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Recently, I wrote a blog about how much more productive I am in this class in the actual classroom than at home working on assignments. This blog is on a related subject--how I've fared over the short summer term in Practicum for Teaching Technical and Professional Writing.
I've learned to work with a lot of different new media tools I wouldn't have normally been exposed to during my English literature course of study. I can now place RSS feed onto my SharePoint site, upload and share documents, alter images in PhotoShop, create podcasts with Garageband and screen movies with Camtasia, design surverys with Flashlight, use EndNote to more easily compile and format my sources, and create a syllabus and detailed lesson plan for my Professional Writing class this fall at USF. The tools I've learned to use have released me from the former monopoly BlackBoard management system had on my online course activities and allowed me freedom to experiment with visual rhetoric.
I certainly learned a few key things about technology: 1.) It's somewhat unreliable, but when it does function properly, it is a great ally; 2.) Patience is the key; 3.) Don't be embarrassed to ask the experts for help, even with the simplest tasks; and 4.) Keep trying...eventually you might actually figure it out....afterall, I (kind of) did.
Thanks to all my colleagues who worked hard to create this new Tech Comm program in USF's English Department. Good work, all! And thanks to Dr. Moxley for his eternal patience and my peers who answered my annoying questions.
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As I mentioned in class, the main positive aspect of training online teachers in online classrooms is the opportunity for (future) online teachers to notice deficiencies in the online classroom they are a part of and correct those perceived deficiencies in their own online courses. In (classrooms for) Practicum for Composition, Literature, and/or Technical/Professional Writing, teachers in training observe things they would do differently and effective exercises. The same holds true for online classes for online teachers in training. If the information dispersion method is ineffective, the future online teachers can make efforts to avoid that pitfall in their own online classes. The less self-motivated (future) online teachers will perceive the pitfalls of online classes and be able to combat that issue. In a classroom, online or traditional, not only do students learn the material but also the glitches.
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As I mentioned in class, I am much more productive in Technical Writing Practicum in the class than at home. I can think of a million things to do instead of the multiple and complicated class assignments. I could eat, walk the dog, exercise, work my other jobs, research, revise an upcoming conference paper, pay the bills, call my Granny, work on my fall lesson plan, and look at the Internet. In class, everyone can see what I'm doing, I can ask for and receive help, and I can stay focused. I'm glad we are starting to workshop on Wednesdays; I kind of wish we would have started this sooner in the summer term.
We've made a ton of progress as a class and I have as a student. Today I realized that even Word documents have URLs (is that the right term?). I learned how to copy them and how to really spiff up my SharePoint site. I'm excited! I have a manipulated image, a link to my Professional Writing syllabus, and a lot more documents in my Shared Docs and Vivian's Docs libraries. I feel accomplished today after class! That's a nice (and somewhat unfamiliar--in technology-based courses) feeling.
Vivian
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In the "I'll Never Be Quentin" blog, my intention was never to portray him in a negative or degrading light. He is one of my idols. If I could be as on top of everything as he is, I would be a much more successful and productive teacher, student, and peer. All I meant, in a nutshell, is that he is what other (Ph.D.) students should aspire to be. He is an award-winning teacher, a grade-A blogger, a helpful and patient peer, and a generally hard act to follow. I'm honored to work beside him and perhaps someday will be admirable.
Sincerely,
Vivian
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Okay, I'm going to ask you all this in class today anyway, but thought opening a thread about the topic might help others who are having difficulties as well. I'm jumping into this blindly since I haven't checked to see if anyone has posted a similar blog.
So the question is: How do I add my podcast to the list? It asks for a URL and mine's just an mp3 file; it's not online. So it's in ITunes. How the heck do I get it into the podcast list? I'm going to check and see if any of you have posted this blog topic really quickly.
Thanks for any help,
Vivian
PLEASE DISREGARD THIS....DR. MOXTER DEMONSTRATED HOW TO DO IT....and thanks for that.
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I enjoy blogging, using new software, being exposed to tools I could utilize in my classroom, creating the new TPW curriculum (or whatever souped-up name we decide upon :) ), and class discussion. However, the syllabus states we may blog on any class-related topic. After the email from The Tennis Moxter concerning what type of blog quality he is looking for with a link to Quentin's, I felt a stab of jealousy. Initially, I made excuses for this blog-quality discrepency (e.g. he's been doing it way longer or I have 6 other jobs). Since then, I have come to accept the fact that I will never be a Quentin-caliber blogger.Blogging is on my list of things I enjoy doing, but I blog in an entirely different way. I am expressivist blogger. I blog about the articles, but prefer discussing them in class in order to bounce ideas off of my peers and professor.
I'm really excited about the practical aspect of this class. I'll be eligible to teach several more courses than before; we're designing a degree program; I'm working with tools I would have never otherwise encountered; I'm writing a syllabus which I might get to use in the fall or spring; and I've created a SharePoint web site on which I can place my documents, links, and so much more.
I guess my latter point is I prefer the hands on over the theoretical. I'd rather practice it than read someone preaching it. Vivian
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After reading Warnock and Kahn's article which argues the use of expressive technical writing by engineers to solve certain problems, I think the argument is a bit of a pipe dream. Of course, as a writer, I fully encourage professionals in all disciplines to become better writers. However, engineers (please stay with the following generalization) are problem solvers. If they can solve problems using only steps one and three (45), I think they will skip step two, even at the risk of bugs, program glitches, and other unforseen problems. The article supports my opinion on the skipping of step two.
The article places expressive technical on quite a pedestal; it is posited as the missing link. "Writing is critical in this process for identifying new approaches, anticipating program bugs, and optimizing program flow. XTW can thus be depicted as providing a vital link between the communications act and understanding the content of computer programming" (46). My main objection is not that engineers will not write, but that they probably already brainstorm about troubleshooting the programs/projects they work on. Is the article not selling engineers a little short by assuming they do not preemptively solve problems? Perhaps they do not utilize writing as the tool by which they do this troubleshooting, but I am sure some thought must be given to the What Ifs of each particular problem.
Whoops. Forgot to publish this when I wrote it. Sorry to those who said they'd read it!! Not sure it's finished, but it's been sitting way too long.
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Technical writing is an art. It is the art of dumbing-down specialized jargon for laypeople who are for whatever reasons reading about said specialty. Technical writing makes highly specialized information available to a more general public.
Here is an example:
Jargonized version--"Judith Butler's Theory of Gender Performance is a social constructionist view of gender as well as an explanation of why and how individuals perform their gender(s) in quotidian existence and activities."
Applied Technical Writing--"Judith Butler, a gender theorist, claims that people are labelled male or female based on everyday activities such as wearing a dress or playing in a men's baseball league. She also claims that gender is determined by society; she does not believe people are born males or females."
The area of specialization can range from engineering to public health administration since each discipline has its own seemingly indecipherable terms and jargon. Technical writers are mediators between specialists and interested (yet unfamilliar with the terms from whichever field) audiences. Vivian
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Since our syllabus states we can blog on anything related to our class, I want to take this moment to vent some frustration. I have done 89% of the readings, attempted to password protect my password list and link it to my home page, attempted to make my movie, formulated an inarticulate, brief definition of technical writing, experimented with the limited software available for Macs, listened and taken notes in class, posed thoughtful questions in my blogs, and attended every class.
Somehow, this seems to fall short of expectations. Sadly, I will never be as eloquent a blogger as Quentin. This is due in part to my lingering level of discomfort with public discourse about article/research reactions, and part of it is personal preference. I would much rather write a blog posing interesting questions and read everyone's responses to them than interpret what an author might have meant when s/he wrote such and such article. Maybe I agree with David about forums; I simply have no experience with them. They seem to be more focused and cohesive.
When Dr. Moxley showed me how to password protect my documents in Word in class, it seemed easy enought. However, my Mac version of word, under "Tools" has no such protection. There is no security option. There is something simlilar but related to versioning. So I have the list of passwords on my laptop at home and must be there to email it to myself so the next time I'm at USF I can password protect it and add it to my homepage. Is that all really necessary? Isn't a word document on my laptop sufficient for my purposes? I guess some of my hesitation springs from the Turkish hackers from a semester or 2 ago. Can they hack Sharepoint? If so, they will have my NetID, youtube, photobucket, bank, credit card, TIAA-Cref, Geico, and other passwords. That scares me.
I fully intended on making the movie today in my office. I borrowed Sara's headset and even became slightly excited about locking myself in my office until I made the perfect yet obviously simpleton-produced movie. Of course, I left it at home and now must either lose my 7 a.m. 3rd row parking spot or work on it in class Wednesday. I think I'll do it in class. I could probably do it on break. I would do it Thursday after I finish teaching, but I bet Sara wants her headset back.
The bright side of the class: I know how to add web parts, including RSS feed, images, links, and contact info, to my home page; I now have a home page; I feel like if this were a regular semester, I could catch on and be passable, if not good, at using the tools we're trying; I'm learning a lot about technical writing from the readings although apparently my blog does not reflect that; and I'm learning patience.
I'm off to "Write a Byline" (once I find out what that is; it's a journalism term, but...); blog about what technical writing is; and add my blog RSS to some website I can't seem to get open. Thanks for listening. Vivian
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In "Planning Graduate Programs in Rhetoric in Departments of English," Pierce and Steinberg raise several interesting issues relevant to our class's goal of TPW program implementation. I will make a list of pertinent questions/issues posed by Pierce and Steinberg and am interested in what others think about said questions/issues.
"Under what conditions is it reasonable to try to develop a new rthetoric program? How can we plan rhetoric programs that have a reasonable chance of being implemented" (391)? We have established that the conditions are right at USF for the TPW program. Our chair is wiling to listen, our head rhet/comp people are working together, and there is a need for the degree. The second question is a bit more sticky and I feel the authors answer it throughout the article by raising key issues. According to the article, we need to "'identify areas of comparative advantage" and "concentrate resources in the areas" (394). Perhaps our class should do more of this. What are USF's areas of expertise? What do we have that puts us in a position to have a better TPW program than other schools?
"For a program to be warranted, the institution must also be especially well suited to respond to those particular disciplinary possibilities and social needs...The institution should have significant and relevant strengths that can be exploited in the program" (397). We've determined that USF is well-suited for the program. What types of disciplinary possibilities and social needs do USF/the job market offer? What strengths can we capitalize upon to better the program? Donna mentioned in class the large companies in Pinellas County that will hire TPW graduates. That's a start. We should think about what else is out there. Moxley mentioned that graduate students would be teaching many of the courses in the program, but what about the remaining instructional demands? How many qualified/interested/willing faculty do we have to involve in the new program? How many of those are interdisciplinary? Would an interdisciplinary program be more resource efficient? More desirable? Encouraged by higher-ups?
One question in particular interests me and that is what makes USF's TPW program unique and desirable for degree candidates? We should brainstorm on this question, make a list, and utilize it. Is it the local/state job market demand for TPW majors? Is it our outstanding rhet/comp faculty? Is it our university's strengths in engineering, medicine, biomedical, and biology?
Responses to these questions could be very helpful in our effort to build the program, and I would love to hear everyone's contributions. Vivian
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I just lost a 300-word blog on this article while attempting to download some movie recording software. The following is an attempt to recall my observations about the article.
Pierce and Eno's article greatly enhanced my understanding of university level technical/professional/new media curricula a at the. Since that's our class goal this semester is to design a reasonable and functional TPW B.A. at USF, this article is particularly helpful. The article points out discrepencies between courses taught in existing TPW programs and workforce demands on recent graduates. The authors also note the lack of core texts, courses, and paper types.
While designing USF's new media/TPW degree, we should keep these authors' findings in mind to avoid the pitfalls of existing programs. We should make a special effort to implement a program with core courses designed to prepare students to enter the workforce after graduation. Pierce and Enos find, "courses in specializations that are in demand in the job market are simply not being offered with any consistency" (206). USF's new program should offer the in-demand courses according to Pierce and Enos, such as Technical or Professional Writing, Technical Communication, Writing Across the Curriculum, Visual Communication, Writing Program Administration, Rhetoric of Science and Technology, and Publishing and Editing. The new TPW degree at USF will fill the demand in the field by providing these neglected courses and therefore attract more desirable degree candidates. In addition to the core courses, USF's TPW program should also offer more applicable noncore courses and assign papers for publication as opposed to reaction and seminar papers.
Pierce and Enos' article can be of great use during the creation of USF's new TPW program if we heed its advice.
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...for not blogging in so long. It's not true. I blog on my band's web site and my personal web site, which do not necessarily contribute to my academic career, but do reflect my personal ambitions, observations, and hypotheses.
I didn't blog on the readings from last week because I've spent the last week moving from North Dale Mabry onto Busch Boulevard. My new place is a third floor apartment, which was a logistical nightmare, especially since I had 1,200 square feet worth of furniture and kitsch and have attempted to fit it into a 500-odd square foot space.
I will catch up. I'm one of the few people who enjoy blogging although my blogs tend to be personal and confessional (not embarrassingly so, but much like this one). I will be sure to post on last week's readings as well as the new ones as soon as SharePoint is functional.
I'm a tad intimidated by this whole web world even though I utilize it every day in my personal and professional life. Okay, Moxley's kicking us out. Next time...
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Why don't students visit collegewriting.us? Many assignment specifics are listed there; it is a gateway to get ahead. If a student wanted to, she/he could get way ahead on work simply by visiting the site, checking the assignment requirements, and beginning their work early.
Why don't students email me with questions or visit my office hours? I am here at least five hours a day, ready and willing to assist students with any writing woes they may have.
Why don't students revise papers for better grades? Revision is encouraged and appreciated as an extra effort. Not taking advantage of that opportunity seems ridiculous to me.
Why don't students read their syllabus or lesson plans? They constantly ask me what we're doing next class, if classes are cancelled due to conferences, when projects are due. Little do they know all that important information is included in two or three pages handed out at the semester's beginning.
Some students do utilize the aforementioned tools. Why the other ninety percent do not is a mystery to me. I stilll weekly check syllabi and visit my professors' offices. How can we emphasize the importance of referencing the handouts? How can we prevent them from getting stuffed into the back of a notebook or lost under the car seat? How can I make myself more approachable and seem more useful?
How do you get your students to use their scholarly tools? Or are you in the same situation?
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Entering egrades was one of the easiest things I have done all semester. Perhaps it would have been more difficult if I had grown accustomed to a different type of grading. At St. Petersburg College, I simply told the students their grades at midterm. At Arkansas State, I entered them into Blackboard. Good luck to those of you who are trying this for the first time. There are plenty of useful tools to help you adapt. There are workshops and online tutorials. Then there's always the try-it-on-your-own method. Let's just all hope the eportfolios are as simple as egrading.
I met with Dr. Moxley this morning just to let him know I am comfortable with egrading, my practicum assignments, and my classes. I mentioned to him that I have four students with Fs; I was not eager to hear his reaction. He did not fly into a rage and blame me for those students' inactivity and irresponsibility. He might even have been proud that I stuck by my grading guns; I am not a participant in grade inflation. When the class forgot their books, I gave them zeros for the day. When a student handed in a paper unrelated to the assignment for project one, I handed it back and instructed him to rewrite it according to the assignment. He did not; he got an F.
Do not mistake my examples for indifference. I am passionately concerned about my students and their ability to write and learn to write. If each and every one of them turned in A papers, I would weep with joy and pride. However, we all know that if we receive all A papers in a freshman composition course, there is some serious cheating going on. Or we are inflating grades. Either way, the As are phony and unacceptable. I am pleased with the variety of grades my students earned.
For those that were unhappy with their grades, I offered a few bonus points for attending the poetry jam Thursday night at Starbucks. Six students showed and stayed! I think they might have actually enjoyed themselves; I hope so. They are aware that a night listening to people publicly spill their innermost thoughts is better than watching someone do the same thing on television. Some of the poetry was excellent! My favorite poet was named Lee. He read an extremely emotional one entitled "These Hands." Other poets I know read and were good. Kim Murray surprised me, David Moody met my expectations (and I want to thank him for not reading "She Is" because it's so depressing), and Mike Chef-chik (sorry) exceeded my expectations ("How Much Do You Love Me?"). It was a great night. Somehow I have strayed way off topic, but isn't that okay in a blog?
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Portfolio has replaced plagiarism as the word of the moment. Creating them is easy since the wizard walks the student through the simple eight step process. Adding items to them is probably easy although I have no substantiated proof of that. But what of the function of them? My class will be using the e-portfolios as a place to continually revise their papers, and they are a representation of all the student has accomplished this semester in Comp. II. They can also download them onto their own computers for future professional or academic use.
I lost my entire collection of graduate work in an apartment fire. That collection included computer files, diskettes (yes, those old floppy ones and zips), folders, and notebook upon notebook of untyped, handwritten notes. I sincerely wish I would've had an e-portfolio; I would still have those hard earned papers and research results. My Intro. to Criticism notes from my M.A. program could really help this semester with Professor Hewitt's Studies in Lit. Crit. I. My M.A. teaching Practicum notes, exercises, and group work would be equally helpful in Dr. Moxley's Practicum class. It's not that I forgot everything; it's just that it would help immensely if I had those things.
So far my students have shown a little resistance to the e-portfolio requirement, but I am sure they'll thank me later.
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