Writing in Digital Environments Project

Risking and Revising in Voices from the Middle

The March 2004 issue of Voices from the Middle, an NCTE publication, contains a section on web logs in the article, "Lessons Learned from Integrating Technology in a Writer's Workshop". Will and Ann's collaboration between their student bloggers is mentioned. Authors Patricia A. Watson and Jan Guidry Lacina discuss the idea that digital documents can allow for more risk taking by student writers due to the ease of revision. Using a blog as a writer's notebook provides a space for experimenting with technique. Also mentioned are Marsha Ratzel's site and Pam's Edublog News. It's great to see all of these blogging educators mentioned in this journal. At the recent Public Library Association conference, Anna Quindlin admitted that she didn't like to write. I've been a fan of her writing for many years and was shocked and then relieved by her words. She said that she liked "having written". I also enjoy writing more after I've finished and find that I write much more now that I have electronic tools to assist me in risking and revising.

Digital Identity

A definition of "reputation" appears at the Digital ID World site:

Reputation - Aggregating signed information from various sources as credentials based on past transaction history

I've been wondering how the work done using "digital paper"will affect a student's perception of themselves as readers, writers, and knowledge creators. How will a student's digital identity be impacted and formed based on their reputation in an educational context? Will this digital environment allow for more facets to develop and for increased motivation? Will some students find the digital environment a more hospitable one for building their reputation as a learner?

Sustaining and Nourishing

There has been much discussion recently about what social software is and what it can become. A few weeks ago, Tom Coates instigated a very lively interchange when he posted his working definition of social software. One of my favorite comments was by Shawn who said

"...the need is to develop tools, architectures, environments that sustain and nourish coherence..."

This idea of nourishing coherence or connection is important. Connecting with books and others through writing and reading is important. To sustain and nourish reading and writing among students is a goal most teachers work toward. It seems that this goal will be better served by web logs and web log tools than the reliance on computerized quizzes and constant testing of students. Paraphrasing Tom Coates, social software augments human social, collaborative abilities through structured mediation. By providing what Patrick Delaney calls digital paper to students along with a structured system for tracking and publishing posts/comments/discussions, we can create the kind of interest and enjoyment in reading and writing that collaboration can fuel.

The structures that educators may create for students need to contain the element of attunement which denotes responsivness. John Seely Brown reminds us that we need to

"Attune to rather than attend to."

I think this attunement is important for both students and teachers. Providing choices in reading, digital paper for responding through writing and collaborative discussions, will allow teachers and librarians to augment and extend the work they have already begun. Using social software can encourage student responsivness that will be potentially more authentic and create more lifelong readers and writers than quiz scores and earning points.

Rebuilding Worlds

Sebastian Fiedler discusses the power of true learning and the possibilities of web logs. I agree that by participating in a web log community there is a greater chance of facing and responding to the "unsettling challenges" that Robert Grudin writes about in The Grace of Great Things. Mena Trott talks about reciprocal links and fostering community and says,

It's this sort of gamble that is what makes weblogging appealing -- different opinions to read, consider and even sometimes ignore.

The appeal for educators will be witnessing the growth that will occur as students respond to other's challenges and ideas. Watching the strengthening of student's thinking skills as they read and consider different opinions while working on their own posts. Even those opinions that they choose to ignore will be considered and possibly play a part in rebuilding one's internal world.