Response to Why Teach Digital Writing
Since I've been teaching in the digital classroom for two semesters, I felt like the part of this site I could respond to best was the section on resistances to teaching digital writing.
Some of the resistances include
1. “We already have too much to do in the first-year composition class. We can’t add MORE.”
2. “We are writing experts, not computer experts. Computer specialists should teach technology, not writing instructors.”
3. “Students have problems writing for print environments. If they write poorly in print, I don’t see how moving them online is going to help their writing abilities."
4. “Students won’t learn how to write for academic or disciplinary contexts if we teach them writing online.”
My responses are
1. In my composition classes, technology has only enhanced my students' learning experiences, not encumbered them. Some students seem very comfortable in a technological environment and prefer to be looking up information on their individual units as opposed to viewing the information I pull up on the overhead projector. Other students prefer to bury their nose in their notebook. I don't mind whatever approach they take, but I do think that providing them the option of technological connectivity is important.
2. In this day and age it is hard to separate spheres of involvement and expertise. Just because we are writing experts does not mean we cannot become equipped to handle new technologies. With the rapid pace of development in the world, it seems silly to be stubborn about keeping up.
3. and 4. I completely disagree. I feel that students are able to absorb more by being able to look up information quickly and comment on other students' thoughts via our blog. They learn things like building connections between different texts and formats, and I've taught them to research information online. The important part is teaching them to validate their sources and make sure that what they are quoting is a reputable source, but this is a skill that they need to develop as they go into other disciplanary writing endeavors.
Having argued for these points, is there something else I may be missing?
Some of the resistances include
1. “We already have too much to do in the first-year composition class. We can’t add MORE.”
2. “We are writing experts, not computer experts. Computer specialists should teach technology, not writing instructors.”
3. “Students have problems writing for print environments. If they write poorly in print, I don’t see how moving them online is going to help their writing abilities."
4. “Students won’t learn how to write for academic or disciplinary contexts if we teach them writing online.”
My responses are
1. In my composition classes, technology has only enhanced my students' learning experiences, not encumbered them. Some students seem very comfortable in a technological environment and prefer to be looking up information on their individual units as opposed to viewing the information I pull up on the overhead projector. Other students prefer to bury their nose in their notebook. I don't mind whatever approach they take, but I do think that providing them the option of technological connectivity is important.
2. In this day and age it is hard to separate spheres of involvement and expertise. Just because we are writing experts does not mean we cannot become equipped to handle new technologies. With the rapid pace of development in the world, it seems silly to be stubborn about keeping up.
3. and 4. I completely disagree. I feel that students are able to absorb more by being able to look up information quickly and comment on other students' thoughts via our blog. They learn things like building connections between different texts and formats, and I've taught them to research information online. The important part is teaching them to validate their sources and make sure that what they are quoting is a reputable source, but this is a skill that they need to develop as they go into other disciplanary writing endeavors.
Having argued for these points, is there something else I may be missing?