Our Voices Our Choices: Exploring Language & Identity with a Digital Writing Lens

Central Texas Writing Project members explore digital writing in the classroom and take a closer look at student identity, language, and voice within this context. This video specifically chronicles a high school student’s experience of photo essay composition through a class blog in addition to highlighting his writing with traditional pencil and paper. Narration and writing pieces by our student reveal the complexities of identity and motivation as an English language learner. 

While showing video footage of class blogs in action, we begin to ask broader questions pertaining to student language needs and the possible limitations of digital modes of writing. We wrestle with ideas of how recent immigrants may present their identity digitally, or rather the questions they may ask themselves as writing becomes more of a transparent and public process through blogs. Ultimately, we wonder about the steps within the language learning process where digital tools should be best used.