Chapter 5: Designing and Publishing Digital Writing

"The process of students publishing their writing in terms of design and distribution contributes to the success of individual writers and the overall writing workshop community" (Hicks, 81)

Publication and Response:  Hicks writes how, by students being able to publish their work online and read other works from both students and distinguished writers of all ages, they can develop into who they are as writers. They figure out what they might want to add to their pieces, what they might want to avoid. He mentions a model called E-Anthology, a process where the writer chooses what kind of comments he or she would like to have in accordance to what they are posting. But, to me, I wouldn't consider this something to praise. Yes, this is something that could be used, but not by students. It is not that I am not acknowledging how smart students are, but a lot of the time they don't know exactly what they are looking for. Maybe they didn't realize that they missed a whole section of evidence in what they were explaining, or their commas were off, or there was an incorrect citation. Comments should always be open, besides those that are degrading and completely unnecessary.

Class Anthologies:  I loved this entry. This is a refreshing aspect of the book that triggers something that could really make a lot of students happy. I remember being in grade school and, even since first grade, getting recognized in some way is invigorating. It boosted my self-esteem so much and made my writing seem valuable, causing me to push myself even more. Even today, in college, this affects me. I am taking a craft of writing class and our professor is creating a class anthology for us that will actually be turned into a book and become available by sale on www.lulu.com. It makes me feel wonderful that my name will be attached to something and I will make some sort of mark. This never stops in life. Teachers need to take advantage of making their students happy at a young age so, as they get older, they can keep growing and pushing themselves. I love the idea of using a blog or a wiki for an anthology, but I think the audio one is a little but of a stretch. Personally, I think that something concrete and written is more valuable and proud-worthy in the long run. Again, I think making the students happy and leave them with a feeling that their work is worth it is the most important part. With that said, they should definitely be introduced with this concept, but I don't see myself using it unless my students really find value in it.

--Kaitlyn