Teaching Tech When Instructors are the Novices: Computers and Writing 2009

Within class, students took leadership over tech stuff.

Stephanie Vie (2008)

We appear to be in a race to learn the new technologies. We learn the last as a new one comes in.

Paying attention to the comp is an issue.

teach-w-computerPalmquist et al (1991) “common thread… teacher did not feel confident using a particular program, then it could not be used effectively”

We should not exacerbate the divide.

Conflicted.

Rely on our students who are more computer-literate… student-centered collaborative experiences.

If we’re being honest, we don’t necessarily know anything new.

Issues of Web 1.0 are possible the students won’t know how to use. It will help create a new kind of classroom. No reason to go back to being expert. Admitting such a reality can help us move forward.

Rebecca Rickly: “I’ve translated computers and writing to technology and rhetoric in my head.” (Hart-Davidson & Krause, “Re The Future”)

Media forms appropriate older forms. Hybrid literacies.

Doesn’t replace old media or don’t become obsolete. Neither do the skills for old media disappear.

What do we offer? Rhetorical knowledge.

Increasing rhetorical possibilities/skills with scaffolding.
Blogger to WordPress to Wiki page

higher levels of audience/reader= deeper levels of social/networked collaboration

course mgmt to Facebook to blogs to wikis

Still a privileging of author over commenter… until wikis.

basic emphasis on rhetoric and scaffolding

As instructors we can remain a step, a mile behind our students.

1. learn basics and admit our limitations
2. understand connection btw old and new media build toward rhetorical skill improvement

Note: What about Ron’s PA to help me bulk up multimodality in my classroom.

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