Hello World (of AL 881)

Chad O'Neil here (the cute one is my son, Orin). 

I began my obsession with technology at that other 'Michigan' school as an Engineering student.  Not long after finishing my introduction to Aerospace Engineering class I decided I'd much rather major in English.  I haven't turned back.  I completed my B.A. in English at The University of Michigan in 2002, worked briefly for Apple, and then heard about the start of the amazing Masters program in Digital Rhetoric & Professional Writing at MSU.  I completed my M.A. at MSU in 2005 during my first semester as a doctoral student at NC State in Raleigh, NC.  Though I learned a great deal about myself and discovered my love for teaching during my four years at NC State, my comprehensive exams turned out to be the end of my journey there.


So here I am again, as a Lifelong student 'testing the waters.'


I was privileged to spend much of my time at Michigan and MSU working with great people at each institutes' Writing Centers.  Much of the work I did as a consultant / tutor focused on learning, using, and teaching others about technology in the context of academic writing (composition).


I gained my first classroom teaching experience at NC State teaching first year composition.  I have built on this teaching experience as Part Time Faculty at Parkland College here in Champaign, IL over the past three years.  I have recently begun working with Continuing Education at Eastern Illinois University piloting Writing Center hours for their continuing education students that take classes here at Parkland.

Whether it was using text only email to work with students on their papers over email at U of M or piloting tablet computers as a part of my teaching here at Parkland, technology use has always been a part of my teaching.  Recently I was given the opportunity to teach an online English course this coming fall.  I am taking this opportunity to reevaluate my teaching.  How might technology be leveraged differently in both the traditional and online courses I teach? Are there way to approach the curriculum guidelines for the courses I teach while considering the broader digital texts students use and produce?


These are just a couple of questions I'm looking forward to considering during the coming weeks.  I can't wait to learn more about the rest of you, what you hope to gain from the course, and one another.