Reflection of "Because Digital Writing Matters"

This week's reading from Because Digital Writing Matters confirms all that I believe in writing.  My students are proof that using a digital platform helps them become better writers and helps me be a better educator.  Digital writing one hundred percent aids in the process of writing.  As a younger teacher, I have been criticized for using technology in my classroom instead of paper and pencil, but I would not change it for a minute.

My students have grown leaps and bounds, since I first started using tech to aid in the writing process.  These are some of the benefits that I have seen:

1. Students are not afraid to revise.

It is hard to truly write your thoughts when you know that you are going to have to fit a bunch of corrections in the margins.  As a student, I used to revise my work on another piece of paper or crunch it into the margins.  Students today do not face these limitations.  If a student wants to add more writing to the middle of a paragraph, there is no stress in it.  They simply begin typing and add it into their work.  I find that my students are completely willing to revise their work for this reason.  They are not limited by space.

2. Teachers can see a history of student revisions.

Many teachers have told me that they like students to hand write so that they can see a copy of their revisions.  This makes me laugh, because google docs allows you to see student revision much more clearly than pencil and paper.  Google docs saves the history and revisions of every document.  I can literally see what a student wrote at a particular time.  I can view when a student added or took away from their writing. 

3. Students do not waste time copying over their writing.

I have more time to instruct my students, because we are not spending days typing something that they wrote by hand.  That process is done from the start.

4. Students do not lose their writing.

Nothing is more frustrating than having a student write in your class then lose the writing by the next meeting.  Google docs automatically saves your writing (as long as you are connected to the internet).  My students always have access to their writing.  Students can also work at home, and the work does not get lost going back and forth.  It is digital.

5. Students can collaborate freely.

My students are constantly seeking feedback on their writing from their classmates.  It goes on without them ever speaking a word (although I do allow verbal conferencing).  They can share their writing with a friend across the room and get advice without ever disturbing the writing environment.

6. I can give students feedback.

I get exhausted writing comments by hand.  I often can't find room on the paper to write the comments I want to say.  Digital writing allows me to write full comments without breaking my hand off.  I can also highlight sections of their writing I want them to look at again.  I correct faster and better using technology.

These are several of the reasons I love using technology to aid my students' writing.  Technology is not making student worse writers; it can make them better.  We just need to teach students how to use it correctly.