21st Century Writing
Introduction
While essays and research papers are likely the most common types of writing assignments you’ll receive in college, more and more, students are being expected to write in digital environments. In the 21st century, you’re likely to be asked to create a PowerPoint or Prezi to present the main points of your research paper, or you may be asked to create an electronic portfolio to share all of your work for a semester. Students in online classes will write discussion board posts every week, and some professors are even replacing some of your traditional essay assignments with assignments like photo essays or video essays.
Writing for college in the 21st century may also require the use of social media. For example, your professor in a college writing class or critical thinking class may ask you to explore some issue and then Tweet or post to Facebook about your experiences exploring that issue. The key is that writing for college is changing, and literacy with some of the most common genres or tools you are likely to encounter can help you as a writer.
Digital Research Projects
What’s a “digital project” and why are we doing one?
Hypothetically, if your professor is asking students to create digital/multi-modal projects for your course work, it probably means that they want you to build skills they think you’ll need for competent communication in the 21st century. These skills include proficiency in modes of communication beyond the traditional paper, including oral, visual, digital, and electronic media. These projects can take the shape of podcasts, websites, digital timelines or story maps, videos, educational games, or animations.
Things to Keep in Mind:
- The research process is the same: you still need to find reliable and relevant sources
- Using research is the same: you still need to use sources effectively, ethically, and efficiently
- The composing process is the same: you still need to craft a good introduction, body, and conclusion
Writing: all of these projects will take significant drafting, regardless of the end project. You need to figure out ahead of time what you want to say and how you will support it. In other words, just like in a paper, you need to have a clear argument and support for that argument. Whatever format you choose, you need to present that information by using rhetorical strategies that you think will be effective for your audience.
Specific Formats
Websites: This is one of the most writing-intensive of the formats because text-heavy websites look a lot like papers, but there are some differences—you have to think about order and visuals differently than you do with a paper. You will probably use parenthetical in-text citations and you’ll likely have a sources page/tab. You should have a home/introduction page and 2-3 substantial (150-300 words or more) tabs with textual, visual, and, if they support your argument, audio or video elements. Any images or sound you use needs to be sourced ethically and cited appropriately.
Podcasts: This format is only auditory, which means that you have to convey everything through sound. You won’t be able to provide visual cues. You should consider musical or other kinds of sound transitions between sections, but playing music throughout is not recommended. You need to have some kind of introduction, you need to make an argument, and you need to support that argument with evidence from your sources. In an audio format such as a podcast, you obviously won’t use citations. Instead, you would attribute your sources as you introduce them. If you’re posting a link to your podcast to a class website, you would provide a list of sources with the link that you post.
Videos: Videos allow for a combination of visual and auditory information that you can use to make your argument. You should find a combination that best expresses your argument and your support for it, and where your choice of audio and visual presentation supports your work. You need an introduction and a body and a conclusion. This can take the form of a narrated slide show, an interview, a set of graphics, or something else. You sitting in front of a camera and talking probably wouldn’t be the best option, because it doesn’t take advantage of everything a video could offer. Sources could be dealt with in two ways: you could have a slide with sources at the end of your video, or you could include the sources with your link, as in the podcast example.
Blog Post: This is one of the most writing-intensive of the formats because text-heavy blog posts look a lot like papers, but there are some differences—you have to think about order and visuals differently than you do with a paper. Like a paper, this should move sequentially and flow from beginning to end. Unlike a traditional paper, this format asks you to intersperse visuals/embed videos or links into this text in a way that enhances (but doesn’t interrupt) the text. You will probably use parenthetical in-text citations and you’ll have a list of sources at the end. Any images or sound you use needs to be sourced ethically and cited appropriately.
Your Digital Footprint
Your digital footprint is your path you leave on the web. When people, including potential employers, search your name on the web, what will they find? It’s a good idea to have a digital footprint, to put your resume and a collection of your work on the web. There are many opportunities for you to share your writing on the web. Today, we have forums for sharing essays, videos, work history, and pictures of our children. This provides us with a wonderful opportunity to share our creativity with the world. However, it’s important to be mindful of your goals when you share on the web and to remember that information you put on the web is there for anyone to see.
You want to be careful about the kind of information you share. Remember, potential employers can search for you on Facebook, and if you post your phone number on the web for anyone to see, you might receive unwanted phone calls.
As you create things like Facebook and Twitter accounts and web pages for your writing, think about what you want your digital footprint to be like. What will potential employers find when they search for more information about you? Do you want to make your information more secure? Social media accounts give you privacy options, and websites, such as Google Sites, will give you security options related to who can see your site.
Summary
Writing in the 21st century takes many forms, which could include social media, images, blogs, podcasts, and videos. Your knowledge of digital literacy will assist you in developing multi-modal materials for college-level assignments.
Sources:
“Digital Research Projects.” By Georgia State University Perimeter College. Retrieved from: http://gsuideas.org/SCC/Digital/4.10%20Digital%20Research%20Projects%20(formatted).html Licensed under: CC-BY
“Online Writing & Presentations.” By Excelsior Online Writing Lab. Retrieved from: https://owl.excelsior.edu/online-writing-and-presentations/ Licensed under: CC-BY
“Your Digital Footprint.” By Excelsior Online Writing Lab. Retrieved from: https://owl.excelsior.edu/online-writing-and-presentations/your-digital-footprint/ Licensed under: CC-BY
