The effect of collaborative digital literacy activities on students' creative writing and digital literacy skills

It is obvious that the qualities expected of students have changed because the introduction of digital technology into the learning environment. The twenty-first century in this context. Its main focus is on people who gather, generate, evaluate, examine, and synthesize data. The learners of today who grew up in the digital age are the focus of the research done to match the expectations. Variations in the learning styles of today's students can be characterized as a factor that must be taken into account to develop the kind of person that the age requires. A tendency to write digitally is one indication of how today's learners approach learning as persons with a developed digital-social environment. In light of this, it becomes critical to establish settings in which children can use digital tools to communicate their emotions and ideas, and it becomes imperative to integrate fundamental language skills with the digital age. Furthermore, the constantly changing needs and interests of today's students point to the necessity of incorporating innovative teaching strategies into the curriculum. Learners are able to gain the necessary abilities when the learning process is supported by modern teaching approaches. The purpose of this research is to find out how collaborative digital literacy activities impact the creative writing and digital literacy abilities of fourth grade students. The mixed method, which combines quantitative and qualitative data in research, was the method used during the study for this objective. A pre-post test control group was included in the quantitative dimension of the quasi-experimental design, while a case study was included in the qualitative dimension. Thirty-three students registered in a public elementary school make up the research sample. The "Digital Literacy Scale" and the "Creative Writing Products Evaluation Scale" were used for collecting quantitative study data, and researcher diaries and student and teacher interview forms were used to gather qualitative data. The study was conducted over the course of 14 weeks. Prior to the group digital literacy exercises, pre-tests were given; following the application, post-tests and interview forms were given. Following a thorough analysis of the data, it was found that the experimental group's pre-post test results differed significantly from those of the control group, and the experimental group's post-test results varied significantly from the control group's. In the qualitative dimension, it has been discovered that collaborative digital literacy activities increase interest, motivation, and curiosity in Turkish lessons, improve creative writing and digital literacy skills, increase mental effort and cognitive performance, and there is a need to integrate traditional and digital literacy. Additionally, creative writing and digital literacy skills improve, cognitive load and performance level rise, and traditional and digital literacy must be integrated. Collaborative digital literacy exercises have been found to be beneficial for students, as they foster social connection, raise awareness of shared responsibility, and foster a sense of sharing. It is advised to incorporate collaborative digital writing exercises across several courses and grade levels in this regard.