Digital Essays Vs. Written Essays

After reading Orchestrating the Media Collage by Jason Ohler and watching The Power of One, as well as creating my own photo essay, I have a new respect and understanding of the topic of whether or not digital essays should be allowed in lieu of written essays, at least once. In my own opinion, I believe that it would be a great experience for students to create at least one digital or photo essay. The Power of One proved that it can be successfully done, and that the students can learn the information just as well, or even better than they would by doing a written essay. The NETS for Teachers also shows that through the following standards:

2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers:

a.	design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

-and-

4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. Teachers:

a.	advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.

With digital essays, teachers not only get to tap into a student's creative potential, but also teach about copyright laws, proper use of multimedia, etc.
I believe that, in my classroom with the proper age level, I would like to incorporate at least one digital essay because our children need to learn about technology with the changing times, and this is one great way to teach them.

Until next time...