Technology and the Teaching of Writing

Each of the assigned readings address different aspects of the intersection between technology and the teaching of writing. First, Moran gives a broad (and now slightly outdated) overview of the effects of technology on teaching writing. He recognizes that the internet and online activities, including email and discussion boards, are often perceived as less formal environments, which can be both beneficial and detrimental to assignments. The benefits include potentially empowering students who feel uncomfortable contributing to in-class, verbal discussion, and also by having written discussions, the students do more writing. However, the informal nature of online exchanges can also quickly veer off topic and can be difficult for the instructor to guide. While I found some of Moran's conclusions, specifically about the $13,000 cost of a personal computer, to be outdated, I did agree with his point about online discussions being more useful to writing teachers. In a History pedagogy course, I have argued against the use of online discussion because it does not force students to engage in real-time, verbal discussions, but in the case of a writing course, it seems that such a discussion format would be more beneficial to students.

I found Purdy's exploration of plagiarism and how it is influenced by technology to be extremely thought provoking. I think we, as teachers, need to be clear about what we want students to learn in general but also in regard to plagiarism. Do we want them to know not to turn in an assignment from a paper mill? Do we want them to know how to research and cite properly? Do we want them to live in fear of being caught for plagiarism? Perhaps, one or all three. I think it will vary with the teacher. In my own classroom, I'd like for the students to understand what plagiarism is (although I know that is a slippery slope) and why they should avoid it. I have found that most of the time, identifying a plagiarized paper is not too difficult, especially if the teacher is familiar with his/her students' writing. So, it seems that catching and punishing students who plagiarize is not what is difficult. Prevention of plagiarism seems to be the issue. Another professor I've had, Denis Gainty, has described the process and benefits of creating an undetectable plagiarized paper as akin to producing a perfectly counterfeited one dollar bill. All that effort for very little benefit. It would be my hope that students would come to understand the wasted effort of "good" or undetectable plagiarism; however, this may be idealistic. Also, I was intrigued by Purdy's exploration of "competitive" vs. "institutionalized" plagiarism; however, I ultimately felt that the two are not the same in that the student operates in a different environment than the professional, and these environments have different rules. In the classroom, the expectation on students in one that requires the work of the individual. I think the professional world is much more centered around collaborative work and writing.

I found Krause's blogging horror story to be interesting, especially considering the nature of assignments in this course. I must agree with his final conclusion that blogs are not naturally collaborative. Even with the comment feature, a blog is still the production of an individual, even if you have a group of people working on the composition. Discussion is difficult with blogs and much more suited for online discussion boards.