On the Journey Step Six: Digital Poetry

On the Journey Step Six: Digital Poetry

What is Digital Poetry? 

Digital poetry may also be called e-poetry, electronic poetry, or cyber poetry (Poetrybeyondtext, n.d.). Digital poetry merges with other forms of literature and art such as hypertext fiction, performance poetry, and sound poetry. It allows poets to express their ideas using other mediums such as sound, images, movement, video, and words (Heick, 2012). Digital poetry combines technology, and poetry along with multiple media elements. 

Digital poetry blends creativity and technology by allowing students to express their learning through poetry and video (Fingal, 2021). Digital poetry may be used in all content areas and it is a way to build students’ literacy skills . Digital poetry allows students to put their words and images into one digital creation which may consist of video or images. Digital poetry may be done with the student’s original poetry or another poet’s work and copyright free images. 

A genre of digital poetry is visual poetry. Visual poetry communicates a message through the use of a visual context such as the letter shape (Huth, n.d.). For example, the letter may form a specific shape or the letters may be a swirl of characters. Visual poetry compels the viewer into the work to find a meaning beyond just the text. It is the shape or visual aspect of the poem which is just as important as the words in the poem. 

Digital Poetry in the Classroom

Digital poetry is an alternative way that students can demonstrate their understanding of the content matter because students must internalize the content in order to create a poem (Fingal, 2021). Also, the use of digital poetry gives students a creative outlet which is not usually available in other subject areas. Poetry allows students to express their feelings and ideas about a topic in a new format. 

Since students are usually motivated by the use of technology, the use of a simple four-frame-photograph poem can be the starting point for digital poetry (Fingal, 2021). As students learn additional techniques, the poetry projects may involve short films. In addition, students may produce computer poems, graphical poems, and hypertext and hypermedia poems (Antipoet, 2011). Computer poems are created using databases and codes. Graphical poems use computer programs to change the words and letters to create a specific style. Hypertext and hypermedia poems have clickable texts which take the reader in a new direction. Students may also create poetry on social media though blogs, Twitter, and Facebook as allowed by the school district usage policy. 

One challenge for using digital poetry in the classroom is to find a source for which students can visually and digitally express their learning with poetry (Heick, 2012). Students will need training to use the technology to produce their ideas. One example of a presentation format which may be used by students is Prezi. As students are gaining experience with the technology, the students may initially take an existing poem and create a visual expression which includes their interpretation, tone, mood, and structure. Digital poetry allows students to merge their ideas along with the types of media which are a part of their daily lives. Since digital poetry allows students to combine art, poetry, and technology they are able to challenge their own thinking and the thinking of others who view their creations. Digital poetry is another way for students to become expert learners who are prepared for a life-long journey. 

Resources for Learning More About Digital Poetry

Engaging Poetry Ideas: This website gives educators ideas for using digital poetry in the classroom. The website explores music with digital poetry, the types of poetry, and a website resource named Vooks!. Vooks is a resource to use for teaching virtually. 

Create a Visual Poem: This website has a lesson plan to use with grades 4-12 to teach students how to create a visual poem. The lesson plan scaffolds visual poetry by using examples, a class visual poem, and graphic organizers for creating the poem.  

Visual Poetry:  This website is a unit for introducing visual poetry to elementary students. The unit helps students understand the link between poetry and art. The unit culminates with a poetry fair where students display their visual poetry they have created in the unit.

Resources for Creating Digital Poetry 

Google Docs: Google docs may be used to make black out poetry. The video linked explains how to create black out poetry. Black out poetry takes a text and removes the text that is not wanted and leaves beyond the words which are needed for the poem. The black out poetry can be made easily by changing the page color, white highlighting the words that you want to keep, and then changing the page color to black. 

Language is a Virus: This website is a tool which allows the writer to create visual poetry. The website allows the creator to easily create a text mosaic. An example of a poem about coffee created with this website is shown above on the blog. 

Screencastify: Digital poetry may be created with single images on Google slides and then screencast using Screencastify. Screencastify allows the creator to add in images, text, music, sound effects, and voice narration. An example of a digital poem using Screencastify is shown below on the blog. 

References: 

Antipoet. (2011, April 4). Digital poetry: What is it? http://antipoet.blogspot.com/2011/04/digital-poetry-introduction.html

Poetryandbeyondtext (n.d.). Digital poetry. https://www.poetrybeyondtext.org/digital-poetry.html

Fingal, J. (2021, October 6). Video poems add digital literacy to creativity and expression. ISTE. https://www.iste.org/explore/classroom/video-poems-add-digital-literacy-creativity-and-expression

Heick, T. (2012, April 2). Digital poetry: New forms for an ancient art. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-poetry-terry-heick

Huth, G. (n.d.). Visual poetry today. Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/articles/69141/visual-poetry-today