A presentation for Masters subject, Engaging Students with WritingMelbourne Graduate School of Education

1. engaging students with writing
in the digital age

2. why english matters
“It's hard to imagine what other department is better
suited to helping us prepare, in practical and profound
ways, for our future, for the highly unpredictable changes
in how we read, write, and communicate that are
reshaping school and work in the Information Age.”
Cathy Davidson, Duke University
https://www.hastac.org/

3. essential questions

4. essential questions
• What does writing look like in the digital age?
• How would you define digital age writing?
• What are the implications for the type of writing we
teach / have students to engage in?
• How do we teach students to write in this new media
landscape?

5. writing, technology and teens

6. writing, technology and teens
Even though teens are heavily embedded in a tech-rich world,
they do not believe that communication over the internet or text
messaging is writing.

7. writing, technology and teens
Even though teens are heavily embedded in a tech-rich world,
they do not believe that communication over the internet or text
messaging is writing.
Teens believe good writing is important to success in life.

8. writing, technology and teens
Even though teens are heavily embedded in a tech-rich world,
they do not believe that communication over the internet or text
messaging is writing.
Teens believe good writing is important to success in life.
Teens are motivated to write by relevant topics, high
expectations, an interested audience and opportunities to write
creatively.

9. writing, technology and teens
Even though teens are heavily embedded in a tech-rich world,
they do not believe that communication over the internet or text
messaging is writing.
Teens believe good writing is important to success in life.
Teens are motivated to write by relevant topics, high
expectations, an interested audience and opportunities to write
creatively.
Teens believe that the writing instruction they receive in school
could be improved.

10. writing, technology and teens

11. writing, technology and teens
Non-school writing, while less common than school writing, is still
widespread among teens.

12. writing, technology and teens
Non-school writing, while less common than school writing, is still
widespread among teens.
Multi-channel teens and gadget owners do not write any more –
or less – than their counterparts, but bloggers are more prolific

13. writing, technology and teens
Non-school writing, while less common than school writing, is still
widespread among teens.
Multi-channel teens and gadget owners do not write any more –
or less – than their counterparts, but bloggers are more prolific
As tech-savvy as they are, teens do not believe that writing with
computers makes a big difference in the quality of their writing.

14. writing, technology and teens
Non-school writing, while less common than school writing, is still
widespread among teens.
Multi-channel teens and gadget owners do not write any more –
or less – than their counterparts, but bloggers are more prolific
As tech-savvy as they are, teens do not believe that writing with
computers makes a big difference in the quality of their writing.
Teens enjoy non-school writing, and to a lesser extent, the writing
they do for school.

15. web as participatory platform
‘us-ness’ | community | participation

16. 21st Century Education Rethinking the who, what,
where & when of learning.
The delivery & distribution
of learning.
From prescriptive to
connective practices.
Who participates in the
learning process.
Learning spaces.

17. pedagogy | shifts in learning

18. pedagogy | shifts in learning

19. role of digital media

20. making it real
http://hubpages.com/
http://hubpages.com/hub/short-story-When-The-Bird-Sings-in-the-Pine-Wood

21. making it real

22. making it real
http://www.mixedink.com

23. making it real
http://issuu.com

24. blogging, microblogging and chat
Twitter in the Classroom?
100 Ways to Teach with Twitter
http://www.emergingedtech.com/2010/02/100-ways-to-teach-with-twitter/

25. blogging & convergence
mobile web share

26. microblogging
How I learned to love Twitter
Margaret Atwood
“So what's it all about, this Twitter? Is it signalling, like
telegraphs? Is it Zen poetry? Is it jokes scribbled on the
washroom wall? Is it John Hearts Mary carved on a tree?
Let's just say it's communication, and communication is
something human beings like to do.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/apr/07/love-twitter-hooked-fairies-garden

27. reflect

28. reflect
• Are students equipped with competencies to
communicate effectively in digital mediums such as
chat, forums, blogs, email?
• Can students argue, inform, instruct, analyse etc for
digital spaces?
• How would you teach students to write for mobile
devices?

29. blended learning
“Blended learning is more effective than either face to face or
online learning by themselves.”
“Between online and face to face instruction, online is at least
as good and may even have the advantage in terms of
improving student achievement and potentially expanding the
amount of time (and quality time) students spend learning.”
Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning [The US Department of Education 2009]

30. pedagogy | learning networks
Beyond the institutionalised logic of the school towards the
network logic of the learning community.
Learning institutions rethinking the possibilities around what
can be learnt, where learning can happen and who is
involved in the learning process.

31. case study |
jnr learning network

32. case study | jnr learning network

33. case study |
jnr learning network

34. case study | middle school reading network

35. case study | 7 – 12 learning network

36. case study |
7 – 12 learning network

37. case study |
7 – 12 learning network

38. case study | yr 9 genre writing

39. case study | digital media & analytical writing

40. resources
Reading
National Writing Project:
http://www.nwp.org/
Teachers Are the Centre of Education: Writing, Learning and Leading in the Digital Age Paper (National
Writing Project):
http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/3154
Digital Literacy Across the Curriculum Handbook (Futurelab)
http://www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/publications-reports-articles/handbooks/Handbook1706
Writing, Technology and Teens (Pew Internet and American Life Project Research)
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2008/Writing-Technology-and-Teens.aspx
New Media Literacies Community
http://projectnml.ning.com/
Digital Media and Learning
http://dmlcentral.net/
Tools
digimuve's social bookmarks
http://www.diigo.com/user/digimuve

41. Sylvia Guidara
www.digimuve.com
twitter.com/digimuve
sguidara@me.com