Behind the Scenes

         Behind the Scenes        Head to Head        Postmodern Riff         

When the teacher embodies the dichotomy between computers and writing – novice with the new technologies more expert with the writing – how can we raise the heat to perform the desired alchemy? How can we even hope that students will be able to address the question of this relationship in their own writing development/process? Perhaps we just do it. Perhaps we propose the question without expecting a reasoned answer in a ten week course. Perhaps there is some value in approaching a question we are not yet prepared to answer.

In some ways, our weekly meetings were damage control. I felt responsible for some of what John was going through in terms of his students reactions to his coursework...after all, I had talked him into it. I wonder if other teachers enthusiastic about integrating technology in writing classes, techno-proselytizers, have similar experiences. Regardless, I felt like John had observed something interesting that I had never thought about...that multiple kinds of ethos are at work in a techno-centered writing classroom. And, now that I make that statement, it seems so obvious.