Head to Head

          Behind the Scenes        Head to Head        Postmodern Riff         

New writing technology changes the way teachers exercise classroom authority. There have been a number of writers interested in this subject. I am familiar with a number of issues surrounding computer technology and classroom management – student underlife, Selfe’s advice for teachers starting out introducing new computer technology to a writing classroom, Rouzie’s serio-ludic discourse, Faigley’s early use of synchronous chat. Computers do change how a student (and everyone else) writes. They also change how teachers teach in ways that continue to unfold. Perhaps those of us who remember teaching without much computer technology in the classroom will one day die off. The issue of introducing computer technology into composition class may become a topic of historical interest only. As of the year 2007 this scenario feels like a long way into one possible future. (Although the thought of freshman English evolving into an eternal academic category feels quite at hand * at least from our perspective.)

As power structures and academic business models morph - increasingly business driven towards consumer demand -  I think a less gradual move towards integrating writing technologies will come as a top-down initiative. It starts with Blackboard - and blossoms as new campus wide products become available. Our Second Life campus is new but already gaining a lot of attention. How long tell everyone is brought on board kicking and screaming?