Since I'm not a DI or a TI this semester, this week's post may be a bit of a stretch for me. I did my undergraduate work at Texas Tech, but I never had to take freshman composition. It may be similar for many of you (is it ironic to teach a class you've never taken?). The only time I've ever interacted with 1301/1302 is a few years ago, when I was doing some tutoring. Back then it seemed like a nuisance. I do realize now, however, that Tech's set-up is, in part, a means for tackling the large number of students in freshman composition each semester. While the system is a way of putting many important composition concepts (summaries, drafts, peer response, etc.) into practice, the implementation of the system inherently brings more problems of its own. Some things I have thought about:
1) Whenever I'm going over an essay/story/etc. for editing/grading/workshopping purposes, I like to have the paper in front of me so that I can mark on it with a pen. I (and most people, I think) find it easier to see and mark errors or make suggestions in physical, rather than technological, space. As Ma and Pa Kettle pointed out, the types of errors teachers correct have changed along with the way students compose their essays (i.e. handwritten to word processing). Does ICON further limit and/or change the way that teachers correct errors and offer criticism? On the other hand, I (being a tree-lover) realize the importance of bypassing paper waste. Could newer technology, such as wireless pens with electronic "paper" screens, be next?
2). Students may feel that their grades are too subjective, inconsistent, and impersonal due to having their essays posted and graded online. Perhaps a grading rubric might help, but I suppose that would need to be researched. Could students in a freshman composition class be trusted to grade themselves? I happen to think, perhaps too conservatively, that it would prove more difficult than helpful.
3). Technology inherently complicates things. Everything from a minor glitch to a system crash is possible. How much of class time is needed to learn how to navigate TOPIC? Is there a small percentage of students who are disadvantaged by the system because they have less computer training, do not own a personal computer, or who are simply suspicious of the technology requirements? Do people even remember how to write legibly with a pen anymore? I'm asking these questions because they inevitably affect technology-based learning to some degree or another. How does technology "undercut" certain traditional teaching methods, and how can it support others? How much do these considerations matter in the long run?
I'd be interested to hear what kinds of answers the class could pose for the questions that I've raised. Do I think we need to scrap the whole ICON system? Of course not. For the most part, the approach allows for the most involved level of composition instruction on a very wide-scale level. The idea of basing composition courses on the student's major, rather than attempting a campus-wide program, does have some merit, but I think it would pigeonhole the student's idea of what writing is and what it can do.
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2 comments:
It's interesting to see your perspective here. I never took 1301/1302 as an undergrad at Tech, either, so the whole system seems really foreign and strange to me. I'll respond to one of the issues you raise: While I understand how students might feel that TOPIC is impersonal, I like the fact that we're able to respond in a text-box and not with red pen in hand. I know how terrible it feels to get a paper back with red marks all over it. At least the student's work keeps some of its orignial integrity this way. On the other hand, TOPIC doesn't afford us the personal communication in which instructors and students in a traditional classroom participate. We can't see how our comments affect student writing. We don't see mulitple drafts or even grade the same student's work twice. I think we could really improve TOPIC by implementing some sort of chatting feature through which students and DI's could dialogue about student work.
I like your idea about electronic pens to write on student's work - I'd like that a lot. I think a grading rubric would be a great idea, also, because my idea of an A or a B or C is totally different from people who went to different schools.
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