"In an era of blogs, tweets, and wikis—a flowering of public writing—it may be surprising that writing instruction in the schools is not similarly blooming. But many educators agree that students are not getting the instruction and practice they need to become skilled writers.

"Recognizing the proliferation of writing as a function of the increased use of interactive technologies, the National Council of Teachers of English has declared that “writers are *everywhere*” (Yancey, 2009, p. 4). Social networking websites such as Facebook, microblogging services like Twitter, virtual reality games such as NeoPets or Club Penguin, blogs and their commentary, wikis, texting, video sharing sites, and as-yet-to-be-imagined technologies and services give students the mechanisms to write as well as the forum to share their writing with the world. Interestingly, some studies have suggested that students do not necessarily view themselves as “writing” when they use some of these popular communication tools. The Pew Internet and American Life Project survey in 2008 showed that although 85% of students ages 12 to 17 engage in texting, email, or instant messaging at least occasionally, 60% of teens do not see this activity as “writing” (Lenhart, Arafeh, Smith, & Rankin Magill, 2008).

"The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts emphasizes the “centrality of writing to most forms of inquiry” (NGA & CCSSO, 2010, p. 8) and identifies the writing skills that ensure students are college- or career-ready at the end of high school. These skills can be understood as falling into two general categories: the skills that apply to all types of writing and the skills that apply to particular writing types. The process approach to writing comprises practices and techniques that can be applied to any writing situation that students encounter in school and beyond; drafting, revising, and editing are key activities in producing any writing. But a wide body of research shows that students also benefit from additional pedagogical practices that are focused on developing particular knowledge and skills."

http://www.zaner-bloser.com/media/dpd/zaner-bloser/freshimages/SFW2013_Foundational_Research.pdf

____________________________________________
Patricia Sarles, MA, MLS
Jerome Parker Campus Library
100 Essex Drive
Staten Island, NY 10314
718-370-6900 x1322
psarles@schools.nyc.gov
http://www.scoop.it/t/help-with-the-common-core-state-standards/
http://paper.li/psarles/1332609247

The Internet may be the world's greatest library, but let's face it - all the books are scattered on the floor. - D.C. Denison, Boston Globe

Getting information off the Internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant. - Mitchell Kapor

To save man from the morass of propaganda, in my opinion, is one of the chief aims of education. Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction ... The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. - Martin Luther King, Jr. The Purpose of Education