A Great Semester!

Happy Holidays to all! This was a technological eye-opening year for me, and I hope that it is for you as well with the information provided in this blog. Technology provides a world of innovations in the writing classroom, so why not use it to get creative.

Cheers to new teaching ways!

Luis

Wikis in Writing Classes

". . . wiki software presents an ideal platform for generating reading and writing assignments that encourage language awareness in the literary domain" (Farabaugh 41, 2007, emphasis added)

Michelle Navarre Cleary, Suzanne Sanders-Betzold, Polly Hoover, and Peggy St. John, Wiki researchers, voice the following conclusions and recommendations after working with Wikis in Writing-Intensive Classes. They can be useful and instrumental to teachers who are considering to use this technology.

"No tech expertise required
Wikis really are easy to use and getting easier. Of the four of us, only Polly is close to being a techie, but none of us found wikis difficult to use.

Do not expect a miracle
Wikis will not solve all teaching challenges. We all know this, of course, but somehow this fact is easy to forget amid all the talk of wikis as ideal. In the real world of our classes, we found wikis to be a valuable addition to our tools for helping students develop as writers and for building a collaborative learning community.

Get a partner
Most instructors will be more adventurous, improve faster and have more fun if they try wikis with a partner or two. While it would be nice to be teaching one class together, team teaching is often not an option. However, instructors can use a shared wiki to connect students across classes. For example, different sections of a college writing class might collaborate on a wiki journal showcasing their work, or literature and history students studying the same period might build a wiki about the major conflicts of that period. Even if the teachers' students do not work together, learning to use wikis with other faculty will give teachers the benefits of collaboration, as noted in What Suzanne expected and got, when she discusses introducing other colleagues to wikis.

Do a demo
Instructors should spend some time during initial class meetings showing students how wikis work and giving them some simple, low-stakes tasks that let them practice on a wiki — with the instructor available to offer coaching. In these demos, we stress the ease of using wikis, show students other wikis as examples of what they could do, and model how to edit and collaborate on wikis.

Encourage student ownership
Throughout our initial experience with wikis, we solicited feedback from our students and colleagues. We learned from them what worked best. For example, some students liked the idea of having an online archive of all the work they completed in the class. Therefore, we encouraged others to use the wiki in this way. Other students liked using wikis as a communication tool and as a way to access assignments.

Let students drive content as well as form
Teachers also can encourage student ownership and take advantage of the learner-centric potential of wikis by letting students create wikis on topics and with formatting of their choosing. For example, the conduct manual assignment dictates the type of writing students will do, but it lets students choose their topic, audience and how they will structure their wiki.

Make the wiki count
Nearly all students respond to grades. Therefore, we encouraged students to get in the habit of using the wiki by giving early required assignments and posting readings and resources exclusively on the wiki. In this way, we gave students a clear purpose for accessing and using the wiki. We also encourage other instructors to give incentives for ongoing revision on the wiki. These incentives can be grade-based, but are best when they appeal to students' intrinsic motivations by taking advantage of the audiences wikis make available. For example, most students will revise more if they know a wiki will be used by other classes or published to the web.

Use wikis to develop metacognition
Instructors should have students reflect upon what they have learned about the intended subject matter, about working collaboratively and about writing from their wiki work. In other words, take advantage of the ways wikis encourage metacognitive thinking by asking students to articulate and discuss this thinking with each other.

Don't forget what you already know
In any other context, teachers know that students need coaching when embarking on collaborative work, or peer revision, or writing in a new genre. So instructors looking to implement wikis in the classroom should not repeat the mistake Michelle made when she let the new technology blind her to the need for this coaching."

Reference
"KairosWikis WikiResearch / Conclusion." Issue 14.1 (Fall 2009) - Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy. Web. 13 Dec. 2009. http://kairos.technorhetoric.net/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WikiResearch/Conclusion.

Facebook Used For Teaching

Facebook, a social networking phenomena, is taking over the world. It is the seventh most visited website in the world. This means a big chunk (don't know the number) of the college student population is networking through Facebook. So...when Elaine Childs from the University of Tennessee, states that using Facebook in her class was a success, I can see why. Students are familiar with it, and when we are familiar with something, things are always easier.

Childs explains her experience with Facebook:

"I wanted to create an informal online network through which students could communicate with me and with each other in a comfortable, quick-and-easy medium; I wanted to take rhetoric out of the classroom and locate it in their space. Blackboard seemed too impersonal and “academic” for my purposes, so I created a group on Facebook.com called “English 101: The Simpsons and Postmodern America.” Facebook is the seventh most-visited website on the Internet (http://www.facebook.com/about.php), and that kind of familiarity was what I was hoping for. Many students have also told me that they check Facebook more often than their email and that they spend a lot of time there, so I expected an arena with a high degree of attendance...

I had intended to use the site primarily as a discussion board; I created a topic each week and required my students to post at least once a week."

I'm intrigued! I am going to ponder how to incorporate Facebook into my writing class.

Hasta la vista!

Reference:
"Using Facebook as a Teaching Tool - PraxisWiki." Main Page - PraxisWiki. Web. 13 Dec. 2009. .

Technologies in First-Year Writing

According to Claire Lutkewitte,"In order to be prepared for writing in the academy and beyond, college students must be able to both understand and produce texts using web 2.0 technologies",which I totally agree with. These technologies are essential for first year writing students, each offering them a distinct and innovative way of communicating.

1. Google--the world famous search engine, a powerhouse in cyberworld, allows you to browse and find preety much any information that you need without any ads.

2. Youtube--millions of mini-videos across the world, ranging from personal to educational videos, are posted in this website; it links us all instantaneously. There is a world of communication opportunities theough youtube.

3. Facebook--a socializing network website, where you personilize a webpage. There are millions of facebook users. Currently, it is the seventh most used website in the world. Wow!

4. MySpace --essentially, it has the same purpose and fuction as Facebook, mostly used, however, by a younger crowd.


To get a thorough description of these technologies, here the link to Claire Lutkewitte's website: http://www.bgsu.edu/cconline/Web2.0/Introduction.htm

Promises and Pitfalls of Weblogs

Hi...as iterated in my last blog, blogging is a mechanism that enhances composition fundamentals, such as audience and genre awareness, and social engagement. Yet and still, it also presents some flaws-- low-levels of privacy and people's unawareness of its use.

you might want to get more insight of this topic. if so, please check out the following link for a full article on promises and pitfalls of webblogs: http://www.john-benson.net/blogstudy/

Weblogs in the Writing Classroom

Although I was hesitant to implement blogging into my writing classes in fear of demanding too much technologically from students, surprisingly it has been unhesitantly embraced by my them. Lately, I've utilized this writing device for book reports and reading/reasearch discussions, nothing else. Nevertheless, it's been a success! Even the shyest student appears comfortable and engaged with this type of communication.

Charles Lowe and Terra Williams argue that weblogs can replace the private print journal, an argument I concur with because it has the potential for other non-traditional: creating social support networks, reducing anxiety about publishing, and reading and interacting with classmates more frequently.

Because students spend a vast amount of time browsing in cyberspace and computers are becoming a mandatory equipment in institutions nowadays, blogging as a form of writing makes sense. I had not thought of blogging as a journal device but will definitely consider it for my next classes.

For more on weblogging, read Into the Blogosphere, Moving to the Public:Weblogs in the Writing Classroom by Charles Lowe and Terra Williams.

Webpage design analysis

In my view, a presentable and reader-friendly web page should be simple, clean-cut, and organized. So far, of many ads, magazines, and web pages I have rhetorically observed, the educational theme captures my attention as it displays in most cases the former characteristics. I observed community colleges schedule of classes, catalogs, web pages, but analyzed more carefully their home pages and messages from the presidents of the colleges.

All the educational promotions I analyzed carefully contain the following three similarities: 1) COLOR scheme consist of solid colors: black, white, blue, grey, etc. Perhaps these colors show a neutral and serious attitude. At least from an academic standpoint, taking a serious academic approach is safe to gain the viewers/students attention and trust…so this makes sense! 2) Few PHOTOGRAPHS unfortunately...More visuals would attract the younger generation who are seeking to transition into colleges because picture simply appeal to them. 3) TEXT is formatted in an old-fashioned format. Key words are bolded, but there are not any other original, playful approaches to text. I would have liked to see different approaches to text and format. Hopefully, I can do so on my webpage—probably easier said than done.

These layout features provide me a better understanding of educational webpage persuasion and will assist me in the layout of my website.

Are Visuals in Essays Necessary/Helpful?

In Words are the Ultimate Abstraction, Robert Watkins states, "multimodality and visual rhetoric are emerging genres of which compositionists should take note". True to every extent! More than ever, in our advance technological era, our population is accustomed to visuals, which surround us everywhere through ads, computers, television, and so on. Therefore, permitting visuals in essays or making visual analysis a standard genre of academia becomes necessary.

A picture says a million words, right? As seen with advertisement, one simple picture can persuade us to purchase something or a charismatic image can convince us to follow a certain direction. My point is that visual literacy is yet another form of communication, so it is essential to acquire visual rhetoric skills in order to become an effective communicator....sooooo....the answer to my title is "yes".

Designing a Web Based Writing Course--C. Gouge

What online chats/classes demand is that students write...this is essentially what we want our students to do in writing classes, so from this perspective, chats are healthy writing exercises. Gouge puts it like this: "web based writing courses are uniquely situated to generate more--and more text-based participation".

Pros and Cons:
Pros to online courses: For those whom anxiety is a huge barrier like shy students, online work removes that barrier. For those who need the face to face interaction, we can now utilize pod cast videos to interact.

pros to online courses: it engages every student to practice writing constantly and consistently.


cons to online courses: students who are not tech savvy get lost or behind.


pros to online courses: students learn to think quickly and precisely, a skill especially good for interviewing.


cons to online courses: tough to read tone and non verbal cues..not being able to receive an answer to a question immediatley...


Another con: academic honesty (BIG ONE)...perhaps podcast works for this, confirming academic integrity

TWWC: Blackmon

What about Blackmon's real world becomes the newest "ghettos" when technology is absent...is this possible? I think it is...Blackmon voiced a valid concern regarding technology deprevation (p.96). With all the useful information and the facilitations that technology provides, more and more we become dependant of it. People who don't like or understand technology lose out on the perks and connectedness to the rest of the world. To prove to this point, just think about the job market: a big percentage of companies now days require an online application. If one doesn't associate with computers and e-mailing, the job opportunity is gone. On the other hand, the tech savvy will have a better shot. So, from this sense, the non-technology individual becomes alienated and restricted from advancement, forming communities of technology ghettos.

Blackmon voices an actual possibility.

Trupe's Reading

In reading Alice Trupe's article, I become more apparent on some valuable components of using technology with writing. For example, writing with technology has taught me additional skills from those taught to me through traditional writing. I’ve learned to be more concise, precise, and clear in my writing when using computers; with work e-mails, for example, I cannot ramble on an issue or take the luxury to write an expository report. Instead I have to go straight to the point in a clear fashion. As Alice L. Trupe mentions in Academic Literacy in a Wired World, “since electronically developed genres require briefer texts than traditional academic writing does, they require that the writer make his point(s) quickly, concisely, and clearly. To be concise and precise is not easy. Technology demanded that I acquired these skills.

Still, there are valuable skills that can be learned not only from computerized writing but also traditionalized writing. The following are necessary skill taught and valued by traditional writing:

1. Length - provide as much information as possible
2. Thesis - a sentence that informs the reader the focus of the essay and that sets the foundation for the rest of the paper.
3. Organization and structure - unison thoughts
4. Voice- consider a specific audience
5. Details - support your topic
6. Transitions - allows ideas and sentences to flow organizedly and smoothly
7. Independance - be a able to consruct and back up owns view point


The following are positive skills taught and valued by computerized writing:

1. Brevity - get straight to the point; be precise, concise, and clear
2. Graphics - use visuals to depict thoughts
3. Linking - link to others work
4. Audio capacity
5. Multi conversation - ability to conversate in several topics
6. Multi voices - create different persona's/faces
7.collaboration - use others to depict and back up your point; this allows specialization

I say use and teach all; let's get the best of both worlds!

Technological Literacy

In my early years of education, I was not exposed to computers much, since we could not afford one. Computers were neither a friend nor an enemy of mine; I simply didn’t consider them much (although I do remember my childhood church saying that computers were the devil). My first encounter with computers was in my computer information systems class in high school. There, I learned basic Microsoft software and internet processes. I was not that impressed though at that time; plus computer literacy was never reinforced at home. It was until college that I was forced to use them for reading and writing in my composition courses and for email purposes and understood the overall purpose of computers..

I was somewhat shy using computers at first. Hesitant but curious, I started playing with the machine, thinking it was going to explode if I pressed the “escape” button: I don’t where I got that from. It was not easy to adjust. It took me a good year to get to an intermediate level. Nevertheless, I got comfortable using the not so “dangerous” device. Here is what really hooked me though: the simple fact that I could make payments via the internet fascinated me. This meant no more going to the postal office and no more paying for stamps. I thought this was so handy and convenient. That day forward computers became my best friend.

Today, everything that I do revolves around a computer—my life is consumed so much by a computer that ninety-percent of my interaction is computerized (that’s terrible!). I have two computers at home, a pc and a laptop, and a computer at work. All my family member uses and owns computers, even my mother, who is very old-fashioned. At this point, I have to admit that computers make my life easier by saving me time and money. The sad part though, I was thinking recently, that as a result of having more time in my hands, I force myself to work more. At the end, this results in less time for me and more time with my “electronic” friend. I’m sacred to know how far digital technology can go—or take over our lives.

First impression of on-line chatting

Our online discussion held in the last class meeting was catching and interesting, although I have to admit that prior to it the idea did not dwell on me much (I thought it would be a tidious process)...

In our non-face conversation, It felt easier to say whatever came to mind, whereas in in-class, face-to-face discussions, I tend to be more careful and thoughtful of what I'm going to say; in our on-line chat, I simply didn't care, which was cool. One of the downfalls, however, was that I felt forced to think faster than usual since the text flowed so quickly. Trying to keep up with the conversation and trying to provide input on interesting topics--but then suddenly another good one pops up-- was difficult to keep up with. A second pitfall, and maybe this was just for me, but I felt that when I published a message too late, my message or the meaning/purpose of the message came out odd due to the lateness--by the time is was posted, a new topic was in place.

Most interesting to me were the discussions about making student moderators of online conversation for accountability purposes and about using text as a form of formal writing (wouldn't that be great!). I would still like to know more about what measurements to take for students who don't attain basic computer skills and as a result fall behind in this type of project.

All in all, the online discussion was effective in that everyone participated and provided great ideas about the given topic: does on-line discussion really work? I'd like to say "yes" for right now. We'll see after a few try-outs.