Post three

Digital writer's notebook versus Print bound notebook 

The digital writer’s notebook was an entirely new and beneficial experience for me as a traditional writer. At the beginning of the task I was somewhat apprehensive about the journey into the era of digital writing, and using the digital notebook. Since I had absolutely no idea what it entailed and the purpose of this type of media. However my fears and uncertainty were instantly laid to rest when I realized how simple and beneficial the exercise was, since it created an avenue for me to be interactive and also share my pieces with other individuals. Therefore as a teacher I am more cognizant about the fact that changes can bring about a level of hesitation and nervousness to my students and their writing, therefore it is my job to adequately guide them through the transitional process.

Therefore what is a digital writer’s notebook, it is a technological age of the writing process where individuals are not limited to the pen and paper, but are exposed to writing in the digital age, using digital apps to make their writing easier and diversified for the reader.  As a result the  digital writer’s notebook assisted me immensely with creativity and individuality when constructing a piece, I was able to use different medias, images, sounds graphic etc to fascinate the reader and also include diverse techniques that caters to different types of learners, which will keep them engaged throughout the reading process. The digital writer’s notebook also provided the opportunity to use Google slides, Google docs and blog post which are multidimensional writing processes that can be incorporated into the wring process, however Google doc and blog post were my much loved when using the digital writing note book. For example with the commencement of this piece I was nervous as I mentioned before, why could not I use my traditional pen and paper, sigh! I thought as began typing on Google doc but to my amazement the experience was worthwhile and the fact that I could select whomever I felt worthy enough to view and read my pieces was an added bonus, therefore I decided to share my piece with a trusted confidant   who gave her honest opinion. Hmmm, that was not so bad after all I thought, this digital writing notebook is pretty cool.

As a result I can see this media being used within my classroom on a daily basis and benefiting the students who are from an age of technology, and where the constant usage  of  the traditional and print medium would not be adequate for their writing process . The digital writer’s notebook is similar to the print and bound writer’s notebook because it has to follow all the stages of the writing process such as prewriting, drafting, revising, editing and publishing. It is not an instant process but a step by step journey to completion the writer as to gather his or her thoughts and engage in art of writing which is applicable to both writing process, also both print and digital writing notebook helps the writer in situations where a student begins writing at school, and wants to finish, revise, or edit at home, it can be easily done. Lastly is helps teachers to model writing and share their writing with students on a regular basis. According to Ralph Fletcher writer’s notebook gives the writer, “space to record and explore what amazes, delights, disgusts, or appalls [him].” Therefore it is crucial that teachers allow students to actively engage in the digital writer’s notebook and create a community of learner by where it is necessary that pieces are shared.