Digital Writing

One of the big changes that came to the world of education in recent years is teachers participating in more Professional Learning Communities (PLC) virtually. As a K-12 English language learner (ELL) teacher, amongst all the PLC options I have been offered, it has always been a priority to attend the ones that apply to me. In a recent study about teachers’ perceptions of virtual professional development, educators “valued professional development opportunities that had an immediate application of knowledge gained. The educators in this study appreciated learning about topics that had real-life applications in their classrooms” (Montauredes-Kakalos, 2023, p. 16).  With the conveniences of the virtual world, this led me to become interested in reading a book about virtual PLCs . Amongst the topics discussed, one of the biggest highlights to me was viewing “The Three Big Ideas” that drive PLCs specifically from the lens of an ELL teacher. The more I read, the more I thought about the...

As a teacher, even though I am all for the use of technology for educational purposes, there is a combination of realities I have faced that I take into consideration as my view of social media evolves. First, I do not have a personal account on the most popular applications. Second, as an elementary school teacher, I have to be able to communicate with my students’ parents, but I do not provide parents with my personal phone number. However, it is neither possible nor effective to use the school phone every time I need to communicate something.  Furthermore, it is clear that many people prefer to receive information in digital writing forms that they can easily access from their devices often. Due to the number of parents who use social media to stay informed on what is happening with their students’ school and district, online platforms like Facebook continue to play an important role in reaching the masses. Lawrence (2022) stated that “Facebook continues to be the leading social...

First, I will start by stating that a couple of weeks ago I recorded a video introducing myself to a group of fellow teachers with whom I am taking a graduate school class. However, I decided to record it again from scratch after learning more about using visual tools to revise our video. Something that made a big difference is that my audience for this new introduction video will primarily be the school faculty at my next school when the right time comes for that change to take place (there is no set date yet). To be specific, I would be the school’s new English language learner (ELL) teacher when I return to work after this time of being a full-time parent. This video will be for my new coworkers who are interested in getting to know me! Honestly, for the first version that I recorded of this video a couple of weeks ago, I was thinking more about introducing myself to my university professor, whom I had not taken any classes with before. Nevertheless, I realized that something I read...

From a very young age I have heard the words Graphic Design and associated it with something that only someone who is an expert in that area can do. Not to mention how I used to associate it mostly with companies trying to sell something. In fact, Lawrence (2022) argued that the common view of graphic design as something creative that companies use to connect with customers is similar to the view many people have of marketing. That is, both the field of graphic design as well as marketing are perceived by many as nothing more than tools for companies to advertise their products. From my perspective, it is true that I did not fully (and I am still learning) understand that “these types of definitions are fine but rather shortsighted” (Lawrence, 2022, p. 106). As I have continued to try to understand more what graphic design really is, I have learned about the many aspects that a graphic designer must consider when becoming involved in this creative process. For instance, La...

In today’s world, technology has made it clear that it is here to stay. As part of this, digital writing has increased so strongly, that personally, sometimes I wonder if one day there will be a generation that will learn about writing by hand only as something of the past that humans used to do. Given the place that digital writing occupies in people’s daily lives, jobs have shifted to where feeling comfortable using technology to write and being an efficient digital writer is necessary.  According to Lawrence (2022), “even a strictly creative writer must contend with word processing software to prepare their manuscript for submission, send emails to literary agents, or use social media to promote their book reading” (p. 27). In my opinion, although this may seem intimidating for some, the truth is that we are already constantly involved in some form of digital writing (like text messaging), even if we are not aware of it. Hence, if finding a career in digital...