November 28, 2024
This Viewpoints panel discussion engaged with the evolving landscape of creative writing in the digital age. Tailored for faculty, staff, and students, the event delved into how technology is reshaping the way we write, teach, and engage with creative content.
In this session, panelists Michelle Blown, Wendy Traas and Karen O’ Regan shared insights on the impact of AI writing tools and digital platforms like TikTok on student creativity. They also discussed hands-on approaches to storytelling, the benefits of unplugged activities, and how AI writing tools can be integrated in the classroom.
Panelists
Michelle Blown
Michelle Blown is a reflective and responsive teacher-researcher with over 15 years of experience leading learning with students of all ages, teacher candidates, and practicing teachers. Michelle is currently completing her Master of Literacy Education at UBC and her research interests include multimodality, arts-based pedagogies, digital literacies, emergent literacies, and inquiry-based pedagogical approaches. Her graduating project will unpack the relationship between inquiry-based teaching and literacy learning. Michelle is excited to share both her research and practical knowledge as it pertains to creative writing with students in the digital age!
Wendy Traas
Wendy Traas is a Reference and Instruction Librarian at the UBC Education Library. Wendy is a co-founder of the Seed Lending Library, which now has 4 locations on campus. She is a contributor to the library’s Critical Literacy Kits, and oversees the branch’s collection of makerspace materials for k-12 learning environments.
Karen O’Regan
Karen O’Regan teaches academic writing at the University of British Columbia English Language Institute (Faculty of Education). Her research on the writing of community in contemporary literature of Caribbean diasporas informs her current study of how language performs relationality—interactions between people, ideas and things—and how these connections, in turn, shape language.
Facilitators
Jamilee Baroud, Curriculum and Evaluation Consultant, LDDI
Gabrielle Coombs, Learning Designer, LDDI