Collection Overview
Multimodal Teaching Writing

Teaching in the Digital Writing Workshop

Curated by Troy Hicks

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Content type
The Digital Writing Workshop
By Joel Malley
An inside view of Joel Malley's digital writing workshop, "Writing in a Digital Age" is a rich example of how a teacher both creates digital writing himself and invites his students to create digital writing, too. What I appreciate most about Joel's work is the way that he talks about writers and the writing process. He begins by arguing that, "Even though my class has gone digital, writing still forms the foundation of all the things we do... Storytelling is the basis for everything." He talks about how students write extensively, from planning to digging into their topics, from reflecting to responding to others. He talks about "composing in multiple modes" and how he has students engaged in the workshop approach. Students turn poems into films, create personal narratives, and make research-based documentary films. These are all important writing tasks—ones that have traditionally been a part of writing curriculum—made richer through collaboration and publication. Once when I shared Joel's film with an audience of teachers, an immediate critique I heard went something like this: "Yes, but he has upper-level kids, all the equipment he could ever need, and the flexibility to do this in his multimedia production class." While this appears to be true, I think that Joel's approach transcends these criticisms. He takes the approach of a digital writing workshop—one where student choice, inquiry, and response matter—and infuses it in all that he does, whether on screen or on paper. With digital writing, whether you have one-to-one or only one in your classroom, it is the attention to the process, to revision that matters. Joel doesn't teach English. He doesn't teach technology. He teaches digital writers. And that's what makes all the difference.
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Content type
Discussing the Digital Writing Workshop
By Troy Hicks
Content type
Voice and Composition: Authenticity Through Digital Literacies
By Dawn Reed
Content type
Power Users’ Guide
By Anne Herrington & Charlie Moran
Content type
The Dilemma of Copyright and Digital Texts
By Joseph Conroy
5 Posts in this Collection

Summary:

 A guide to properly using copyrighted materials while respecting intellectual property through fair use practices.

Released in 2009, The Digital Writing Workshop (Heinemann) blends the pedagogical approach of a “writing workshop” with the technical and rhetorical features of “digital writing.” Written by me, Troy Hicks, Director of the Chippewa River Writing Project at Central Michigan University, this collection features a number of resources related to the concepts presented in the book, many of which feature fellow NWP teachers and examples from their classrooms. In addition to this curated collection of resources, please see the companion wiki for the book for other links and ideas about teaching in a digital writing workshop and Ken Martin’s thoughtful review of the book on the NWP website.

This collection highlights a number of resources created by myself and others related to the concept of “digital writing workshop.” First, Joel Malley’s video provides a glimpse into his digital writing workshop. Next, a collection of podcasts from Teachers Teaching Teachers offers insights from the teachers featured in the book. Then, final three pieces are resources from teachers who are engaging in digital writing workshops with their students, and they address issues of crafting multimedia texts, planning for and evaluating digital writing, and understanding issues related to copyright and fair use.

Taken in sum, my hope is that this collection points you in many directions as you consider ways to create a digital writing workshop in your classroom. Curating this collection has allowed me to pause and collect a number of incredible examples from my own work and the work of others that shows the power of digital writing to inquire, integrate, and inspire.

Thanks for joining in the conversation.

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Content type
Discussing the Digital Writing Workshop
By Troy Hicks
Content type
Voice and Composition: Authenticity Through Digital Literacies
By Dawn Reed
Content type
Power Users’ Guide
By Anne Herrington & Charlie Moran

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