According to the National Writing Project (2010), composing in digital spaces “is about the dramatic changes in the ecology of writing and communication and, indeed, what it means to write—to create and compose and share” (p. 4). From this perspective, one can infer that writing in the 21st century means more than just producing a final product using a pen and paper. It involves audiovisual compositions, power, freedom, the voice of the author, writing conventions,a particular purpose, and most importantly, a broad audience.

The Project

Keeping in mind the importance of writing for broader audiences, I recently developed a project for my first-year writing classes (both native English speakers and language learners) that students enjoyed and found useful. The primary purpose of the project was two-fold: writing an argumentative paper skillfully and helping students to build a website to share their writing with broader audiences. For the first part of the project, we had a week-long discussion and participated in activities to help students learn about writing an argumentative paper. This comprised two 75-minute sessions. Then, in pairs, I asked students to formulate a specific position on one of the following five topics:

1. Your Generation and Technology
2. Your Generation and Fashion
3. Your Generation and the Economy
4. Your Generation and the Social Media
5. Your Generation and Sexuality
   
   

Once they selected their topics, I held a 30-minute conference with each pair to make sure that their topic was appropriate and specific enough. After that, I demonstrated some samples of argumentative paper outlines and asked students to create their own outlines as a class activity.

For the second part of the project, I asked students to draft their paper following specific guidelines (see Appendix A), such as having a clear thesis statement, well-organized paragraphs, correct citations, an appropriate writing style considering their audience and setting, and thoughtful and relevant evidence that is clear of logical fallacy. I closely monitored students to ensure that each student did their fair share of the work. When students were done writing the first draft, I brought them a few examples of strong and weak argumentative papers to help them revise their own papers. We had a peer-review activity in which each pair provided suggestions for improvement to another pair. Students were also encouraged to use the university writing lab to proofread their papers before placing it on their website.

Creating Websites

Creating a website was the third part of this project. I set aside two sessions for this task. In the first session, we discussed criteria for creating a website and exposing writing to wider readers (see Appendix B). The lesson also covered a step-by-step process of signing up for Weebly (an easy platform for creating websites), selecting templates, and learning how to design and place content on the website. Additionally, students learned about other software and tools, such as Adobe Photoshop, PictureMonkey, GIMP (Image Manipulation Program), Color Wheel, Pictaculous, Lightshot, and Adobe Dreamweaver to design their websites, as some of these resources require fewer computer skills. These software and tools were installed in university laptops, which I brought to class for students to use.

During the second session, students worked on designing their websites, which included sharing the content of their argumentative paper along with charts, images, graphs, and any other supporting visuals. My main goal for this activity was not to have students create a fancy and professional website, but to help them become familiar with writing for broader audiences. I wanted students to apply the skills they developed in this project to their other courses and personal and professional uses.

The next step was publishing the website and presenting the papers. In groups, students presented their main argument and supported it with evidence. Each student was required to take an equal part in the presentation. I invited other instructors and students who were teaching and taking similar classes to join us for the presentations. Finally, students wrote a one-page reflection about what went well and what did not, what they could have done differently, and how the teacher might improve this assignment in the future.

Reflections on the Project

Overall, I was amazed by how students worked with each other in an engaging manner to write their paper and develop their websites. Students seemed to love this project, especially the creative part of it. At the beginning, when I mentioned the idea of creating websites, they thought it would be a difficult task for them because they had heard of designing websites with HTML or other software programs in which they had to use coding. Nonetheless, they enjoyed the user-friendly software we used and designed their websites well. Some students used their creativity and innovation, going beyond the project requirements, and proudly presented their websites during the showcase.

Creating writing projects with the integration of technology is both useful and motivating. Working in pairs or groups can be an excellent method to promote students’ interaction; increase their creativity; and improve their writing, discovery, and collaborative writing skills. To make this assignment a successful group project, I helped students to divide the tasks equally and asked them to share and report their progress individually each week to ensure that each student did his or her fair share of work. This type of writing project can work well with both native English speakers and language learners in freshman composition or, with a proper design, writing courses at any level. Particularly, having clear objectives and guidelines, providing useful resources, offering class time for group work, and encouraging students to work collaboratively are the main elements that make such projects useful and successful.

References

National Writing Project. (2010). Because digital writing matters: Improving student writing in online and multimedia environments. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

Appendix A: Argument Paper: They Say, We Say

For this paper, you will be taking a position on one of the following broadly defined topics:

1. Your Generation and Technology
2. Your Generation and Fashion
3. Your Generation and the Economy
4. Your Generation and the Social Media
5. Your Generation and Sexuality
   
   

I am asking you to formulate an argument pertaining to one of these topics; your argument should be original (that is, it should be your argument and not merely a summary of an argument you’ve found elsewhere). Also, your argument should be supported by reasons; evidence; and thoughtful, relevant points clear of fallacy. You need to do some research for this paper—find relevant data, supporting statements from experts in the field, etc. You must include graphics to support your argument—graphs, tables, charts, photographs, etc.

Your argument paper should be written for a major news magazine or website, such as Time, Newsweek, The Atlantic, American Spectator, CNN.com, FoxNews.com, or MSNBC.com.

Specifically, I will be looking for and grading the following elements in your paper:

• A strong thesis statement communicating the specific stance you are taking on the issue under discussion.

• A thorough but concise summary of the context you’re responding to—what arguments are most commonly advanced by your hypothetical opponents? What facts might a reader need to know before they can understand your argument, the arguments of others, or even the topic at hand?

• Good organization. Your paper should have an introduction, conclusion, and a body consisting of clear and thoughtful points supporting your thesis statement. Additionally, each paragraph ought to have a clear topic sentence and be organized in a logical manner. Pay attention to your transitions between paragraphs—do they make sense? Do your paragraphs flow smoothly?

• A style appropriate to your audience.

• A design appropriate to your audience and your topic. Are your graphics placed on the page in an aesthetically pleasing way? Do they appear when they would be most useful? Do they relate back to your argument in a helpful and relevant manner?

• An argument free from fallacies that is presented and supported using sound logic. Your argument should be clearly defined and original (that is, not pulled directly from another source).

• The implementation of good and reliable sources in a manner relevant to your argument. Your sources must be cited!

Your paper should run at least 1,000 words in length.

Contributors to the argumentative paper guidelines: Jordan Horvath & Julisa Edwards

Appendix B: Creating Your Own Website

Now, it is time to create your website and place your content on it. The website you will create must reflect professionalism. As you place the content, including the images, charts, photos, etc., into your web pages, be sure to ask yourself whether you and your audience feel comfortable seeing and reading the content of the website and whether the type of message you are sending to them is appropriate. For this part of your assignment, you will need to create a website with two or more pages. However, you can have more than two pages if you feel you need more space to present your content.

You need to consider the following criteria:

• The website should be formatted appropriately: readable text, font, size, color.

• The website should look professional: appropriate content, color scheme, design, and layout.

• Use appropriate images, charts, graphs, tables, photos, etc.: cropped and sized appropriately, consider the broader audience and reflect professionalism.

• Use reliable references that relate to topic and are of strong educational value.

• List complete sources of all materials used.

• Website is free of grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

• All pages must include a link to Home (index). However, you may incorporate links to other pages within your website if you feel you need to.

• Users should be able to navigate the site easily.

• Use creativity and innovations: You may want to go beyond what is required for this assignment when it comes to designing, choosing the content, images, etc. But be sure to consider appropriateness and professionalism.

Best of Luck!

Mariam Alamyar is a continuing lecturer at Purdue University, Purdue Language and Cultural Exchange Program. Her research interests are English language writing, writing in digital space, English for specific purposes, sociolinguistics, language controversies, curriculum design, and ESL program administration.