Affordances of writing in digital media in and out of school – Comparing Norwegian 5th graders’ practices in 2005 and 2017

Abstract

At present, young Norwegians are spending more time than ever in front of a computer screen (Statistisk sentralbyrå, 2015; Medietilsynet, 2016). How is this use of digital media affecting their writing in and out of school? In 2017, 5th graders in a school class in Oslo were interviewed about this. In this article, the interview findings are compared with findings of an ethnographic study of media use and writing conducted in the same primary school in 2005. In 2005, the students’ use of digital media out of school fostered some extensive writing, yet in 2017 this was no longer the case. Still, certain 2017 students did follow up writing in school with a similar kind of extensive writing out of school. However, the main findings indicate a style of development whereby school-based writing has become more loosely connected to digital writing out of school. In the analysis, the concept of affordance is used to explain this development. In the article’s final part, implications for writing pedagogy are discussed.