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

National Writing Project (Author), Danielle Nicole DeVoss (Author), Elyse Eidman-Aadahl (Author), Troy Hicks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 9, 2010 | ISBN-10: 0470407727 | ISBN-13: 978-0470407721 | Edition: 1

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.

• Shows how to integrate new technologies into classroom lessons
• Addresses the proliferation of writing in the digital age
• Offers a guide for improving students' online writing skills

The book is an important manual for understanding this new frontier of writing for teachers, school leaders, university faculty, and teacher educators.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The connectivity of the internet and the latest digital technologies have opened vast new opportunities, formats, and audiences for writing. Digital writing involves more than just word processing an essay or punching out an e-mail message; students can blog, text message, chat online, or create narratives for multi-media productions.

Based on case studies, interviews with educational professionals, and a decade's worth of research, Because Digital Writing Matters offers proven strategies to equip students with the communications skills that will enable them to thrive in our information-rich, high-speed, high-tech culture. The book also

• Introduces the idea of digital writing as a mode of thinking, applicable to all grades and disciplines

• Examines current trends, best practices, research, and issues in the teaching of digital writing

• Offers practical solutions and models for planning, implementing, and assessing digital writing initiatives and writing programs

Because Digital Writing Matters reveals what teachers, administrators, and parents can do to meet the writing challenge in our nation's schools.

"Coming not a moment too soon, Because Digital Writing Matters is required reading for every educator and concerned citizen in our society." —Patricia Lambert Stock, professor emerita, Michigan State University, and visiting professor, The University of Maryland, College Park

"An important and useful book—a much-needed guide to the teaching of digital writing, with examples of teachers' exemplary practice." —Charles Moran, professor emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

The NATIONAL WRITING PROJECT (NWP), founded in 1974, is a nationwide network of educators, working together to improve the teaching of writing in the nation's schools and in other settings. The revised edition of their bestselling book, Because Writing Matters, is also available from Jossey-Bass. For more information on NWP, visit www.nwp.org.

About the Author

Dànielle Nicole DeVoss is an associate professor and director of the Professional Writing Program at Michigan State University. Elyse Eidman-Aadahl directs National Programs and Site Development at the NWP at the University of California, Berkeley. Troy Hicks is an assistant professor of English at Central Michigan University, where he also directs the Chippewa River Writing Project.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (November 9, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470407727
• ISBN-13: 978-0470407721
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.6 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful resource for anyone studying education February 15, 2011

By Charlotte

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I decided to try out this book because I knew I would be taking a literacy class for my Master's program, and thought it might be relevant. As it turns out, it was REALLY relevant and has been a wonderful resource. Academic readers can cite with confidence, knowing it's from the National Writing Project (NWP).

So, the basic idea of this book is that as teachers, we want and need to have all the best tools available to help our students master writing and literacy. Traditional literacy deals with the communication skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. This book deals with both theory and practical methods for augmenting instruction of traditional literacy skills with increasingly-critical skills in digital, visual, and informational literacies.

Topics include rationale of why digital writing is crucial in today's world; the relationship of digital writing = writing + reading + listening + collaborating; digital formats like word processing, power point presentations, audio and video, social networks, blogs, email, RSS, etc.; addressing the challenges of integrating computers into classrooms, lesson plans, etc.; tools and techniques for classroom use; using digital tools to support proven traditional writing practices (like process strategies); "digital ecology" of rapidly-changing writing environments; activities to help students avoid plagiarism; standards and assessments for digital writing, including detailed examples and best practices; professional development ideas; creating learning networks; and finally a chapter on future directions to improve student learning....

All teachers, from math to social studies, could benefit from the ideas presented by the NWP, and ideas in the book are presented from numerous perspectives, NOT just English-and-reading-teacher-centric. Honestly, I would recommend it for anyone who teaches upper elementary to secondary levels, and anyone else who is interested in this topic. It has been a wonderful resource for my Literacy class, and I'm sure will come in handy again when I take the "Students Using Technology" class. It wouldn't surprise me to see this on the required reading lists in the future. Read more ›

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Repetitive and Outdated February 20, 2011

By Readerly VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I was very disappointed in this book.

The authors' definition of digital writing is "compositions created with, and oftentimes for reading and/or viewing on, a computer or other device that is connected to the Internet."

While they do address the fact that digital writing is writing done using a computer, they don't address (enough, at least) what I think is more important re: digital writing, and that is the audience that can be reached.

Other issues:
It was boring and in places confusing.

It was repetitive. They said nothing that hasn't been said in a thousand articles, lectures, and blogs.

A lot of their sources were more than three years old; in a book on technology and writing, I don't see that as a good thing.

While the topic is relevant to today's learners, the authors could have written a nice article for a magazine that would have covered what they wanted to say. I found myself skimming large sections of information I felt had already been stated previously.

Also, while I understand not wanting to give too many concrete examples of how to improve writing in a book about how quickly things change, I think they could have provided more than a few teacher anecdotes.

The book read like a research report, not an analysis of research completed. That's not what I, personally, look for in a book when I want to change things in my classroom.

Maybe, as I've alluded to, a book is the wrong medium for something that changes so quickly. But I found this particular book tremendously dissatisfying, and would like to see more work done on the subject in hopes that we can produce something more authoritative for teachers to use.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Digital Writing does Matter October 20, 2011

By Gertrude, the Bad Queen VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Because of the nature of the social network of the internet, children and teenagers are writing more than they ever did before and they are doing so happily, communicating across time and space, sharing their thoughts and ideas. They are plugged in, sometimes in multiple ways, all day long, reaching out, blogging, and writing, that is until they get to their schools which remain, curiously unplugged. One of the things that is interesting to me, in elementary, middle and high schools, is that, yes the internet is there and computers are available; however, it is a slow, lumbering internet that is available -- an internet that takes forever to load a page and that has blocks at every corridor. It's even funnier when you have to move around the room to get a wireless signal. Yes, you may go here, but not there or there or there. Some of these blocks seem capricious and frustrating.

One of the roles of teachers has to be to help students develop the critical skills they need to understand digital media and their role in it. This book is especially interesting because it illustrates how teachers are using collaborative media in their classrooms and how they use multimedia to enhance teaching and learning to provide meaningful educational experiences for students, not to use technology for technology's sake.

This book gives a lot to think about but it also gives practical and useful ideas for integrating technology into our writing classrooms - not in isolated ways but in integrative ways that use multiple technologies and teach students, yes, and teachers, to use multimedia to enrich writing and enhance the experience of the classroom. Computers are not something we do, but something we use in every part of our lives....

The National Writing Project is an organization, a collective effort among teachers, writers and students to teach and learn about writing and teaching writing. I don't know of any NWP book that was not thoughtful and timely. This is a great resource of ideas and strategies for writing teachers. Read more ›