A reflection on "Writing Re-Launched"

A Reflection on "Writing Re-Launched"

Lines that stuck out to me while reading:

"Digital writing assignments match the real world."
It's so apparent as I teach, coach, and grade standardized essays how rare and unique the strict essay format is.  Why do I teach it?  To prepare them for high school and college.  But if this a format that they won't need there, should I be teaching it at all?  Digital writing assignments do make a ton of sense for real-world prep, but do they for high school?  How do I find this out from hs teachers and their expectations?  Or, how can I incorporate the two?  I love the idea of using GoogleDocs, which I have used before, but I do get a bit nervous about having kids make accounts.   

"As part of their oral presentations, students were required to include a technology-based visual aid, such as an interactive poster made through Glogster or a word cloud created with Wordle."
I recently used Glogster in Elite and really liked it.  I think this would be an awesome addition to a presentation, especially since it's more interactive.  Wordle is fine, but it lacks the depth of Glogster.

"Historically, collaboration is 'thought to be cheating' in schools, says Eidman-Aadahl. But outside of the school setting, in higher education and the workplace, she says, 'collaborative writing is huge.'”
True!  Though I really don't enjoy collaborative writing, it is one way that I've written more as a professional.  It's so valuable to recognize other writing styles and how they coincide/overlap/differ.  

"Another distinction between the two types of writing is that while traditional writing formats, such as journaling, are frequently used for private reflection, digital writing is almost always meant for an audience. Once published, digital pieces, such as blogs and YouTube videos, are often widely available and searchable on the Web."
It's so funny that even though I don't always enjoy collaborative writing, I have witnessed kids love it!  They really do appreciate having an audience.  They are more clear, more focused on details, and happier to revise.  I love when they take their writing seriously.

"Digital writing, by showing students how writing can be used, often enhances the drive to learn the basics."
Ah!  Yes!  Showing HOW writing can be used.  I love this idea of finding a variety of ways that students can learn how writing is used.  

A snarky comment, just because I'm dork and I have to:

"A friendly letter is more likely composed on a smartphone than on stationary."  
Hmm.  I wonder if this author realizes that one of the beauties of technology, spell-check and grammar-check, can't catch mistakes like this one with a common homophone.  Not all friendly letters are less likely composed while standing still...