Shari's Students

My students are first- year writing students. They come from a variety of backgrounds. I have had students from everywhere from Watervliet, a small town in Michigan, to Saudi Arabia. I have had students with exemplary writing skills and students that struggle through each paper. I also have students who are proficient with technology and those who are not.

My students are also incredibly diverse in terms of their majors as well as the integration of their major and technology. For example, one student last semester was an art major who was highly uncomfortable with any form of technology beyond paper-based. She immediately protested the Remix assignment as she had never used software to create a digital composition.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, one student last fall used some program that I am not aware of (perhaps he used imovie?) to create a cartoon of his research paper which was about cloud computing. I should have asked him to teach the class how to make cartoons. Instead, perhaps because it was my first semester teaching and I did not fully understand what a valuable resource my students could be.

My students do have unique learning needs- mostly that they require extensive instruction on what papers should look like in their field (that is, they are unaware of the academic discourses of their subject area) as well as the standard ways of utilizing and accessing research. That is, they need help navigating the online spaces that facilitate research in their field.

Going forward, the most important thing to remember about my students and working with technology is that students can teach me as much or more than I can teach them, particularly in regards to technology. That is, if a teaching moment appears in a class (such as a student who could teach the class), it is important for me to recognize that and to take a backseat to the learning.

Photo "Screen and Me" by tyger_ lyllie (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tyger_lyllie)/88368618/

Design Pedagogies

Koehler and Mishra's article examining technological pedagogical content knowledge fits into a larger conversation about how people - not just teachers and graduate students - feel about design pedagogies. In a meta sort of way, the article reaffirms many of the key trends in composition studies by testing design pedagogy on people who are generally thought of as its practitioners or purveyors. In the same way, by building from Lee Shulman's (1986) idea of pedagogical content knowledge, this article theorizes something that a colleague and I tried to carry out last semester... here's a run down of what we did, why we did it and how it connects to the Koehler and Mishra.

Problems and finding solutions = better pedagogy

Visual rhetoric was a term I had never encountered before I got to MSU. I knew it existed, but had never been in a discipline that valued it or theorized it in any real way. Curious as I sometimes can be, I wanted to investigate the tenets of visual rhetoric and its place in the writing curriculum.

Oddly enough, the first place I turned was resumes. To me, resumes represented a good entry place. So I bought Robin William's "The Non-Designer's Design Book" and started theorizing how I might teach visual rhetoric, through resumes, with technology.

What resulted is a workshop that uses Adobe's inDesign as a mechanism for teaching visual rhetoric. We made this decision based on our own pedagogical content knowledge. What we did, in many ways, represents the amalgam that Shulman and Koehler & Mishrata talk about.

Faced with a design problem of sorts, we collaborated to find a technology that'd help mediate our process. We considered the content, how we wanted to represent that content - through play and design pedagogies - and what we knew and could deploy.

We ultimately developed a workshop that allows for all of these using an interface that had otherwise been reserved for things like laying out print and web documents.

At one level our project deployed design pedagogy by allowing the student/writers in the workshop to look at available designs, design for themselves and then, in the end, have a new design. At another level, like the folks in Koehler and Mishrata's study, we were faced with a problem that needed a pedagogical solution.

Judging by our conversations in session, we also had an affinity for design pedagogies. Many of our proprietary technologies built off "available designs." Also, what we did was, I think, fun and successful which echoes the momentum of this article.

Teachers really ought to be exposed to this type of thinking in professional development situations. Even if new technologies don't arise, perhaps they'll think of old technologies in new ways. This of course requires that teachers think on a project by project basis, consider learning goals and evaluate the affordances of already available designs.

Generations Online in 2010

Reading the PEW Center's research about online activity was pretty enlightening. I'm not about to say I was surprised by many of its conclusions. I had a hunch that people were using social media more. I knew that older folks were probably slowly adopting online activities, etc. But there were some things that made me think or changed my perspective.

1. Blogging on the decline: I didn't expect this. I thought for sure blogging was alive and well, but it seems that truncated and multimodal versions of blogging - videos and social media - have started to steal blogging's thunder a little bit. I wonder if this is just evidence that people are going from stop to stop faster while they're on the web? This also tells me that video and social media could be good venues for people to publish and present their thoughts. This also interesting when you consider that the WIDE report found that students were often writing privately and for self-fullfillment. My gut reaction would be to think that blogging is the ideal venue for this, but it seems that, again, truncated media are probably ruling the proverbial roost: SMS, social media, etc. This raises the question: if we're to tap into the already-present literate activity of students, how do we incorporate these shorter forms into a classroom? In answering this question, maybe we'll find a way to place more value on these forms, too.

2. Availability: In reading about reasons why 21% of people weren't on the web, I was happy to find that only 5.88% of ALL people were offline because of availability reasons. As someone who's considering community college work, namely with displaced workers and non-traditional students, this is encouraging. I would have guessed the numbers to be higher. With any luck, this number will continue to dwindle as hardware and internet become less expensive and more readily available, especially in rural and poor areas.

3. Gaming: It's really no surprise that the youngest generation (12-17) is leading the charge here (78% adoption rate), but it was kind of eye opening that the number drops 28% when you move to the next generation (18-33). It really raises questions, at least to me, about the gaming movement. If only half of people are comfortable gamers in my target demographic, is it really fair/appropriate to using gaming for pedagogical ends? On the continuum of importance, where does gaming lie in terms of literate activities?

Part of my teachnology statement talks about keeping a finger on the pulse of technology. These sort of reports, then, are the stethoscope that allow folks like us to really anticipate student needs.

Pauls Students

Who are my students? I see my students as sophomore to grad level that are somewhat savvy to higher end savvy in technology.

Most would have some skills of:

Facebook
Linkedin
Twitter
Mashable
Digg


Some of them would be very skilled in these outlets and some may or may have not been on the sites at all. I view my students as eager learners of technology and wanting to hear about the new website or technology that is out there.

My students will be fast learners and can pick up on a new site when it is presented to them. I see my students as great independent workers that do not need much direction for a project. Most of them will have an entrepreneurial spirit and are thinking of starting their own businesses while the others will be looking toward the direction of corporate work. I also see a small portion of my students wanting to start or work for a non profit.

My students will mostly be undergrads and around the same age but I do see a great mix of ages with the grads in the classroom. I will also have several international students that are very experienced in world wide travel and technology.

The classroom will be filled with go-getter's and students that are not afraid to share their opinions. I see them tapping into their inner child and coming up with amazing ideas. These students will be the future business owners and leaders of tomorrow.



I see most if not all of the students will have a laptop and will carry a smart phone. They will be sharing with the class their ideas of new social media platforms and new technologies they see that will be coming in the future. They will give suggestions of how to run the class if they are not wanting traditional classroom style.

Pauls Flow Chart

Esther's Flow chart

I have used gliffy.com to brainstorm for my final project. The chart above shows how I envision the MSU writing center using workshops to teach technology in WRA courses.

Shenika’s Students

I could use a multitude of words to describe my students. They certainly are diverse entities. Their most important attribute is their individuality. Thus as an educator, I have to be able to embrace complexity. Who are my students? I do not believe that there is a concrete answer to this question, as my students are ever-changing. However, this is a non-exhaustive list:
My students are…
• Digital natives
• Digital immigrants
• English learners
• ESL learners
• A Vision of Students Today

Image Courtesy of LindaH

My students are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. Thus I need to be able to instruct to these unique learning styles. I need to utilize diverse instructional practices that allow my visual learners to conceptualize content via pictorial images, my auditory learners to comprehend content via my tone/language usage (explanation), and my kinesthetic learners to have hands-on mobility. Therefore, I need to use technological-based, group-based, presentation-based, and experiment-based instructional content.

Image Courtesy of aranarth

My students use technology for personal and professional purposes. They use technology to watch short and long video clips (YouTube, Hulu, etc.) find information (websites, databases, etc.), listen to music (Pandora, iTunes, etc.), communicate (social websites, email, SMS text, etc.), multi-task, and more.




Teaching diverse learners can be challenging. Ironically, the late Paulo Freire’s early era educational integration methodology can still be utilized today. Freire’s fully encompassed educational theory (three dimensional equation between the educator, pupil, and community) referenced in Pedagogy of the Oppressed, still inspires me today. It serves as a reminder for me to continuously recognize these educational constituents as a suitable totality. "Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world" (Freire).

Peer Workshop: Collegiate Blackboard Remix Version

This is my peer workshop remix project in flow chart mode. I'm interested in having students complete peer workshops online (via the Collegiate Blackboard network).

Interaction Audit: I-Search Essay Project

The I-Search project provides students with the opportunity to participate in research-oriented facets. In addition to the research component, students are able to incorporate personal procedural content into the process. This multi-dimensional project aims to help my students develop their research, documentation, and technological skills via the submission of a written and electronic presentation version of the project. Since this project includes multiple aspects, the process for completion extends beyond four weeks. During the length of the project, I have my students participate in various activities for learning and encouragement purposes.

Studio Style Interaction (Few to Few): The research process revolves around a particular question. Thus I have to teach students the proper method for developing who, what, when, where, and why questions for inquiry purposes. To do this, I provide small groups with a list of broad topics (such as hiking, health and Internet). As a group, I ask students to: 1) narrow these broad topics (such as narrowing “health” to HIV/AIDS). 2) based on the specified topic, develop an effective who, what, when, where, or why question that can be used for research purposes. Once complete, we review the content as a class and discuss the effectiveness of each group’s developed questions.

Personal Interaction: My students proceed by generating a list of topics of interest. This is the brainstorming process. The goal here is to have my students consider topics that are of significance to them.

Presentation Style Interaction (One to Many): This is the beginning stage of the actual research process. Students bring their generated list of topics (brainstorm) to the computer lab inside of the library (our class meeting location). An online library database tutorial is provided. This helps students understand the online search process and the importance of utilizing credible sources. After the completion of the tutorial, students have time to find articles, books, etc., in relation to their topic online or inside of the actual library premises.

Discussion Style Interaction (Many to Many): Midway through the project, the class has an open discussion. Students provide individualized information on what they have done so far, what they still need to do, and what they are having difficulty with. I (along with other students in the class) provide suggestions for successful navigation purposes.

Consultation Style Interaction (One to One): This is where peer workshop is preformed. Students bring in first drafts of the written project. Each student works with an assigned peer for essay exchange and evaluation purposes. Students use the evaluative feedback for final draft and electronic presentation development purposes.

Various interaction modes are beneficial, as it allows students the opportunity to explore learning via diverse interaction contexts. 

Project Remix For Online - Artifact Analysis

Here is an initial (idealized) flowchart of interactions for remodeling an Artifact Analysis assignment for an online classroom. If the image is difficult to read, click HERE to check out a larger version. Yay for working with Gliffy!

Theoretical Online Project: Annotated Bibliographies

Obviously, this an ideal and rough document, but here's the flow chart I devised, complete with assessment checkpoints. If the image below hurts your eyes, check this link: http://www.gliffy.com/publish/2746716/

Project 3: Course Design

Note: I am enjoying how much of the course is conducted here on the blog. So I've decided to post the course project descriptions here. 

Project 3: Design a Course

Design a course – or other instructional program, set of modules, etc. similar in scope to a course – to integrate technology in a way that enhances teaching and learning

In this project you will create the materials needed for a course, program, or set of instructional modules listed below. The aim of the project is to design a course in a manner that integrates technology in order to enhance teaching and learning.

Here are the deliverables for this project:

  

    Syllabus with Learning Goals & Course Policies

The syllabus can be a container for one or more of the items listed here. If there is a standard format you adhere to in your program, feel free to use that.

With regard to “policies,” I am most interested in policies that may change in some way due to incorporating technology such as attendance, participation, copyright/plagiarism, and anything explicitly to do with technology such as asking students to buy server space, software, etc

   

    Schedule of Activities

The schedule should provide information about the sequence and pacing not only of projects, but of all the learning activities you are planning. You can organize this as a calendar, as a set of “sessions” with details about activities in each session, or any other way it might make sense given your intended audience and delivery format.

    Learning Interaction Grid

This document may or may not be something you share with students, but it should offer a guide for the technology resources you will use to create appropriate learning environments for the types of interaction you want to see

    Project Descriptions & Evaluation Guidelines

These can be materials you present to students or they might include more information – details that you might provide to fellow instructors if this were a multi-section course, for example

    Sample Conceptual Materials

Readings, lecture notes, YouTube recordings or screencasts, etc. You don’t need to prepare more than one or two of these

    Reflective Introduction

A statement that introduces me and your fellow classmates to the course materials and helps us to understand the decisions you have made. This is the place to reference specific learning theories and provide any additional context we may need to understand your course design.

What Should It Look Like?

Think of this as a set of portfolio contents – something you might show a potential employer when asked to see evidence of your ability to teach with technology.

It is a set of documents rather than a single one, with the reflective intro as a guide to the contents.

Turning It In

 You have some options. Watch this space for details!

Presenting It at the Final Symposium

You’ll have 40 minutes to take us through your course design and engage us in a demo or hands-on activity during our final symposium on July 20^th.

Interaction Audit - Artifact Analysis

Here is a breakdown of the types of interactions involved for a series of artifact analyses. These exercises help fulfill my goal of having students leave my class with the ability to evaluate any piece of writing (particularly in genres that aren't typically associated with writing) and determine its intended audience and its effectiveness in reaching that audience.

1. Introduce the Assignment (Presentation): This is where I would explain the assignment to the class, go through the requirements, and provide an example.

2. Open up the floor for questions (Discussion): After the initial presentation, I would open up the floor for the class to raise any questions/concerns.

2. Group Analysis (Studio): After explaining the assignment and working out all of the questions, I would break the class into groups of 3-4 students. Once the groups were settled, I would assign the first artifact and give the students about 30 minutes to complete an analysis within their groups.

3. Full Class Analysis (Discussion): After the thirty minutes were up, the groups would reconvene and we would go through the analysis as an entire class. The purpose of the initial group activity is to introduce the class to the assignments and develop a level of comfort/confidence for future exercises.

4. Future Analyses (Presentation/Studio): The rest of the analyses would work sort of like pop quizzes. At the beginning of a class, I would announce that there will be an artifact analysis and provide students with access to the designated artifact through a link or, if necessary, displaying the artifact for the class or providing a printout. If technology allows, students would be given 30 minutes to post their analysis to the class blog. If technology does not allow (i.e., all students do not have internet access), pen and paper analyses would have to be turned in. After the 30 minutes were up, the initial groups would reconvene to discuss their analyses for 10 minutes.

Esther's learning goals

These goals are for a Research in the Internet workshop I will be developing for a writing center. Values -Students should be able to recognize the academic value of finding and assessing credible sources in the Internet -Student should understand the value of building a repertoire of online tools to help them to conduct internet research Attitudes -Students should demonstrate an appreciation of the internet as a useful resource to find credible sources to use in their research and writing process. -Recognize social networks and online communities as important tools to facilitate research, collaboration and learning Knowledge -Demonstrate technological agility to use a variety of online tools in conducting their research. -Understand the affordances and disaffordances of the different online technologies they are using to conduct online research -Demonstrate an understanding of the intellectual, political and ethical dimensions/complexities/dynamics associated with participating in digital environments( citing sources correctly, etc) Skills -Students should use a variety of technologies to perform multiple tasks as they conduct their internet research -Students should be able to evaluate and choose what technologies will be useful in conducting different kinds of research and for particular genres

Interaction Audit- Social Media for Business

Last semester I co taught a course on Social media for business that was open to all students and was the first time it was taught. We were anticipating some usual interaction of students raising there hands in class but knew we would lose some or most of them due to technology in the classroom so here is how we altered up the interaction:

1. There were 6 students so we would move groups around and divide the class into 4 and see how they would interact.

- We could see that there were some leaders in the group and with it being such a large group there were many students with side conversations that were not involved in the discussions.

2. We then broke the class up into groups of 4 which had a great mix of domestic and foreign students along with a great range of ages.

- This made the students work more closely and took away the side chatter. This also made each student accountable for their group.

3. We had the normal 5-10 students who would ask and answer questions to the instructors and speakers so we pressed on others to join in and offer their ideas.

- Once they spoke up in front of the group they felt more comfortable asking more questions and giving suggestions.

4. We did an online poll for projects so that the students could share their opinions on the current assignments, speakers, and future assignments.

- This gave them part ownership of the class and made them feel more comfortable.

5. Technology played a huge role with interaction and every student had to join Twitter and Linkedin so we could send messages out to them via social media.

- Although some were reluctant in the beginning, by the end of the semester they were happy they joined once they learned how to use these tools correctly and efficiently.

6. We tried to make some interaction on smartphones with texting but we could mark this up as a fail.

-We assumed that most, if not all students had smartphones and it was not the case in this class.

Paul's Learning Goals

Here are my learning goals that are broken down in groups of Values, Attitudes, Knowledge, and Skills.

Values-

1. Value other writers and other articles instead of just your own

2. Value the technology that they currently have but be able to do these tasks without the technology.

Attitudes-

1. Make the students leave with a positive attitude about writing and start to think about writing as a tool and not just as something you do in school or work.

2. Have the students bring up ideas and suggestions so that they will feel more at home with the classroom and prof.

Knowledge-

1. Being able to comprehend a piece and articulate it back to an audience in their own words.

2. Have a great knowledge and grasp of new technologies and be able to adapt with the changes of technology.

Skills-

1. To be able to use other technologies besides the usual ones they are used to.

2. Apply knowledge about identifying a real audience and reaching that audience to their actual pieces of writing.

3. Be able to articulate what is on their mind and put it on paper.

4. To be able to get your point across to an employer in 140 characters

Learning goals

There's a school of thought that a good writing teacher is one that shares, openly, the things they've learned in their journey as a writer. I guess you could call me a member of this school because the goals I've come up with focus on a number of things that I've found useful in my career so far:

Play:

1. Students will value experimentation in the creative process
2. Students will recognize opportunities to incorporate play in the writing process using technology
3. Students will know what exercises and interfaces help them create the best work
4. Students will become comfortable in reflecting on their writing process, understanding that it is unique and not permanent.

Information gathering:

1. Students will appreciate the amount of information at their disposal in digital environments
2. Students will understand how to evaluate online resources
3. Students will be able to find, evaluate and use information from a wide array of sources for a variety of rhetorical situations.

Collaboration:

1. Students will value others as valuable resources in the writing process
2. Students will understand how to effectively provide peer response to writing including digitally
3. Students will become members of a digital social learning community where participants use their relevant knowledge to contribute to the creation of new knowledge and where students help each other

Multimodality

1. Students will value non-alphabetic texts
2. Students will be exposed to the variety of communicative tools
3. Students will think critically about their writing task and choose the appropriate tools or technologies to complete that task.

Mine reads more like a list than a matrix, but I used the matrix approach in coming up with this far-from-exhaustive list. I really found it helpful to think about things in that three dimensional way.

Though I was surprised by how often I found myself valuing skills and knowledge more than values and attitudes, which was a little disconcerting since I know very well that dispositions toward a topic or discipline are as important as the skills associated with that discipline - especially if the student is expected to reach that highest level of capability - the rhetorical level.

Ever since I started thinking about teaching and writing, I've had this mantra: I want to help people learn the value of writing as a tool for unpacking and making sense of the world around them. I hope that at some point, I'm sure after much reflection and drafting, I'll be able to create a set of smaller goals that lead to that much loftier one.

Cait's Goals for Student Development

Based on our in-class exercise, here’s a compilation of my initial thoughts on the values, attitudes, knowledge, and skills I would like to impart to students in a freshman level writing course. At this point, I feel that developing new, more productive attitudes towards writing will be the key to achieving the rest of the goals.

Values

• Value every piece of writing as an opportunity to address a particular audience.
• Value any digital environment as a potential mode of reaching a chosen audience.
• Value collaboration as a part of the writing process.
• Value yourself as a writer and the role writing will play in your future career(s), regardless of your field of study.
  
  

Attitudes

• View the writing process as producing projects for an actual purpose in addressing a real-world audience rather than producing assignments for a teacher.
• View all writing environments (including those normally associated with “out-of-school” activities) as legitimate writing tools.
• View a piece of writing as a work in process rather than a finished product in the classroom, particularly when utilizing new technologies. Feel free to experiment and play.
• View the writing process as a collaborative relationship between all members of the class, whether working on group projects or receiving feedback on individual projects.

Knowledge

• Know how to evaluate any writing artifact and determine its intended audience and its effectiveness in reaching that audience.
• Know how to identify your desired audience.
• Know your purpose behind addressing your chosen audience (are you teaching, convincing, explaining, etc.)
• Know how to identify which available technologies or mediums will afford the best opportunity to reach your audience.
  

Skills

• Apply analyses mentioned above regarding addressing a real audience and reaching that audience to your own writing.Be able to introduce yourself to new technologies as needed.
• Be able to look at a new technology and determine what it affords and projects/audiences for which those affordances could prove useful.
• Collaborate with other writers to create collective projects and/or learn from your collaborators proficiencies in order to develop your own skills.
• Determine what identity you want to present as the author of a given piece of writing.
  

Tool Time: the Sites I Presented on Today

Hi all! I thought I might list a few of the sites that I shared with you guys today.

creativecommons.org and creativecommons.org/lincenses. Creative Commons is, as the video today explained, a place to license your work and to learn more about licensing information. The “Licenses” page explains each of the six licenses available for copyrighting your work or for using others’ works in particular ways. Creative Commons also has a search function on its website that allows you to find media on the web that has creative commons licensing information.

www.flickr.com- Flickr allows photographers, both amateur and professional, the ability to share their work with the world. The creative commons licensing information is on the lower right hand side of the page. You may search for photos with a particular license by going to the bottom of the page and clicking on “creative commons.” That will take you to a page that allows you to search media by each particular license.

Archive.org- archive.org allows users to search for audio, video, text and software, and provides the creative commons licensing information for the users on the left hand side of the page. My students often use this site for finding music that they can use in their Remix projects.

I am happy to answer any questions you might have about licensing, attribution, or how having two Remix projects (one that requires attribution of images and one that is "stolen") plays out in my first- year writing class.

Shenika's "Values, Attitudes, Knowledge, Skills" Rubric

I developed a course-related values, attitudes, knowledge, and skills rubric based on typical written genres that I assign for my introductory English courses. The VAKS rubric coincide with the following assignments:

• Analytical Essay
• Argumentative Essay
• I-Search (Research) Essay
• Digital Written Presentation

Please Note: This is my first draft. (Revisions will occur.)

Shenika's "Values, Attitudes, Knowledge, Skills" Rubric

Interactions at the Writing Center

The Pedagogy of Chairs and Tables

What does the physical space and interior design of a writing center say about its pedagogy? Unlike some writing centers where tutorial sessions take place in cubicle-like spaces, this is not the case at the MSU writing center. When one walks into the main center in Bessey or other satellite locations like the library, tables are spread all over in an open space. The pedagogical value brought about by this interior design is that it allows “extra” interactions not only with the client but with other consultants. This pedagogy asks consultants, though not explicitly, to view fellow consultants as resources/technologies that they can freely and easily seek help from during tutorial sessions. But the open space has some diaffordances, as we discussed in class today. Some clients or consultants might be distracted by the noise or beehive of activities that might be taking place in different tables at a given time. In certain situations, some clients request their consultants to move to a quieter or a private space inside the center. Open space can be seen here as hindering self expression/interactions for some people involved. In an online space, the client and consultant do not worry about noise, but, they don’t benefit from using fellow consultants as resources, at least not in real time.

In a f2f session at the writing center, body language and interpersonal cues like a smile, grin or a frown play important role in an interaction. While online spaces do not allow enough room to engage in such interactions as is the case of f2f, they no doubt happen. Examples include use of smiley face or use of punctuation in a particular ways. In Second Life, if you use capital letters during an IM chat, it is assumed you are shouting.