What do you think of when you hear the word “rhetoric”? Many may first associate rhetoric with politics, but what about the rhetoric of a design, or a video game? Rhetoric is about understanding how and what is communicated through language, whether oral, written, or visual. In fact, the study of rhetoric teaches students to speak and write effectively, which makes it a natural part of professional writing programs.

Today I want to share five resources for digital rhetoric and writing that are collaborative and interactive. These resources are rooted in academia, but are very accessible to anyone with an interest in rhetoric as applied to a variety of areas such as education, creative writing, new media, and technical communication.

Kairosnews: A Weblog for Discussing Rhetoric, Technology and Pedagogy

Kairosnews is a discussion community for educators interested in how rhetoric, technology, and pedagogy intersect. The community was developed for rhetoricians to publicly discuss topics such as blogging, intellectual property, and copyright that relate to academia and composition studies.

Computers and Composition Online: The Blog

Computers and Composition Online is the online companion journal to Computers and Composition: An International Journal. The blog is an online resource for scholars and teachers interested in the impact of new and emerging media upon the teaching of language and literacy, and offers features, announcements, and community resources to promote exchange of the latest and best work in the field.

Digital Culture & Education

Digital Culture & Education (DCE) is an international, peer-reviewed online journal for those interested in digital culture and education. DCE looks at the impact of digital culture on identity, education, art, society, culture, and narrative within social, political, economic, cultural, and historical contexts.

The Blogora: Rhetoric Society of America

The Blogora connects rhetoric, rhetorical methods and theories, and rhetoricians with public life. It is an initiative of the Rhetoric Society of America and is hosted by the Computer Writing and Research Lab, part of the Department of Rhetoric and Writing at The University of Texas at Austin.

Digital Humanities Now

Digital Humanities Now is a real-time publication generated from Twitter feeds of scholars that follow the journal on Twitter at @dhnow. These tweets are then processed through Twittertim.es to show articles, blogs, projects, tools, collections, and announcements that are relevant to and open to discussion by the digital humanities community.

I am always thrilled to learn about new resources, so if there is one (or several) that you use for learning about and engaging in digital rhetoric and writing, please share in the comments.