I was taught by the traditional teacher. We wrote on paper
and turned it in. We didn’t have computers available for the entire class to
type up an assignment. I have talked to some of my teachers I had when I was
younger and they are way out the loop when it comes to technology. The traditional
teacher needs a digital writing workshop. In chapter 2 of Crafting Digital
Writing, Hicks discuss how a lot of teachers feel about digital writing. He
also discussed a few different metaphors on how to enhance your digital
writing. This is a great read for the older and newer generation who is not
tech savvy. This website http://digitalwritingworkshop.wikispaces.com/ is a great go to spot reference information about the book.
The three metaphors that were discussed in this chapter was
studying craft with lenses, studying craft by slowing down, and studying craft
by starting small. All three of these metaphors had great ideas in each
section. Studying craft with lenses, which means to me, that you must look more
in depth in the page or the text. Sometimes there are more things to know within
the readings, if you read between the lines. Slowing down was another one, once
you actually look at the text in depth, one can slow down and notice the essentials
in in the text, such as standards, grade level, and genres. If you don’t have
the correct lenses and you are reading to fast then you will miss the important
part of the writing. (Hicks, 2013) The
last essential that I liked was start small. When you give an assignment such
as writing, start with a simple topic that can be builded upon in the long run.
All these techniques can be used together in order to make a writing assignment
the best it can possibly be.
In my blogging collaboration I discussed the edutopia blog and I found some great blogs from other teachers about digital writing. This is a great site to check out. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/why-digital-writing-matters-jeff-grabill
Here are a couple of links to videos of digital writing being taught in the classroom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9z71iNrlew
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y20ACwt4eck
