The Challenge of the Multi Media Essay

Where should technology be taught?
Lester Lewis compares the immersion of the World Wide Web into society to that of the telegraph, suggesting that the latter made greater change within society then did the Internet. According to Lester, “That the World Wide Web has expanded so rapidly suggests that it is not so new, because people immediately recognize its uses.” (181). He goes on to define the major changes that had occurred over time following the introduction of the telegraph. Personally, I see tremendous changes within our society since the access to the Web has become commonplace. Similar to the scene beginning the essay, I find people instant messaging their friends, whereas prior to the Internet, office workers walked to the next office and kids walked to their friend’s houses. Many more people work from home and shop from home. Research time has been reduced and distance to other nations has been shortened. On the down side, predators and exploitation has increased and privacy decreased.

At any rate, the point of Lewis’s essay is that composition classes will need to include the use of new technologies available so that students are prepared for the real world. Given that, as Lewis points out on page 179, “Employers, administrators, and even accrediting agencies want more technology intensive courses . . .”, technology will need to be utilized in most courses. However, while the author promotes the inclusion of “images” in composition, I wonder if time spent on technology such as web design would steal time from the study and implementation of writing. Should learning these skills be taking time away from academics or should they be taught as a separate class dedicated specifically for that purpose? Students could then supplement their assignments with the skills they have already mastered.

Response to "Distant Voices" by Chris M. Anson

As this article was written a few years ago, some of the advancement in technology he predicated has already occurred, like the half inch notebook (Apple’s latest is probably thinner). Likewise, the use of technology in the classrooms of universities has increased. However, I hope the extent to which he promotes the use of technology does not occur in the near future. I feel that decreasing the face-to-face instruction in classrooms would cheat students out of a pertinent part of the learning experience. I remember reading of study that had found watching television burned fewer calories than doing nothing. Apparently, this means less brain activity. I can’t help think there is enough similarity between watching television and viewing historical lectures on a screen as to prove that the activity requires less brain activity and concentration than attending a traditional classroom. In addition, like storytelling, the delivery of information is part of the learning experience. Maybe I’m old fashioned. Does anyone else have similar thoughts? I do agree with the author that a motivator for distance learning is to cut costs and increase profits.

Response to Revision Strategies by Nancy Sommers

Sommers makes an excellent point when she says that while “various aspects of the writer’s process have been studied extensively of late, research on revision has been notably absent” (Villanueva 43). Although revision is mentioned within these processes, the focus on this specific part of writing has been limited. I remember the professor from my freshman year writing class telling the class that we should expect to revise our papers at least three or four times. However, the methods of revising were quite similar to those revealed by the student writers in the study.

After reading Sommer’s comparison between student writers and adult writers, I can see a discrepancy between the way writing is taught and the way professional writers engage in the process of writing and revising. I have to admit the processes the student writers discussed as their method of revising are not foreign to me. While there were times that I changed my focus and discovered my thesis statement after writing my draft, the implementation of the thesis topic as the focus for the paper was more common. Students were expected to carefully choose and submit for approval, a formal thesis statement before writing their papers. This was the method implemented in most classrooms throughout my college years.

Response to Diving In: An Introduction to Basic Writing by, Mina P. Shaughnessy

This chapter of a few pages says a lot. Shaughnessy gives the impression that she proposes that teachers of “basic writing” totally start over with their teaching processes. Similarly to Sommer’s article, Shaughnessy concludes that the focus on word use and minor errors are given priority in writing, rather than the strength in the argument of the paper as a whole. I agree with this. However, if students are unable to put their ideas into words on paper do to a limited vocabulary, shouldn’t teachers be focusing on vocabulary prior to working with writing? This brings one to question why the students haven’t grasped or haven’t been taught more extensive vocabulary in earlier grades. If they haven’t learned this prior to the writing class, I believe it needs to be addressed first.
Even though students may be lacking in basic skills, teachers need to focus on the assets of the students, rather than what they lack, as their backgrounds may not have given them the opportunity to gain this knowledge. These students may have great talent and ideas to share. I like the author’s quote from Leo Strauss on page 317: “Always assume that there is one silent student in your class who is by far superior to you in head and in heart.”
I am confused by the author’s statement on the bottom of page 316 about how students are unable to determine what is relevant in their writing due to the “conditions under which he is writing have not allowed for a slow generation of an orienting conviction.” What are the conditions to which she is referring? Is this because he or she is accustomed to spoken language where dialogue with others directs his or her responses?