Writing
There are two anchor standards that show the need for 21st century skills in Writing...
The first standard is in Production and Distribution of Writing, Writing anchor standard 6:
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.
This anchor standard, along with its complementary grade specific standards, is one of the more technology embedded ones in the ELA standards. Part of this standard addresses the fact that a majority of writing done today is not done with traditional pen and paper, but rather done digitally both offline and online. Developing word processing and keyboarding skills are essential for students as they progress through the grade levels. Keyboarding skills are even specifically referenced in some grade levels to indicate the baseline of what students should be able to produce in one sitting. Writing digitally should be frequent to build the endurance to meet these expectations. The second part of this standard addresses how technology today allows for greater communication and collaboration with others. Students can communicate and work together online on documents with students not just in their classroom but with others around the globe.
The second standard is in Research to Build and Present Knowledge, Writing anchor standard 8:
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
This anchor standard refers to the multi-step process students utilize when conducting research for a writing task. To begin students know how to gather relevant information from digital sources. Internet searching is an essential skill students need to develop to locate that relevant information. As students progress through the grades, they begin by being provided curated resources to eventually locating resources independently while determining their validity. Finally, students, along with any printed resources, need to learn how to take the information and integrate it into their writing without plagiarizing.