Laptop Computers and Writing Instruction What am I going to do with this technology?

Laptop Computers and Laptop Computers and Writing InstructionWriting Instruction

What am I going to do with What am I going to do with this technology?this technology?

Laptop Computers and Laptop Computers and Writing InstructionWriting Instruction

The Move to TechnologyThe Move to Technology The Virtual Writing LabThe Virtual Writing Lab First-Year CompositionFirst-Year Composition Technical CommunicationTechnical Communication

The Move to TechnologyThe Move to Technology

Running, Kicking, and Running, Kicking, and ScreamingScreaming

Move to TechnologyMove to Technology

The Rose-Hulman ExperienceThe Rose-Hulman Experience Absence of computer writing labAbsence of computer writing lab Value placed on technical Value placed on technical

adaptabilityadaptability First-year composition course and First-year composition course and

curriculumcurriculum Laptop “culture”Laptop “culture”

Move to TechnologyMove to Technology

Administration and technical Administration and technical facultyfaculty

Opportunity to revise and re-Opportunity to revise and re-evaluate the First-year evaluate the First-year Composition courseComposition course

Benefits to the StudentBenefits to the Student

Improving writing and critical Improving writing and critical thinking skills?thinking skills?

Quantitative dataQuantitative data Associated Board of Engineering Associated Board of Engineering

and Technical Schoolsand Technical Schools Assessment plan data collection Assessment plan data collection

ongoingongoing Communication skills objective Communication skills objective

The Virtual Writing LabThe Virtual Writing Lab

Online AnytimeOnline Anytime

Software AdoptionSoftware Adoption

Receive Receive assignmentsassignments

Participate in on-Participate in on-line discussions line discussions

Submit essaysSubmit essays Peer editPeer edit Retrieve graded Retrieve graded

workwork

Rationale for Computer-Rationale for Computer-Assisted Composition Assisted Composition

Ellen Barton, “Interpreting the Ellen Barton, “Interpreting the Discourses of Technology”Discourses of Technology”

Dominant discourse: Myron Dominant discourse: Myron TumanTuman

Anti-dominant discourse: Cynthia Anti-dominant discourse: Cynthia Selfe and Richard SelfeSelfe and Richard Selfe

Rationale for Computer-Rationale for Computer-Assisted CompositionAssisted Composition

Instructor and students Instructor and students illuminating the potential and illuminating the potential and problems of technology even as problems of technology even as they employ it in the classroomthey employ it in the classroom

Laptop computer as the ever-Laptop computer as the ever-present marker of technology’s present marker of technology’s potential and problemspotential and problems

First-Year Composition and First-Year Composition and the Critique of Technologythe Critique of Technology

Making the ConnectionMaking the Connection

First-Year Composition: First-Year Composition: Issues in Science and Issues in Science and

TechnologyTechnology basic issues raised by scientific basic issues raised by scientific

knowledge and by science-based knowledge and by science-based technologytechnology

assigned reading: non-fiction essays, assigned reading: non-fiction essays, science fiction novels, films, plays, and science fiction novels, films, plays, and short storiesshort stories

authors who are interested in impact authors who are interested in impact of science and technology on our daily of science and technology on our daily liveslives

Assignments 11 and 12Assignments 11 and 12

Matthew Arnold, “Literature and Matthew Arnold, “Literature and Science”Science”

Thomas Huxley, “Science and Thomas Huxley, “Science and Culture”Culture”

Journal writing on each readingJournal writing on each reading

Assignment 13: Internet Assignment 13: Internet SearchSearch

Determine how many courses in the Determine how many courses in the humanities and social sciences are humanities and social sciences are required for engineering majorrequired for engineering major

Provide Works Cited entry for this Provide Works Cited entry for this Web siteWeb site

List the humanities and social science List the humanities and social science credits/courses that the school credits/courses that the school requires of your engineering majorrequires of your engineering major

Assignment 16: Assignment 16: Persuasive EssayPersuasive Essay

105 years have passed since Thomas Henry Huxley argued that "literary instruction and education" have no "direct value" for the "student of physical science." Argue either for or against the veracity of Huxley's claim for students at Rose-Hulman.

Assignment 16:Assignment 16:Persuasive EssayPersuasive Essay

If you decide to argue for Huxley's position, your audience for the essay is the professors of the HSS department. If you decide to argue against Huxley's position, your audience is the professors of the mechanical engineering department.

Course EvaluationsCourse Evaluations

Relevance to engineering Relevance to engineering curriculumncurriculumn

Improved writing skillsImproved writing skills Enjoyable and interestingEnjoyable and interesting

Technical CommunicationTechnical Communication

Technology and Workplace Technology and Workplace Communication Communication

Writing Lab and Writing Lab and Writing WorkplaceWriting Workplace

NTC inadequate for larger NTC inadequate for larger documents: graphicsdocuments: graphics

Campus network and company Campus network and company intranetintranet

Reviewing capabilitiesReviewing capabilities In-class presentationIn-class presentation Technical writing portfolioTechnical writing portfolio

Reviewing toolsReviewing tools

Student document: DVD technologStudent document: DVD technologyy

Word 97Word 97 Student peer editingStudent peer editing

In-class demonstrationIn-class demonstration

Look@Me, Look@Me, FarallonFarallon/Timbuktu/Timbuktu Peer editing discussionPeer editing discussion On-screen revisionOn-screen revision

Technical Writing PortfolioTechnical Writing Portfolio

Student PortfolioStudent Portfolio ResumeResume Technical Communication Technical Communication

DocumentsDocuments Audience AnalysisAudience Analysis Designing for the WWWDesigning for the WWW

Laptop Computers and Laptop Computers and Writing InstructionWriting Instruction

The Move to TechnologyThe Move to Technology The Virtual Writing LabThe Virtual Writing Lab First-Year CompositionFirst-Year Composition Technical CommunicationTechnical Communication