Clive Thompson thinks there is good effect to the vast amounts of information young people generate online.

The first thing she found is that young people today write far more than any generation before them.
….
We think of writing as either good or bad. What todays young people know is that knowing who youre writing for and why youre writing might be the most crucial factor of all

via Clive Thompson on the New Literacy .

The saying, “Practice makes perfect” is horribly wrong.  Practice makes habits.  So, just writing daily thoughts to a blog doesn’t automatically make you a better writer or any better at communicating lucidly.  But there is a good point here.  There is a lot of “practice” writing going on.  And the fact that this writing is in front of the world and up for critique is promising, as long as there’s not just a peer feedback loop.  What may be the best way to help encourage better writing (and consequently, better thinking) among young people today?  Creatively engage with their writing on their own turf and terms.

And maybe share some of our own.