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Don\u2019t Beat Them. Just Join Them<\/p>\n
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One of the most important facets of writing well, is being able to write appropriately for different audiences.\u00a0 The best author would be equally able to write children\u2019s books, research papers, and web blogs. This is why it is extremely important to consider your audience when writing, and match your voice accordingly.\u00a0 One of the newest realms of writing, digital writing, is also the one with the most potential. \u00a0An entire generation has now grown up with this technology at their hands, and as they develop so do the possibilities of the digital world. Writing online requires its own toolsets and training, and this generation of \u201cdigital natives\u201d is more versed in it than anyone else. As digital media permeates every corner of modern society it becomes more imperative that college students utilize this advantage to its full potential.\u00a0 Classes across all disciplines can benefit from digital writing, since good writing is writing that can transcend media platforms.\u00a0 The trend of incorporating digital media into multidisciplinary curriculums will see a meteoric rise as more jobs and opportunities use these technologies.<\/p>\n
In Shawn Graham\u2019s chapter \u201cLearning to Write at a Distance\u201d he denounces the idea that the entirety of the post 80\u2019s generation are digital natives. He writes that, \u201cUnless you can build and program an iPad from scratch, it is magic. Unless you can build the algorithms that populate your browser (indeed, even the browser, the OS itself) with content, the web and associated technologies are again: magic\u201d (Graham, 2). It is true that I have never programmed an app, and have only the most limited grasp on how the Internet actually works, but my experiences growing up with the web still put me leaps and bounds ahead of the majority of the population.\u00a0 Unlike my Dad I don\u2019t plan on being a software engineer, so I will never understand the coding behind digital technologies.\u00a0 However, in contrast to my Dad, I have been versed in many digital technologies and their application to modern culture.<\/p>\n
Libraries have always been the realms of books, but now digital media is working its way into all aspects of the library. \u00a0In Jenny Emanuel\u2019s article \u201cDigital Native Librarians, Technology Skills, and Their Relationship with Technology\u201d she talks about how the new generation of librarians who have been raised around technology will alter their field.\u00a0 A survey of 315 participants born between 1982 and 1990 who or are working towards their MLS degree proved that digital media is becoming a major part of their domain (Emanuel, 22).\u00a0 Librarians remarked that their library school education has made them more proficient in all types of digital programs, and were far more adept at digital resources and writing skills. \u00a0Emanuel also uses the term \u201cdigital native\u201d, and most librarians believed \u201cthat there were differences in technology use and attitudes between librarians who were younger versus older librarians\u201d (Emanuel, 26). Younger librarians were more willing to adopt new technologies, and also demonstrated that they used digital media in their personal lives on a greater level.\u00a0 The participants in Emanuel\u2019s study were asked if there were any technologies they still wanted to learn. The responses were compiled into this word cloud.<\/p>\n
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Many of these terms are phrases that didn\u2019t exist when the previous generations of librarians were in school; clearly the career is changing.\u00a0 Here at Dickinson the librarians strive to teach these digital technologies even though the majority, were born before Emanuel\u2019s participants.\u00a0 Librarians are skilled in both finding physical texts and using online databases for research.\u00a0 For computer and Internet troubles students go to the library to fix them. Our class, Writing In and For Digital Environments, has utilized the digital skills of Dickinson\u2019s librarians to develop our blogs, and correctly cite sources.\u00a0 These are both key skills in our technological day and age.<\/p>\n
Librarians are just one of the jobs where digital media and writing is becoming more integral. Journalism has always relied on strong writing to convey messages day after day.\u00a0 Strong writers were valued for their ability to clearly articulate events to the public. Journalism has also been quick to adopt digital writing, both from convenience and necessity. \u00a0\u00a0Digital writing allows for the public to immediately access your writing.\u00a0 Live blogging has turned the news from something that wound up on your doorstep every morning, to a continuous feed of information any time of the day. \u00a0Journalists also make their own blogs so they can express thoughts that would otherwise be excluded from their employer\u2019s news due to limited space and diverging opinions.<\/p>\n
Leigh Wright documents how for one of her classes students became competent in using twitter, a micro blogging service, as a professional journalism tool, and a method of practicing concise writing. \u00a0Working with a limited space, students were forced to make leads that were less than 35 words. Upon tweeting to a class hashtag, the class could comment and discuss what worked and what did not. Another exercise involved students live tweeting events such as scavenger hunts and sports games.\u00a0 Students each had their own unique style of writing, and their tweets received attention from sources outside of class.\u00a0 The popularity of twitter means this is a great method for sharing information.\u00a0 The more people see your writing the more you pay attention to what and how your write. \u00a0Good digital writing has the potential to be seen by the majority of the world, and also to make the leap out of the digital world onto print.\u00a0 This class is one of the many examples of how digital writing is becoming more commonplace in school curriculums, and across different media platforms.\u00a0 As more jobs require and utilize digital media, classes like this are becoming a necessary tool.<\/p>\n
As liberal arts professors strive to connect with small groups of students, the web can serve as an important link.\u00a0 A study by a United Kingdom University on how the web makes young people aged 13-19 found that the effects were primarily positive.\u00a0 They reported, \u201cin this study, we found that that, overall, the web makes youth feel positive, with over 56% (80) of emotional responses expressed classified as positive, 32% (46) as neutral, and only 12% (17) as negative (Table 1). This finding supports the position that, on average, youth feel that the web makes them feel positive\u201d (Page, 1352).\u00a0 Evidently digital media is an effective tool to engage students.\u00a0 I feel that this course has far more relevance than many of the writing classes I have taken in the past primarily because the online medium is so pertinent to my life, and I do feel positive emotions seeing my work on the web.<\/p>\n
Web Writing<\/i>, the textbook where \u201cTweet me a Story\u201d and \u201cLearning to Write at a Distance\u201d are from, is still in its revision phase.\u00a0 However Professor Kersh\u2019s Writing In and For Digital Media class, of which I am a part of, were asked to participate in the open peer review due to the marked similarities between its content and our class. Web writing, and blogging, which I once dismissed as petty, has proven to be an incredibly valuable tool as a writer.\u00a0 I have only written half of my first post and already I can hear a consistent voice coming through.\u00a0 The words flow much easier as I wrote about what I enjoy: my experiences exploring Cumberland County.\u00a0 Everyone has something to say and I believe that my blog serves an important and unfilled niche. It is beneficial to the greater community, and I am extremely interested in receiving feedback.\u00a0 Other blogs our class has created also show the value of digital writing.\u00a0 The multidisciplinary aspect of Dickinson College means students in Writing In and For Digital Media can incorporate ideas from other classes into their blogs. Food blogs can talk about experiences in chemistry in the kitchen, or the responsibility that comes with living off campus. Popular culture blogs can review the latest Trout Gallery showing, or theater production.<\/p>\n
While good writing is an indelible skill, another very important skill digital media classes like, Writing In and For Digital Media, can teach, is the ability to work on the web. Training Magazine<\/i> recently published an article about blogging, saying that, \u201cthe average midsize or large company (1,000 employees or more) has 178 “social media assets,” according to the Business2Community Website. That means that, on average, 178 individuals are tweeting, blogging, or posting on behalf of their organizations on company social media outlets\u201d(Post, 56).\u00a0 Nowhere has blogging for business, been more apparent to me than my dad\u2019s own blog. When he was undergoing the process of licensing, building, and managing an ice cream store he started Cheerful Musings<\/a> to build a community, let the town know his progress, and as a means to gather his thoughts.\u00a0 Now that he works constantly he no longer updates it, but is considering paying a scooper extra to work on the store\u2019s blog. This type of job never used to exist but the advent of digital media has created it\u2019s own field.<\/p>\n My best experience with digital writing came in my first year seminar.\u00a0 For a final project we were to choose a topic related to our class, find a relevant person to interview, develop a script, and finally make a podcast with your interview.\u00a0 This multi-step project required us to think about a new form of writing.\u00a0 We developed a script for the interview that had to be professional and informative while also being conversational.\u00a0 Much like Leah Wright\u2019s twitter exercises, this strengthened our ability to write concisely.\u00a0 It also boosted real-world social skills by requiring us to arrange the interview with a professional, and use advanced recording equipment.\u00a0 I found that during the interview I had to quickly adapt questions to reflect the answers I was getting, which was difficult but proved to reap stimulating conversations.\u00a0 Finally it taught us to use a new software, Audacity, to create our podcasts.\u00a0 This experience shows that classes and assignments that incorporate digital writing can offer real-world experiences, and opportunities to learn new skills.<\/p>\n As a college student digital writing plays such a large and integral part of my daily life that much of it has become so familiar it is now unnoticed.\u00a0 I check my email, complete online quizzes, browse the daily news, and read social media, all of which revolve around digital writing.\u00a0 I was initially hesitant to take this course stating to my mom that as a science major why would I need a background in digital writing, the only writing I would do would be in scientific journals (if I was so lucky).\u00a0 She remarked that after graduating as an English major she worked writing about the torsional capacity of relative steel brands, knowing nothing about material sciences.\u00a0 \u201cWriting well is the most important skill you can have,\u201d she told me. Now that I am a few weeks into this course I see how even as a science major digital writing can and will be a ever present force in both my future career and daily life.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n References:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Emanuel, Jenny. \u201cDigital Native Librarians, Technology Skills, and Their Relationship with Technology.\u201d Information Technology & Libraries 32<\/i> (2013): 20-33. Web. 7 October. 2013<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Graham, Shawn. \u201cLearning to Write at a Distance.\u201d Web Writing<\/i> 15 Sept. 2005: Web. October 2013<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Page, Kelly; Mapstone, Mark. \u201cHow Does the Web Make Youth Feel? Exploring the Positive Digital Native Rhetoric.\u201d Journal of Marketing Management<\/i> 26<\/i> (2010): 1345-1366. Web. 7 October. 2013.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Post, Peter. \u201cEmbrace Social Media Carefully.\u201d Training<\/i> 50 <\/i>(2013): 56. Web. 8 October. 2013<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Wright, Leah. \u201cTweet Me A Story.\u201d Web Writing<\/i> 15 Sept. 2005: Web. October 2013<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Don\u2019t Beat Them. Just Join Them One of the most important facets of writing well, is being able to write appropriately for different audiences.\u00a0 The best author would be equally able to write children\u2019s books, research papers, and … Continue reading