Sample Assignment for a First Year Composition Class Using New Technologies

First Year Composition-English ‘5060-2012’

Instructor-Tricia Fausset

This semester we will be learning about composition from the ‘top-down’.  That is, we will start with readily available technologies and resources such as Twitter and email to describe an event and then work backwards, technologically speaking, to expand on the writing.

It started with a Tweet.

Assignment 1 (in class)-Review the picture shown in Figure 1 and describe with your clickers and using 140 characters or less (a restraint of Twitter) what you interpret from the picture.  All of the student’s responses will be shown on the screen in the front of the class and we will examine the similarities and differences present among each student’s description.  You will then provide your own critique of each composition.

Figure 1

****Notes about the assignment and semester project(s)****

The goal of this first assignment is to get the students using their own words to evaluate a visual image.  Additionally, this first assignment gets students used to using the clickers and their corresponding technology.  Because of the anonymity associated with the clicker technology, students will begin to learn how to provide honest and meaningful evaluation of others work.  They will be engaging in peer review.  As the semester proceeds, the image will change somewhat, but retain some of it's original characteristics.  As the image changes, so too will the student's description/composition evolve with those changes.  The next assignment will involve students, working in groups, to perform a similar operation, but with an expanded image (see Figure 2).  

Figure 2

This involves collaborative work as well as a continuing development of multiple digital literacies.  As the semester proceeds, the picture will expand and the students will be asked to expand their composition to a facebook post, an email, a word document, a typewritten composition as well as others.

The syllabus includes assignments that will hopefully help the students connect how they ‘compose’ and use technology now, to the evolution of composition and technology (to some extent).  These ideas are closely aligned with Yancey and in particular her argument for the importance of teaching composition in a variety of literacies as well as the circulation of those compositions (Twitter feeds, Facebook posts, etc.).  I also pay some homage to Yancey by borrowing from her dramatic ‘We have a moment’ and replacing it with ‘It started with a Tweet’, which will be a running theme for each assignment in this syllabus.  Furthermore, Shaughnessy in her DIVING IN section specifically addresses the notion of the teacher making a decision to become a “student of new disciplines and of his student’s” (p. 297), which is really another hallmark of this assignment.  I would suspect that many of the students are much more familiar with Twitter than I would be.

Connections and collaborative learning are important goals for me to include in any semester program.  Bruffee, of course, talks a lot about collaborative learning and stresses that the collaboration be a “social engagement in intellectual pursuits-a genuine part of students’ educational development” (414).  This is what I would hope for from any syllabus or set of assignments.

What is Literacy?

From Google.com:  competence or knowledge in a specified area. 

From Dictionary.com:  a person’s knowledge of a particular subject or field.

I’ve specifically chosen these definitions because they broadly define the term literacy as a general state of being knowledgeable about ‘something’.  I don’t view literacy as being tied to a particular subject like reading or writing.  It is the accumulation of information or education.  It is "created across spaces, across time" (Yancey, p. 791).  But further, literacy seems to really be a means to an end and that end is communication.  For being literate in any subject implies the inherent knowledge to communicate information about that subject.

To better understand how the term literacy came to be popularized, I investigated the history of the term and found an interesting paper by Amy Alexandra Wilson at the University of Georgia.  In her paper, Learning from Past and Present Uses of the Term Literacy¹, “the history of.………the actual word literacy emerged relatively late on the scene, first appearing in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Like its predecessors lettered and literate, the term literacy referred to more than the ability to read and write alphabetic letters, although this skill was still central to definitions of the word. Like lettered, this word was still paired with ways of being, which included being refined habits and tastes. Continuing the trend that had begun with the word literate, the term literacy was also often paired with large-scale political, social, and economic goals as well” (p. 7).

Knobel and Lankshear (2007), developed a dual definition of literacy as they distinguish between ‘big L’ literacy and ‘little l’ literacy.  According to the authors, “literacy, with a ‘small l,’ describes the actual processes of reading, writing, viewing, listening, manipulating images and sound…and using words and symbols that are part of…larger, more embodied literacy practices” (p. 220).  The term literacy in this definition is not limited to a facility with printed words, however it is firmly connected to people’s facility with reading and writing texts, albeit multimodal ones.  In contrast, “Big L Literacies are connected with identities, patterns, and ways of being in the world rather than solely with the acts of reading and writing” (Lewis, 2007, p. 240).

There are a multitude of examples of the use of the term literacy: scientific literacy, wine literacy, agricultural literacy, reality TV literacy, music literacy, etc.  The application of literacy is seemingly limitless.  This is an important point even when considering reading and writing literacy.  In fact, in the case of English composition, successful English literacy can possibly be achieved by the incorporation of other subjects with which a student is already literate.  In this case, the storyline has already been decided so there can be focus on content delivery or communication.

1.  http://www.americanreadingforum.org/yearbook/yearbooks/08_yearbook/html/

arf_08_wilson.htm

Knobel, M., & Lankshear, C. (2007). Online memes, affinities, and cultural production. In M. Knobel & C. Lankshear (Eds.), A new literacies sampler (pp. 199-227). New York: Peter Lang.

Lewis, C. (2007). New literacies. In M. Knobel & C. Lankshear (Eds.), A new literacies sampler (pp. 229-237). New York: Peter Lang.

Extended Analysis Review(s)

There was a wealth of information to be gained from my 5060 colleagues regarding a variety of subjects through extended analysis.

I found the delivery of information via podcast or other audio means very useful.  In particular, Amelia's podcast about James Berlin was enhanced, in my opinion, by the use of a musical score.  Amelia's choice added drama and interest to an already fascinating character.  I was intrigued from the beginning by the mention of Berlin's heart attack and immediately wanted to know more details about his life prior to his fateful death.  If I were to make one suggestion, it would be to finish each sentence strong so that the music does not interfere with the narration.

On the other end of the spectrum was Emily's essay and PowerPoint associated with the use of technology in first year composition.  The essay was filled with interesting quotes regarding the importance of technology as a new required 'literacy' for Generation M.  While the essay is not specifically about Generation M, I would be interested in knowing what the 'M' refers to.  I would suspect perhaps 'mobile', but there may be more significance to this particular choice of letters.  A few words on it's origin and/or meaning might also reinforce the significance of the technology literacy aspect.  The PowerPoint master slides that Emily chose created interest without becoming a distraction. The information was short and to the point on each slide which is important for keeping the audience interested.  While the slideshow will eventually be presented to the 5060 class, it might be worthwhile to add sound or narration so that it could also be viewed as a standalone presentation.  My extended analysis, while on different subject, also includes an essay and PowerPoint presentation and while it has already been uploaded into the class archive, I am working on adding additional features such as sound, narration and animation, so that it can be viewed as a standalone.

I also found the podcast by Mackinzee and Corey about plagiarism very informative.  It had the feel of a lesson or teacher training session.  The words on my screen were a little bit fuzzy which I know is due to the transfer of technical information across different mediums, but I bring it up because I experience this myself when trying to save presentations as movie files.  Certain fonts can be more 'screen friendly', but I'm wondering if there are other ways or 'tricks' that can be used to add clarity to the screens.  The information was very thorough, but I would recommend incorporating some visuals and/or audio to add dimension and variety to the presentation.

MOO vs. Skype in Online Classes About Writing, and How it Relates to this Business of Dogs.......................................or Modality and Anonymity

                   

             

The theory of connectivism asserts that:

•        Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.
•        Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.
•        Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
•        Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known.
•        Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.
•     Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
•     Decision-making is itself a learning process.  Choosing what to learn and the   meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality.  While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision.  (www.elearnspace.org)

What the Internet provides us with is a mode of digitally connecting to information and what the MOO and Skype give us is a mode of digitally connecting to individuals that are also able to connect to the information.  So connectivism in this case is not just about connecting to topics or information, connecting to people or experiences, but making the actual electronic connections to the hardware.  How are the MOO and Skype different in this respect?  Besides the obvious system requirements, I am going to focus on the MOO and Skype as information, conversation and social delivery modes.

My first experience with an online course was as part of the TCR program at Texas Tech.  The professor chose Microsoft Lync as the mode of digital classroom communication.  Microsoft Lync is similar to Skype in that it has the ability deliver information via text, audio and visual modes.  For our course, we were going to use text and audio so as to avoid the additional bandwidth requirements for smooth video transmission.  I had experience with Skype as a social tool, so I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about not being able to ‘see’ someone.  Additionally, while I consider myself a decent typist, I wondered how it would even be possible to have a ‘conversation’ strictly using text.  It turned out to be a highly efficient way to conduct an online class.  Participants had a choice in how they could communicate to other class members.  Most classmates stayed involved via text comments and when asked by the instructor to specifically address a topic via the audio component, students were very willing to let their voices be heard.  Aside from the awkward moments of silence when most likely society politeness was dictating that participants wait and let their fellow students ‘go first’, this dual mode was very effective.  The professor was able to share all content on his screen so he could provide a variety of presentations that we could see simultaneously.  While I originally thought not having the video feed of all participants would make it difficult to personally ‘connect’ to my fellow students, I wonder now if having the video feed would have presented a distraction from the class content.

Shortly after arriving at Texas Tech for the ‘Maynar’, I heard a conversation nearby that included a very familiar voice.  I immediately realized that this was one of my classmates from the Microsoft Lync connected class and went up and officially introduced myself.  I liked the idea that I knew who it was because I had already ‘heard’ them.  My next class in the TCR distance program, however, was not going to involve audio.  The course content synchronous delivery used the Texas Tech MOO (Massive Open Online) courseware.  Even after logging on to the MOO, it took me awhile to figure out that the ‘recorder’ was not an audio recorder.  How was I going to feel ‘connected’ to everyone and the material without some form of audio or visual contact?  What I have found with the MOO, is that it seems to be a highly effective mode of course delivery, particularly for a writing program because everything in the course must be written.  The only mode of communication or connection to participants is through the words that they type.  It is a great way to work on audience, voice, tone and even content.  It is difficult to respond to all topic threads as there are often several views appearing simultaneously, but because the transcripts are recorded and available, review of ‘conversations’ can take place at a leisurely pace.  I feel like I have gotten to ‘know’ some of my classmates through the words they write and while I won’t be able to recognize my classmates voice in a crowd, if I did have an in-person contact with them, I believe I would be able to make a ‘connection’ to their textual style in the MOO.

Now, what about this business of dogs?  As Peter Steiner says, “On the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.”  What a fascinatingly simple, yet complex statement about anonymity and maybe even fantasy.  I have to admit I was not familiar with Steiner’s particular quote until Dr. Rice brought it to my attention, but there are similar types of adages and even songs about this notion of being whoever you want to be when no one can see or hear you.  Brad Paisley says it well in the lyrics to his song Online: 

…I'm 5'3 and overweight

I'm a Sci-Fi fanatic

Mild asthmatic

Never been to 2nd base

But there's a whole nother me

That you need to see

Go check out MySpace

'cause online I'm out in Hollywood

I'm 6'5 and I look damn good

I drive a Maserati

I'm a black belt in Karate

                                                     And I love a good glass of wine…

But what about anonymity in online writing courses?  It isn’t really the same kind of anonymity to me.  It doesn’t seem to involve creating online personas that are drastically different than real-life personas.  In fact, the writer’s ‘voice’ can often be ‘heard’ through the words that he/she writes.  And there may be a benefit to using the delivery mode as really another tool to practice writing free from any distractions of what someone looks like, or where they are when the course is taking place or if they are eating or drinking while participating.  All of these layers are peeled away including the potential that the inspiration for what is being written is actually coming from a dog!

I’m reminded of a situation that occurred in my household with my son and his friend when they were about 12.  We had a dog named Oscar and as is the case in many households, I often spoke for the dog, you know in that crazy high pitched or low pitched voice that is meant to represent a canine.  My son always played along, but clearly knew that I was the one speaking.  He told his friend that our dog ‘talked’ to which his friend replied with skepticism.  Of course, Oscar (i.e.-me) had to reply to his skepticism and when I turned away I heard his friend tell my son, “Dude, that was your mom.”  Does this mean that for a short time his friend thought the dog actually talked?  Did his friend know something that I didn’t?

In summary, the MOO, Skype, online writing and even dogs can be ‘connected’ by their differences or their so-called ‘contact zones’; treating their differences “as an asset, not a liability.” (Bizzell, p. 463).  I’m not being facetious here.  Consider the three photos at the beginning of this blog post.  The ‘cow’ represents the MOO, the ‘sky’ represents Skype (I took some liberties here) and the ‘dog’ well, represents the dog.  The text on the menu board represents written text.  All three photos could have been taken in the same shot.  But they weren’t, they were not even in close proximity to each other (different countries and/or states).  But I am able to bring them together, to ‘connect’ them on this page.  This allows me to present them simultaneously.  However, they are distinct photos that each has it’s own story and those differences are what make this story unique from others.  The fact that I brought them together in this way creates a unifying medium with which to discuss their differences.  Not unlike discussing the MOO, Skype and this business about dogs.