There are countless ways in which the rising use of digital media is changing society. One of those ways, as introduced by the National Writing Project (NWP) in the article “What Is Digital Writing and Why Does It Matter?”, is by introducing people to multiple literacies. Multiple literacies consist of how people encounter and interact with text and information of all kinds; visual, print, digital, and sound are just a few of those types. The NWP’s article explains the impact and challenges of multiple literacies on young students.

The National Writing Project’s new book, “Because Digital Writing Matters”

Young people face a variety of mediums of text and information on a daily basis. Students now use tools to create and share text, and writing, that are outpacing what they learn in schools. The NWP, with its new book titled Because Digital Writing Matters, are urging schools to reevaluate their teaching methods to better cultivate these multiple literacies. Schools must especially enhance students’ capabilities for digital writing. Digital writing is not a simple skill, it is “a means of interfacing with ideas and with the world, a mode of thinking and expressing in all grades and disciplines.” Thus developing this capability is crucial for schools and teachers. Because digital writing can affect how students encounter the world, and can boost their performance in other areas, the NWP is calling on teachers, schools and policymakers to update their curriculums.

The goal of schools, policymakers, and community members must be to promote curriculums that incorporate learning through technology and that provide plenty of opportunities for digital writing. Schools must move past traditional, and outdated, teaching strategies, and must include a diversified set of tools and systems for teaching. Because students will encounter a multitude of text and information out of the classroom, schools must foster students’ abilities to comprehend them. Because Digital Writing Matters offers examples of teachers at the forefront of this shift, who use digital writing tools in classrooms. These exercises provide meaningful learning experiences for students, and may even be more enjoyable for the students engaging in them.

I strongly agree that schools, educators and policymakers must keep up with society’s technological advancements. Schools have a distinct opportunity to prepare their students for the challenges they will face when needing to use these new technologies. As digital writing takes a more influential stance in society, students everywhere will use their multiple literacies to create and share content. Schools are the perfect place for students to become familiar with, and proficient in, the technologies necessary for digital writing.