Digital Is... the rest of the story
The video above, Oakland State of Mind, is but one example of the kinds of multisensory/multimodal digital compositions that can now be created by almost anyone with access to new digital tools. What used to be produced by specialists now can be made by all of us. This music video, developed by youth and mentors associated with Youth Roots, a community organization in Oakland, CA, demonstrates the potential for digital composition to embody youth culture, activism, empowerment and critical examination. But what’s the story behind this video? How did these young people and their teachers get there, and where are they going next? Where are we all going next?
Digital Is, a project of the National Writing Project, aims to publish the voices of educators and youth who are exploring what it might mean to teach and learn writing today. The continuing development of new digital tools for writing, collaboration, inquiry, and social action does not mean we no longer need inquiry into our teaching, leaving the tools to do our thinking for us. Rather, it means a new horizon for teaching, a new definition of writing, and a new set of issues for professional conversation.
We invite you to participate in the conversations on this website as we explore the teaching of writing in a world where, simply, digital is…
