Digital writing and teaching makes me excited. But within all the excitement I also feel overwhelmed. How do I teach all these new tools and strategies to my students and fit everything else in? I read “Troy Hicks: About Digital Writing and Teaching” and immediately felt better. Does every student have to know how to use every tool perfectly right now? My first thought is that would be wonderful. But that would take away from my love of teaching. If it all worked out perfectly the first time we taught a concept, what would we have left? My teaching partner and friend Derek always says that if every student came into our classroom perfectly behaved, scored perfectly on every test we gave them, and “caught on” right away that he wouldn’t want to be a teacher anymore. I agree with you Derek. The challenge is what makes us better at what we do. Do I want my students to use these tools that I am excited about? Yes. But, I love that the Troy Hicks article encourages us to help our students continue to improve their writing craft while keeping “the bigger picture in mind, give yourself and your students permission to play (and fail) with the tools, and then work intentionally as you model the digital writing process.”
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