writing in today's classroom

At the moment, writing is in a very transitional place in the academic world. Both articles point out the obvious rise and significance of writing in a digital space, as well as how the idea of writing today is not just confined to the words in a research paper. Writing has taken on a series of different identities, from social media posts to emails to even texting, and is more vocal and important than ever in today's society. Students are finding their voice in writing throughout all corners of social media and using their words to express their opinions rather strongly and eloquently on a variety of political, social, and personal subjects. 

However, it seems a lot of writing instructors in secondary and post-secondary educational are quick to dismiss the validity of writing in digital spaces. While some teachers are embracing and utilizing the technological evolution of writing, others seem indifferent in noticing how a twitter post can be just as valuable as an in-class writing journal. Amicucci's article, "How They Really Talk," addresses two different students who have used social media to explore and further their identities as writers with a wider, interactive audience full of peers. Both students serve as positive examples of how teachers can learn from the benefits of incorporating and validating digital writing in classrooms, as it is an intricate part of today's students' everyday lives. 

Addison and McGee also recognize the space of digital writing in the lives of students as they examine the future trends of writing in high school and in further levels of academia. They write that "teenagers may actually be writing more than ever but in a far greater variety of forms not normally recognized as part of their school or work experience," and that writing today may not be so much as a "'dreaded' activity" that is usually assumed (168). Again, students are using in a multitude of ways in their digital lives, but their probably subconscious interest and impressive amount of writing is not being taken advantage of but their instructors in an academic setting. In Addison and McGee's article, they also analyze quantitative data regarding what types of writing students do in classrooms. More "personal" and expressive works that could arguably deemed "passionate" had a much lower percentage overall (all less than 20%), such as creative writing, journals, and even web sites (156). Personally, I find those numbers horrifying! Teachers shrug off the importance of student writing that gives them more of a voice and potential creative "drive"; as such, if those kinds of writing are deemed "lower" than other types of writing, where does that leave digital writing on the totem pole? I'm sure instructors view a social media post as having no significance if they don't want to even encourage their students to express themselves through a piece of flashfiction.

While the change is gradual nationally across schools, digital writing needs to be recognized as a significant form of writing itself, and thus be utilized by teachers in classroom settings. Digital writing provides a space where students are able to find and express their voices more on subjects that mean more to them than whether or not Lance Armstrong should have his medals revoked because of "doping" (unless, of course, the student has that strong of an affinity for the cyclist). Teachers should see the value in digital writing, as opposed to viewing it as a waste of time or a heathen attack on the "traditional values" of writing in the academic world.

the reality of elitism

Elitism in academia is a terrifying concept for me to think about, if I'm being honest.

During my academic career, there has never been a moment where I have felt, "Ah, yes - I know everything there is to know about this subject, and no one can tell me otherwise." No matter how much research I have ever poured into a topic or interest in mine, I have always had some intellectual "doubts" and gaps after all was said and done - I never felt one hundred percent confident in saying I was ever an expert on anything. After writing an argumentative paper, I would never feel too sure about it because I could see the points of the other side, and consequently counter and poke holes in my own thesis. Where do people find ideas of such absolutism in their work? Even in objective facts, perspective is subjective while assessing and interpreting the significance of them.

In Davida Charney's article, "Empiricism Is Not A Four Letter Word," she touches on how scholars can be drowned in elitism when submerged in the "infallible" results of science and quantitative research. Charney mentions that one criticism of science in research is that it is a way to avoid "interpretation, [to] eliminate the human element of subjectivity ... and [to] go on misrepresenting the world as a manageable, fully determinate, and reducible to clear and accurate formulas" (571). By completely immersing yourself in the "elitist flashiness" of science, it seems like there is a possibility that we lose sight of the humanistic meaning in the data. While numbers and formulas are impressive, they are not able to critically think about and analyze the significance in the point of the research. However, this is not to say that scholars who are founded in critical thinking are on a high horse, either. Both sides have their guilt as elitist and are easy to discredit each other in terms of the validity of their research methods, which result in a stalemate and a wasted opportunity to collaborate. Instead, Charney encourages a healthy dose of both sides of the spectrum: scientific research is wonderful and effective, and the humanistic and critical analysis of it is what makes it all worth it, which makes complete sense. Additionally, no one should think that they are academically "superior" to anyone - there is no finality in research. If there was, I think that would eliminate the possibility of progress. Instead, scholars should always keep an open and grounded mind during their academic endeavors, so that they can continue to test and develop new theories and ideas to further their research.

"Out of Our Experience: Useful Theories" also speaks on a similar note to Charney's. The article discusses how teacher-researchers are always learning from their students and colleagues, and consequently testing out and comparing their theories to build their professional career. There are always new ideas to learn from and new perspectives to consider, and to be both a "good" teacher and researcher, they should always be expanding their academic boundaries and maintain a certain awareness in the effectiveness of their teaching. Resting on elitism, again, is extremely dangerous and personally crippling in their growth as a learning individual. Overall, I feel that it is always beneficial to maintain humility with knowledge and a certain open-mindedness as time goes on if you want to intellectually and personally better yourself.