingly gave up his seat at the computer and stood behind it or sat on top of a desk, I suspect to give himself a break from sitting in the chair. All the while, he remained engaged in the process. Working in a small group with his peers also fulfilled Cory’s intense social needs, giving him both attention and the opportunity to talk. In his own words,

Cory is one of those people for whom oral communication and relating to others is a strong focus. I think the e-zeen project meant a lot to him because it gave him an inviting forum for social discourse. In the small, intimate, group setting, Cory could practice his “working with others skills.” Staci commented at the end of the year,

Cory brought up the topic of collaboration in his reflection log and frequently in his exit interview, making observations such as,

As with many students, when Cory is not interested in what he is doing, he creates diversions to keep himself occupied. One of the reasons he wanted to join the project was because he likes computers so much:

Cory’s last statement illuminates one more reason why the e-zeen project inspired him: It gave him an audience for his work. Cory envisions a future career as an actor or writer, and he fantasized that someone might see his writing on the Internet-based webzine -- “maybe an author or someone” -- and that it could “boost [his] career or something!” When I asked him what made the e-zeen project so appealing to him, he replied, “People get to read your stories and stuff from all around the world” and “It’s just cool to think that everyone’s gonna be looking at it.”

Collectively, these data suggest that the e-zeen project was meaningful to Cory because it gave him an opportunity to be active, social, and interested, and to have an audience for his work.

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Crash: “It’s just that basketball is my life.”

Crash is, above all else, a basketball player. Her teammates gave her the nickname based on her aggressive style on the basketball court. She harbors no doubt that she will eventually become a professional basketball player. Aside from extracurricular activities, Crash dislikes everything about school, describing it as something “you have to do.” She also commented that, if it weren’t for sports,

In addition to being athletic, Crash is creative, intelligent, and a self-avowed tomboy. She is quite confident, not shy about expressing her opinions, and values trying new things as often as possible. Her handwritten rationale for being selected for the e-zeen project was “I want to be an edditor sooo bad because it whold be a great expereance & life when your younge is about having great expereances.”

Crash was not initially selected for the project because Staci felt that she already had numerous opportunities to participate in special school activities. Crash was very outspoken in her disappointment about not being chosen. I later invited Crash to join the team because I was intrigued by the idea of having an editor who so passionately hated reading and writing. Curiously, Crash is an excellent reader and possibly the most talented writer in the class. Staci thinks “Crash is very good with voice” and describes a story Crash wrote as “one of the most amazing pieces” she had ever received from a 12-year-old.

Crash’s primary reason for disliking reading and writing is because “they’re boring, they’re just so slow.” She feels that when she is reading or writing, “I’m not doing anything. My mind is, but my body’s not.... If I’m not doing something with my hands and my feet and my head at the same time, it’s boring.” Being active is a necessity for Crash. Unlike many of her peers, she doesn’t even like to watch television:

For Crash, being able to interact physically with computers makes them extremely appealing. She views the computer not as a passive, stationary object but rather an interactive, engaging medium filled with places to explore, buttons to press, and friends with whom to chat. She, like many of her peers, feels that “computers are an ‘our generation’ kind of thing.”

Crash says that she only chooses to read if “it’s a ten-page book” about a topic she finds interesting. It is fortunate that she cares enough about her success at school to complete assignments that she considers boring, but unfortunate that so many school activities seem to fall into this category for her. The e-zeen project was meaningful for her because she finds computers interesting and was able to work on topics (such as sports) that she found stimulating. When asked what she liked most about the e-zeen project, Crash responded that it was “just the new experience. I’m all for trying new things, you know, and I really like working on computers.&148;

Another major theme for Crash is having freedom and independence. She asserts that she’s “pretty much independent,” “not good with boundaries,” and “just need[s] freedom.” She is frustrated that many teachers don’t allow her the freedom to express her own ideas:

The e-zeen project was a positive experience for Crash because she felt free to express her ideas, to set her own educational goals, and to carry out her plans with minimal teacher intervention. This level of student control over the curriculum could, of course, have been accomplished without the use of technology, but since Crash is so turned off to traditional print-based literacy activities, the e-zeen project allowed her to be more inclined to dedicate her tremendous energy and strong leadership skills.

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Alan: “I just really enjoy anything about a computer.”

Alan is one of those 13-year-olds who knows more about computers than the average adult. He is bright, studious, and very computer savvy. He feels that junior high is “OK, but boring,” though he likes it better than elementary school because “they have the Internet on the computers here. They don’t have those little old MS-DOS computers.” Alan describes himself in this way: “I have dark brown eyes and hair, glasses, I’m an A student, and I have a lot of friends.” He reads voraciously but says writing “just doesn’t interest me... It’s boring after a while” and “hurts my hand.” His handwriting is, in fact, almost illegible, and he mumbles when he speaks.

Alan was an easy choice for participation in the e-zeen project because he gets his work in on time, loves computers, and works well with other people. He also said that the project might “get me into writing more,” which was an irresistible hook for Staci and me. I found it intriguing that he claims to hate writing yet enjoys sending and receiving e-mail and going to Internet chat rooms. I believe that he thinks of writing as producing pages and pages of handwritten text, something he lacks the fine motor skills to do comfortably. Like Crash, Alan is actually quite a strong writer. He published a suspenseful and well-crafted hypertext fiction piece in the Writing section of the website.

“Being interested” is just as much a prerequisite for Alan to become engaged in school activities as it is for Cory and Crash. He completes all of his school assignments because he is committed to getting good grades; however, he complains constantly about being bored. In the following audio clip he describes the experience of having to read books that he did not select himself in order to fulfill the requirements for a computer-based reading program:

(Although it is unrealistic to expect every student to be interested in every school activity -- and there are times when it may be appropriate to ask a student to read a classic like Uncle Tom’s Cabin -- it is a shame when intelligent, inquisitive, and intrinsically motivated students like Alan are not given the freedom to choose their own reading materials, writing topics, and inquiry projects.)

The e-zeen project was particularly meaningful to Alan because of his strong interest in computers, webpages, and the Internet. There is no doubt that having an opportunity to work on computers was a considerable motivating force for him. He stated that “I just really enjoy anything about a computer.” He was not very interested in the planning phase of the e-zeen because there were some days when the editors didn’t even boot up the computers. During his initial interview, he asked, “When are we gonna use the computers? When are we gonna start actually making the page?” Alan was very interested in learning how to make his own webpage. When I asked him what kinds of websites he would like to make, he said that he would “probably do it on a book I read, on books, or something I’m interested in.”

Although Alan is somewhat introverted, it is apparent that the e-zeen project fulfilled a need to be social. Alan describes himself as having “tons of friends,” and besides computers and basketball, he most likes “hanging out with friends.” He stated that he enjoyed getting to know “more people in there that I usually don’t hang out with.” In fact, he and Cory (the only male editors) established an unusual alliance as a result of the small group setting.

Finally, the e-zeen project was a positive experience for Alan because he felt he had an audience for his work. In an initial interview, he stated that the purpose for creating the e-zeen was “to show people what kids our age can write and what we can do.” Similarly, when I asked Alan in an exit interview what it was like being a e-zeen editor, he answered, “It’s cool.... We made a webpage that everyone else can see.” Even shy students like Alan want their voices to be heard, and webpage publication provides an effective means for accomplishing this goal.

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Rissa: “Communicating in different kinds of ways”

Rissa describes herself as “tall, athletic, pretty, swift, and smart.” Her interests include saving endangered animals and the environment, going to speech competitions, and playing the clarinet in the school band. She is the only editor who reads teen-oriented magazines, and she had tried to make a webzine with a group of friends once before.

Since she values expressing herself through speaking, writing, and computers she felt that the e-zeen project “would be a great learning experience for me in the future if I wanted to express some important issues on the Web.” The following survey response further explains her rationale for wanting to be an e-zeen editor:

I’ve opened a webzine with a couple of friends and they kind of bombed out on me so I had to close it down. I really liked putting on my ideas.... I would love to do it again because I know people wouldn’t judge my peices because weve learned that and I think this will be good for me because of what I wana do in the future. I also really, really like computers, they are like a bare-nacecitti to me.

Staci and I agreed that Rissa would make a great editor due to her sense of responsibility, excellent communication skills, and strong interest in writing and computers. Rissa was the only editor who wanted to work on the Writing section of the site.

The e-zeen project helped Rissa fulfill her need to appear responsible: “the teacher’s sorta recognizing us as responsible students and we take care of [our] grades.” She also said that the project taught her “how to be more responsible.” It was obvious from the way Rissa carried herself that she felt privileged to have the freedom to move around campus and that she loved how “you get to choose what goes on [the e-zeen] and what doesn’t.”

Rissa also appreciated the social aspects of the project. Like the other editors, she enjoys being a part of a small group and working with her peers. In her reflection log, she made numerous references to collaboration, such as this: “I like the way we all cooperate well with each other, and vote well.”

Rissa stated in her initial interview that she wanted to join the project because she “thought it would be cool just like working with other people and communicating in different kinds of ways.” However, for Rissa a fundamental component of positive interpersonal relations with others is not being judged or criticized: “The only thing [I don’t like] is sometimes when you try to communicate with people they, like, put down your ideas and stuff.” I think the small group setting gave her a feeling of safety and camaraderie that she does not always feel in the larger classroom. Escaping the judgments of others is one reason that Rissa likes to write:

At the same time, although it means she must risk being judged by others, it is important to Rissa to have a voice in the world and get feedback from others. She wants to “let people know how seventh graders think and know that they’re good for something.” She feels that the purpose of creating a student-run webzine is as follows:

Rissa was ardent about being able to communicate with a global audience via the webzine and was interested in getting feedback on her writing. She wrote that she wanted “to see how people would react to my choice of writting and see if they had advise for me, I LOVE ADVISE.” She also stated that she thought “it would be cool communicating with people around the world with my stories.” Although there is tension between Rissa’s desire to be heard and her desire not to be judged, it is clear that communicating to a broad audience through the e-zeen was a profoundly meaningful experience for her: “I can’t wait till we get our e-zeen set up and all people around the world will see it,” she wrote in her reflective journal. By the end of the year, Rissa realized that the e-zeen project had made her “more interested in writing what people around the world were gonna see.”

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Summary

For Cory, the e-zeen project gave him the opportunity to be active, social, and interested, and to have an audience for his work. Crash found the project appealing because it gave her the chance to be active and interested, and to have new experiences, freedom, and independence. Alan enjoyed being an e-zeen editor because he could work on computers, engage in something he found interesting and social, and have an audience for his work. Finally, for Rissa, the creation of the webzine was meaningful because it fulfilled her need to be given responsibility, to be social, and to express herself to a global audience. The high levels of student investment and empowerment seen among these students are difficult to achieve with traditional teacher-centered curricula.

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From “Making It Come to Life on the Computer: Toward an Understanding of Hypermedia Literacy” by Maya B. Eagleton.
Reading Online, www.readingonline.org
Posted July 2002