Because Digital Writing Matters: Improving Student Writing in Online and Multimedia Environments

by National Writing Project, Danielle Nicole DeVoss, Elyse Eidman-Aadahl

How to apply digital writing skills effectively in the classroom, from the prestigious National Writing Project As many teachers know, students may be adept at text messaging and communicating online but do not know how to craft a basic essay. In the classroom, students are increasingly required to create web-based or multi-media productions that also include writing. Since writing in and for the online realm often defies standard writing conventions, this book defines digital writing and examines how best to integrate new technologies into writing instruction. The book is an important manual for understanding this new frontier of writing for teachers, school leaders, university faculty, and teacher educators.

Genres: Education, Writing, Teaching, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 2010

Reviews

[Joe Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for thinking about why we can must incorporate digital writing into all of our classrooms.

[Mary C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was OK. As somebody who already works in a cyber school environment, a lot of it was common sense. There were a few interesting and helpful "nuggets, however.

[The Reading Countess · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Why does digital writing matter? Digital writing matters because we live in a networked world and there's no going back. Because, quite simply, DIGITAL IS."

Having read this quick read (150 pages or so) in one sitting on the very night that my oldest son played with/talked to his lifelong friend 300 years ago through the X-Box, I did not need to be sold on the concept of the importance of connecting the written word to the digital world for students. Much of what was discussed squared with my thinking, and will undoubtedly prove helpful when trying to convince the "Yeah, But" people in my community that using appropriate digital tools with kids in a language arts community is educationally sound. In particular, I found the appendix laden with sites helpful for the novice (or not so novice)teacher, as well as "the habits of mind and activites in which students are expected to engage as digital writers"

CONDENSED LIST OF TRAITS AND ACTIONS
1. CREATIVITY AND ORIGINALITY
create, design, develop, express, innovate, invent, produce
2. COLLABORATE
cocreate, collaborate, compromise, contribute, give feedback, receive feedback, share
3. MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP
implement, initiate, manage, lead, plan, prioritize, organize
4. EVALUATION AND DECISION MAKING
critique, evaluate, influence, set criteria, choose, decide, impact
5. DIVERSITY
cross-cultural understanding, diverse perspectices, globalization, interdisciplinary
6. ARTICULATION
articulate, clarify, define, form, frame, select
7. CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING
expand, forecast, identify fallacies, key concepts, solutions, trends, interpret, reason
8. OBSERVATION AND INQUIRY
ask, examine, explore, inquire, investigate, observe, question, research
9. COMMUNICATION IN RHETORICAL CONTEXTS
audience, authorship, perception, point of view, purpose, communicate, connect, interact
10. KNOWLEDGE MAKING
apply, construct, demonstrate, discover, emulate, incorporate, integrate, model, synthesize, analyze, deconstruct, examine, process
11. INFORMATION LITERACY
determine significance, evaluate, gather, locate, utilize
12. PERSONAL HABITS OF MIND
accountable, accurate, adaptable, efficient, effective, flexible, gaining expertise, metacognition, quality of work, responsive, self-evaluation, understanding complexity, valuing diversity
13. REMIX CULTURE
amplify, attribute, circulate, distribute, disseminate, engage, ethical use, modify, participate, publish, remix, repurpose, re-present, share, stimulate, transform
14. TECHNOLOGY KNOWLEDGE AND ISSUES
applications, digital media environments, systems
15. DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
active, creative commons, copyright, democratic process, fair us, participant, lifelong learner

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gleaned some valuable information from book. One of the beneficial parts of the book is located in the Introduction (11) where the authors cite from the book Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century “listing the new skills of participatory culture.” The chapter on “The Landscape of Digital Writing” interests me because of the digital story-telling format. I am intrigued with the possibilities of using multimedia to enhance narration. In “Revising the Writing Process,” using wikis to create a collaborative summary invites me to try this approach. “Ecologies for Digital Writing” shares strategies for teaching what plagiarism is. I find a few of those activities interesting and applicable. The Web Resources section, at the back of the book, lists several websites that I plan to explore as I plan, develop, and create my online teaching experiences.
My main disappointment with the book is its scarcity of practical lessons and examples. I would like to see the summary wiki compared to the traditional summary assignment. The digital story-telling section would be more meaningful with examples of student pieces. The book is more promotional and prescriptive than I had hoped. It seems to be shaped for an audience who is new to using digital technology in the classroom. I finished my reading thinking, the next book in the series will be the one with the lessons, examples, and trouble-shooting ideas: Because Sharing Strategies for Digital Writing Matters to Readers

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book wasn't what i thought it was going to be when i picked it up. i was hoping it would be a book on improving one's own digital writing, however it was an educational policy book centered on how to help teachers and administrators work within good pedagogical theory while using technological tools to their maximum advantage to better prepare students for the real world ahead.

additional, this book spent a little bit of time talking about an area of policy that's often overlooked - the continuous evaluation of a program to ensure that it's meeting the goals laid out for it and suggests that administrators should look for ways to modify programs to their needs, implement new ones and let dysfunctional programs die if they are utilizing tools w/ no practical application beyond that setting.

in all, from a policy development / implementation / evaluation standpoint, i found it to be an enjoyable read, if not what i expected and in a subject matter i'm not at all versed in --- but for a career in public administration, i find it useful to look to a variety of disciplines for new techniques etc.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm only to the end of the second chapter and my mind is whirring with all the new technologies that I need to learn. I've never read a book about technology with such an impact on my energy.

And now that I'm finished...it was really stimulating. This is the companion book to the National Writing Project's, Because Writing Matters. This one, I thought, was so much better than their book, Teaching the New Writing. It does take us into classrooms and we learn about how technology can be used from how other teachers are using it, but it's more believable. When I say that, I mean that I could actually see me and my peers doing the things highlighted in BDWM. It even included a chapter on professional development for teachers wanting to learn the new tech.

[Niki · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book covers digital writing in classrooms from elementary school through college. with such a broad range of groups, teacher exposure, and teacher and student experience, this book focuses on incorporating digital writing into specific assignments through pedagogy. the background research on digital writing and digital literacy are not the focus of this book, so don't look for them.

[Megan Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

The authors make an excellent case as to why and also how digital writing can be incorporated into classroom practices. They also uncover some of the possibilities and constraints one might encounter and issues currently being discussed in rhetoric and composition field. I appreciated the straight-forward, concise nature of the text as well as the snippets of real scenarios included throughout.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only does this book give the reasons why educators should be embracing the digital world, it gives a list of resources for us to use as a reference. I just helped lead a technology class in my district and used this book as the building blocks. Everyone in the class enjoyed it and wants more.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This "update" of the NWP Because Writing Matters" is interesting but a little dense for me. I liked the classroom examples--very helpful. The best thing about the book is that even though the technology will be outdated, like, next week, :) the principles are important.

[Jianna Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books effectively argues that digital writing is important and that teachers need to help students navigate these new forms of writing so that they can be successful writers and thinkers in a digital and connected world. A substantial list of web resources is included.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt that I needed to have read Because Writing Matters first, so I'm not sure how much was repeated material. A good mix of research, theory and practical work. Includes mention of MLTI and Dave Boardman's work.

[Donalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great primer for teachers who want to learn more about using online and multimedia environments to motivate and improve students' writing.

[Bill Gaskins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book- a must read

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very important book every teacher of writing should read. Enough said.

[Erika Forth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book about what digital writing is and why we must bring it into our classrooms and schools.

[Lori Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one wouldn't be a bad idea either ...

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was okay,at times the reading was a little dry, but I got a lot from the chapter that concentrated on the e-portfolio.

[Nathan Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource for writing teachers.

[Sarah Krajewski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got some great ideas for the next school year, but I feel like I should have read it when it first came out. Technology has changed a lot since 2010, so some information is outdated.

[Kevin Hodgson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book very useful.

[Pussadee · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book!

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Secondary ELA teachers and teacher educators will find this book quite useful. The authors clearly delineate the advantages of implementing digital writing strategies within the secondary classroom, citing both the abstract pedagogical and sociocultural reasons as well as the practical implications of preparing students to use current technology, much of which they already use in extracurricular contexts.

Published in 2010, some of the information and resources in this volume might be a bit outdated already, but the framework for implementing a digital writing ecology (a term that the authors explain expertly) remains helpful to digital writing novices as well as veterans. Perhaps most impressive is the authors’ insistence on foregrounding teaching and learning objectives within the context of technology and digital resources. They advocate matching the tool (digital or otherwise) to the task rather than crafting objectives around the available technology.

Whether discussing rationale, strategies for implementation, standards, assessment, or professional development, the authors ground their thinking in sound pedagogy and real world contexts.