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Social Media's Role in Digital Writing

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 Social Media's Role in Digital Writing Oftentimes, social media is thought of in a very negative way, especially for credible sources of information and writing. Some of that is warranted. Social media can be a place where misinformation is spread, and it is usually not the place to see the top writing and posts. However, throughout this semester, we have learned that social media doe serve a very unique role in digital media. It is the place most of us go first thing in the morning and the last thing we do at night. We can spend hours scrolling. Therefore, it makes sense that much of the digital media we consume is on social media. In addition, our students have grown up with social media. It is a constant part of their lives from the time they reach middle school. Because of this, it is important to recognize the role that social media platforms can play in digital writing. Furthermore, it is important to consider all types of social media, not just the most popular ones. Lastly...
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The Importance of Parent Communication

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The Importance of Parent Communication       One item on my OPL record that I have found to be interesting and challenging at the same time is communication with parents. To be completely honest, I am a more quiet and timid person most of the time. So, when I first started teaching, communication with parents was one of the things that scared me the most. Ove time, I have gotten better at that side of teaching, and I have learned that communication with parents is necessary for a successful school year. As one article that I read stated, "Parent-teacher relationships based on high-quality communication appear to be a key ingredient in children's school functioning" (Roy et al, 2025, p. 444). The article goes on to study certain students chosen at random from they entered school to the time they were twelve. The findings were very interesting. The study reports that "scores of inattention/hyperactivity, opposition and non-aggressive behaviors were positively associate...
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The Positive Side of Social Media

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       When thinking of social media, it is easy to think about the negatives. Undoubtedly, there are many negative aspects of social media. However, through reading different studies and texts, there are also some positives. First, social media is a platform for each person to express themselves and tell their stories. As the text states, "We must teach students how to find their own writing topics by sifting through their own life and stories" (Hicks, 2013, p. 120). Many students need a place to express their stories, and social media can be that space. Moreover, writing through social media can teach students to become better writers because it teaches them how to write for an audience from which they want approval.  (2026, January 22). Social Media Apps . Tridens Technology. Retrieved March 16, 2026, from https://tridenstechnology.com/social-media-statistics/     One study that looked at the importance and benefit provided extremely interesting res...
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Visual Rhetoric

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  Visual Rhetoric In my last blog post, I focused on rhetoric of all types and the ways that rhetoric can be used to enhance writing. My last blog discussed how rhetoric could be used by authors and designers in order to persuade readers, but it also discussed the reasons why consumers should guard against rhetoric in order to be smart viewers of content. As teachers, we have a responsibility to teach students how to use rhetoric, but also to recognize it in their daily interactions with content, especially online content.  In this blog, I want to focus on a specific type of rhetoric that was discussed in Chapter 4 of our text: Visual Rhetoric. In this infographic, you can find more information on visual rhetoric: Visual Rhetoric by ashlynnpartridge12 Visual rhetoric is the use of visuals to persuade a viewer or consumer. It is used by advertisements, graphics, video games, television shows, movies, social media, and much more. Visual Rhetoric was used from the beginn...
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Rhetorical Appeals

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 Rhetorical Appeals     Rhetorical appeals, including ethos, pathos, and logos are extremely important both for the producer and the consumer. While they were originally conceived by Aristotle, they continue to persuade viewers and readers alike even into the present day. As the textbook states, "Oftentimes an advertisement does not sell a product directly, but rather these associated ideas" (Lawrence, 2021, p. 35). By using ethos, pathos, and logos, advertisements get you to buy the product based on what you see. Ethos implies credibility and trustworthiness of a source. Pathos appeals to the emotions, whether positive or negative, that the source invokes, and logos uses rational arguments and factual evidence to create a rational argument. While logos is arguably the most common used by academic writers, ethos and pathos are more common in the world, in general, and especially in the media and on the Internet.       This video gives an interesting ta...
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