Writing For More Than One

Please bear with me while I take a moment to brag. During my first year at Schoolcraft College I was accepted to present at the Liberal Arts Network for Development (LAND) Conference in Traverse City. I was part of the first group of students ever accepted to present. Our topic: using technology in the classroom. My portion of the presentation focused on using blogs as a teaching tool.

My audience was largely older teachers who had never even heard the term “blog” before. The look of bewilderment on their faces was actually quite intimidating. I managed to get through my presentation. I like to use humor when I speak in front of an audience, so there were a lot of laughs, but I also think most learned a thing or two as well. In 2011 the concept of using a blog in class, simply posting work publicly where classmates could see it and leave comments, was still pretty compelling stuff. Now, my big LAND revelation is quite common place.

I still firmly believe that having an audience for your writing that extends beyond your instructor is one of the greatest motivating factors a student can have to produce good work. One of the tools I use is to pretend whatever I’m writing is being read by hundreds, so I make sure it is written in such a manner that it can be understood, and enjoyed, by more than one specific individual. With this in mind, students posting their work online is integral to their development as writers. They aren’t just pretending, their writing is out there for anyone to see, and the work must reflect that.