Of all the interesting points raised by the readings today, the notion of quite how we assess the so-called 'new' writing is of the most concern to me. I'm tech-savvy and just a-burstin' with ideas for how I'd use the technology in my classroom, but the issue of assessment gives me pause for thought, especially given the essentially collaborative nature of much of this new writing.
To what extent do we view the finished product as assessment for a whole group? We could produce something wonderful, but could we really be sure that even such a product has improved the writing of all of our students? The authors of the chapters we read seem to suggest so, and I tend to believe them- but only to an extent.
Also, how does this transfer to more rigorous, 'academic' writing? Perhaps the later chapters, being focused on high school, will answer that question, but as a teacher who is starting in the 8th grade in September, I feel as though I want to prepare my students for the extra rigor of high school, whilst still maintaining the freedom and creativity of middle school. Of course, the two things aren't mutually exclusive, but still. I guess that utilizing wikis for peer review, etc, is something that can apply to all kinds of writing. It's interesting to think about.
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I agree, Ben. Assessment does cause concern here--how can we, as teachers, assess students on a script made by an entire class, for example? I guess much of this is to create excitement about writing, even if the writing itself is not in the academic "realm." I can't imagine a college professor turning to us and saying, "Good job--thank you for preparing my students by helping them make digital picture books." For us teachers of older students, there are other ways to put all this technology into practice (especially for someone "a-burstin" with ideas like yourself.) I think these texts chapters 2-4 show are not about finished products, but rather about the fun that writing can be. If at the fourth grade level teachers force their students to write academically, they may turn off for good. (At least now, the teachers can get them excited about writing, and we can turn them off of it later!) Kidding, of course.
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