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"Digital Writing" v. Multimedia Literacy"? l
Why "Writing Across the Curriculum?" l
Digital Writing Across the
Curriculum home
What do we mean by 'digital
writing' and why use that term instead of, for example,
'multimedia literacy?" Here are some arguments on
both sides about what term to use and what each one means.
| Digital Writing |
Multimedia Literacy |
| "Digital"
seems a more inclusive term -- all forms of digital projects
- from Word documents and e-mails to branching web sites and
simulations. |
"Multimedia":
this term, for us, implies video, audio, and text. |
| "Writing":
Emphasis on student creation of a project, rather than on
student critique of existing works. I've noticed that,
when I ask faculty and administrators to comment on the
implications of reading and writing for education, they
almost always talk about writing by experts and reading by
students, not writing by students. Yet writing by students
is a powerful way for students to learn skills of reasoning
and creative work. |
"Literacy":
Emphasis equally, or more, on learning to critique existing
works (as opposed to creating new works). "Literacy"
also (to us) implies that 'reading' and 'creation' of
multimedia should be taught and practiced as one, rather
than two different, activities. |
| Organizational
responsibility for 'digital writing across the curriculum':
the 'writing across the curriculum' program might be
expanded to include other forms of writing, such as creation
of Web sites and writing/discussion online. We also like the
model of 'writing across the curriculum' developed over the
last few decades, a model that begins with faculty learning
to improve their own 'writing' skills for their own purposes
and then proceeding to think about how to enrich the ways
they teach and assess students. |
Organizational
responsibility for multimedia literacy across the curriculum:
the library? some new program or committee? an instructional technology
department or office? |
Across most
of the majors taught in any college or university, students
are assigned to write essays and term papers. They need to
enter their disciplinary courses with some skill in writing
because it provides a framework for their research, critical
thinking, and assessment. And the disciplinary courses ought
to be fostering developing of writing skills specific to
that discipline. But all of those learning activities, and
thus their outcomes, are shaped by the fact that traditional
essays are linear (i.e., printable, with a beginning,
middle and end) and text-based.
"Digital Writing" v.
Multimedia Literacy"? l Why
"Writing Across the Curriculum?" l
Digital Writing Across the
Curriculum home
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PO Box
5643,
Takoma Park, Maryland 20913
Phone:
301.270.8312/Fax: 301.270.8110
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To talk about our work
or our organization
contact: Sally Gilbert |
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