The challenges of teaching millennials how to write (and the importance of writing) in the digital age

Digital/social media has radically changed the way in which we communicate; in particular, it has had a huge impact upon how we write. Although digital technologies have ushered in new and exciting textual forms, there has arguably been an associated drop in literacy levels and writing skills. I teach a writing subject with students studying PR, Advertising, Journalism and Theatre/Media. These students will be seeking employment in competitive marketplaces where literacy will be a major factor in determining success, yet for many students writing skills are not seen as a key aspect of the tertiary learning process.

Contemporary classrooms can easily become fragmented spaces, with some students keen to participate while others appear perpetually absorbed by their online lives and devices. The challenge is to try to engage all students in a manner that makes their learning enjoyable and fulfilling. Good writing skills arise out of a combination of careful reading and deep thinking; processes which the pervasive nature of electronic communication spheres such as twitter and facebook can tend to render obsolete. How does one best teach writing in a socially mediated classroom where the very devices used to teach, learn and also write—computers and phones—function as competing sources of entertainment and distraction?