*** Note: This Area is Under Construction for the Semester! ***
What are the complexities involved in writing - both traditional and multimodal texts?
Alberta Education talks a lot about exploratory language. It encompasses an impromptu and spontaneous experience for readers and writers alike. Exploratory language, once uttered or written, helps its author understand and articulate new thoughts and experiences. It helps us reflect, develop relationships and organize our lives.
In her book Write From the Start, Robin Bright reminds us of a very important point: that writing comes in all sorts of forms. She includes a quote in her third chapter on workshopping writing in the classroom which I feel is very important:
In her book Write From the Start, Robin Bright reminds us of a very important point: that writing comes in all sorts of forms. She includes a quote in her third chapter on workshopping writing in the classroom which I feel is very important:
Students want to write. They want to write the first day they attend school. This is no accident. Before they went to school they marked up walls, pavements, newspapers with crayons, chalk, pens or pencils ... anything that makes a mark. That student's marks say, "I am."
-- Graves, 1982
This says incredible things about writing, and not just about students in the primary grades. I think it speaks to each and every one of us. Even in a paper due for a university course we may not feel passionate about, there is an individual reaching out to the world. We find them in papers balled up in the gutter, notes scribbled on napkins, and post-it notes left on the fridge.
To be a good writer, one has to understand context. When a writer can understand the audience he or she is writing for, it can uncover so much about the type of content to display, how to display it, and how much is appropriate. How much emotion is appropriate? When is grammar and polish appropriate? Can you use shorthand? Are you trying to persuade or inform? What information is most applicable, interesting, and relevant to your audience? How old is your audience? These questions and more should be considered for any piece we write. Effective writing, and effective teaching of writing, should include these questions as a starting point.
One thing I have considered especially as I turn more and more of my attention to internet resources is how to design a multimodal text. How many links are too many? What is a good balance between pictures and text? Part of this does rely on audience, but since an internet audience so widely varies, a lot comes down to aesthetics. I would love to hear about resources that have to do with this!
To be a good writer, one has to understand context. When a writer can understand the audience he or she is writing for, it can uncover so much about the type of content to display, how to display it, and how much is appropriate. How much emotion is appropriate? When is grammar and polish appropriate? Can you use shorthand? Are you trying to persuade or inform? What information is most applicable, interesting, and relevant to your audience? How old is your audience? These questions and more should be considered for any piece we write. Effective writing, and effective teaching of writing, should include these questions as a starting point.
One thing I have considered especially as I turn more and more of my attention to internet resources is how to design a multimodal text. How many links are too many? What is a good balance between pictures and text? Part of this does rely on audience, but since an internet audience so widely varies, a lot comes down to aesthetics. I would love to hear about resources that have to do with this!
Resources Consulted
Alberta Education English Language Arts Program of Studies
Bright, R. (2002). Write From the Start: Writers Workshop for the Primary Grades. Winnipeg: Portage & Main Press.
Bright, R. (2002). Write From the Start: Writers Workshop for the Primary Grades. Winnipeg: Portage & Main Press.