All of the examples are websites I created to demonstrate how I value the work that I am asking students to do in the class–as we know that three main principles can aid teaching for transfer (demonstrate value, offer repeated practice, and ultimately give autonomy), so do these principles aid in ensuring thoughtful use of digital literacies.
Example of Website Expectations
Example of My First Digital Composition
Aside from these model sites, I try to have them working on their websites from the very first week of class. Even though the site itself is still a framework in the beginning, their blogs are housed on their individual websites. Because their blogs are there and they are posting weekly, then the students not only see this website on a weekly basis, but they become quite competent in using it right away.
I’m not going to lie–there is always a learning curve with digital technologies. However, if you scaffold as much as you can for them through modeling and working from small assignments to the larger projects in a digital space, then the students will quickly begin to reap the rewards of digital composition.
Kendra L. Andrews 