Is it Writing?

Reading this post on the Center for Teaching blog has me thinking. Robert Ryshke asks us to consider great questions about our teaching in relation to Mark Applebaum’s TED talk on music and the roles he plays. Please go there and read the post first, and then ponder this:

Couldn’t we ask the same questions about digital writing today?

Is it writing?

What does it take to be a creative and interesting writer?

Even his list of roles takes on new meaning if we think in terms of a being a writer:

  • interpreter
  • inventor
  • visual artist

As I prepare for my VAIS workshops this fall, I’ll be digging into this. What does this mean for the writing curriculum? For teachers of writers? In light of standardized tests?