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The composition classroom is changing -- or at least it should be changing.
More and more students come into the first- and second-year writing classroom experienced with technology. From social media sites to blogging platforms, students spend a lot of time writing on and for the Web. As composition instructors we sometimes shy away from this type of technological literacy, misguidedly believing that the writing students do online isn't "real" writing. In other words, they're not writing in standard, traditional academic formats. Instead of approaching this writing as completely separate from and unrelated to academic writing, we as composition instructors need to re-see the writing students do online as opportunities to bridge the gap between home literacies and school literacies, and drawing from students' own technological literacies is a great place to start.
On this site I offer an argument for composition instructors to incorporate technological literacy into their classrooms. In particular, I advocate for the use of Tumblr as a means for students to conduct, read, organize, and share research. Incorporating Tumblr into the composition classroom provides students with an opportunity to explore the research process in a way that might feel more familiar to them. Tumblr not only creates the space for a multimodal learning experience, but it also encourages the development of multiple literacies.
Navigating the Site
The tabs across the top work through my argument. The argument builds from left to right, starting with "Multimodality" (including the drop-down tabs), moving through "Multiliteracies" (including the drop-down tabs), and ending with "Tumblr" (including the drop-down tabs) and a "Practical Application" (including the drop-down tabs) of its use in the classroom.
More and more students come into the first- and second-year writing classroom experienced with technology. From social media sites to blogging platforms, students spend a lot of time writing on and for the Web. As composition instructors we sometimes shy away from this type of technological literacy, misguidedly believing that the writing students do online isn't "real" writing. In other words, they're not writing in standard, traditional academic formats. Instead of approaching this writing as completely separate from and unrelated to academic writing, we as composition instructors need to re-see the writing students do online as opportunities to bridge the gap between home literacies and school literacies, and drawing from students' own technological literacies is a great place to start.
On this site I offer an argument for composition instructors to incorporate technological literacy into their classrooms. In particular, I advocate for the use of Tumblr as a means for students to conduct, read, organize, and share research. Incorporating Tumblr into the composition classroom provides students with an opportunity to explore the research process in a way that might feel more familiar to them. Tumblr not only creates the space for a multimodal learning experience, but it also encourages the development of multiple literacies.
Navigating the Site
The tabs across the top work through my argument. The argument builds from left to right, starting with "Multimodality" (including the drop-down tabs), moving through "Multiliteracies" (including the drop-down tabs), and ending with "Tumblr" (including the drop-down tabs) and a "Practical Application" (including the drop-down tabs) of its use in the classroom.