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I have just started reading one of the books that are part of prroject. Since I have not done much reading of the reading, it is still too early for me to know what exactly to expect from this book. However, from what I have read thus far, I can say that the book is about meaningful integration of  technology into the teaching of writing. I am using the word ‘meaningful’ because there is a section in the book that laments the reductive approach of some writing programs that use technology. According to the authors, these programs are nothing more than word-processing programs whose focus are on the writing mechanics, structure, organization, and spelling. They do not do justice to rhetorical features like voice. Furthermore, the authors complain that these programs tend to lean more on states standards; as a result, they fail to cater for authentic writing process that writing is supposed to be about. 

Another concern that the authors raise is that ,in general, most teachers are still not well prepared to teach writing. Here I am talking about traditional alphabetic writing, let alone writing that involves technology. In support of this assertion, the authors cite some studies such as that of Hillocks. Given the emphasis that reading is getting, this is not surprising; it is reading and not writing that is tested in most standardized statewide tests. If for the most part, curriculum drives instruction, then it comes as no surprise that writing is not getting as much attention as reading. 

I am impressed with the way the book is organized; it addresses all the levels – elementary through college. This is particularly important because students can write at any grade level and maturational stage. Even those that we may consider as too young, do write. Here one may think of emergent writers with their preconventional writing. Through this form writing, they understand that we write to convey messages. With the proliferation of the use of technology, these children are going to learn that in this era writing is no longer a linear process but a multimodal process. People use different modes to convey a message; they can use words, images, sounds. Also, there is no longer a fixed structure in writing; people no longer move from one paragraph to another; but they navigate texts in unpredictable ways. What comes to mind here are hypertext links.  Not only do people move between one word text to another, but they move between one mode to another; between word text to audio text and to images. Furthermore, as people compose they move from one genre to another. For example, a text may start as a narrative, then becomes persuasive and then argumentative. Apparently, there is the blurring of genres and modes. I am looking forward to learning more about how one can incorporate technology to make writing a meaningful and enriching experience for all involved. 

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