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Are we in the middle of a writing revolution?

We are in the midst of a writing revolution. But, unfortunately, it is not receiving the attention it deserves. And without that attention, it will wither and we will lose a golden opportunity to better our political, social and cultural worlds. Just recently we were reminded of the dynamic state of writing when the Pew Research Center released The Impact of Digital Tools on Student Writing and How Writing is Taught. Here is one of the report's major conclusions: "digital technologies are shaping student writing in myriad ways... social networking sites, cell phones and texting, (are) generally facilitating teens' personal expression and creativity, broadening the audience for their written material, and encouraging teens to write more often in more formats than may have been the case in prior generations." This phenomenon is the democratization of writing and it should not be underestimated. Those who are skeptical about its potential need to look at history. Six hundred years ago, the printing press democratized reading, which not only sowed the seeds of widespread literacy, but also paved the way for the spread of democracy, the scientific revolution and the development of literature. Written words already hold a dominant place in our society. They are the primary way we generate, communicate and store ideas. Look at our laws (the Constitution), moral code (the Bible) and culture (books, lyrics, movies, newspapers, plays, television). But the landscape is undergoing a seismic shift. Writing is being reshaped in four exciting ways. More people are writing more frequently and in more formats. There are more than 2 billion e-mail users; 180 million blogs; 400 million daily tweets; and 8.6 trillion SMS annual text messages. Written words are no longer static. Whereas ink on paper produces a fixed product, digital writing allows constant revision and is easily supplemented with animation, sounds, videos and graphics. The rules of writing are in flux. "Informal" writing text messaging, Facebook posts -- produces rapid changes in spelling, grammar and punctuation. More than ever, writing is center stage as the fluid rules require ongoing examination, analysis and debate. Digital writing may create different cognitive processes. The new tools may "wire' our brains in new ways, having a significant impact on the creation of ideas and the words and sentence we produce. Sadly, the writing revolution faces both opposition and neglect. The opposition comes from fear of change. Shifts of this magnitude, including in writing, have traditionally run into resistance, driven by the fear that quality will be compromised. No less of a figure than Socrates opposed the teaching of writing because it would "create forgetfulness in the learners' souls, because they will not use their memories." Two thousand years later, Erasmus wrote that the printing presses "fill the world with pamphlets and books that are foolish, ignorant, malignant, libelous, mad, impious and subversive; and such is the flood that even things that might have done some good lose all their goodness." The neglect comes from schools that do not value writing. Unlike, for example, math or history or biology, writing does not even rate its own course and this is reflected in our classrooms. The 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress, the "nation's report card" tells us that 21% of our 12th graders write below basic level; 52% write at basic level; 24% are proficient; and a mere 3% are advanced. The writing revolution potentially can be as important and beneficial as the reading revolution. But to achieve that impact it must be nurtured and guided. This requires those who shape opinion, create policy and run our schools become active proponents of writing in the digital age. How is this to be accomplished? By ensuring that people know that writing is not an arcane academic skill based on fixed rules. They must understand that writing is about the creation and communication of ideas. As Thomas Mann said, "The task of a writer is being able to make something out of an idea." And ideas shape the world.
Gene Budig & Alan August 7, 2013 http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/08/07