Interesting opinion article on the pros and cons of using different types of technology in the teaching of writing: “Technology and Teaching,” published on Inside Higher Ed.
A particularly worthwhile insight: requiring students to use technology in a writing class will not magically transform their writing, particularly if you the instructor are not already proficient in the intricacies of writing for the web and/or digital media composition. No one should ever assign a class blog who has not herself first spent some time blogging, any more than one would think to teach people how to write essays without having ever written an essay!
For technology to succeed as an aid in teaching writing, both faculty and students need a great deal of instruction and support in order to truly understand the profound shift in the nature of literacy that has accompanied the digital revolution. Using technology to teach writing is not about teaching students to make better use of word processors. It’s about teaching them that the very nature of how ideas are communicated no longer depends on the narrow limitations of print.