Being Digital

I have to admit I am nowhere near being a techie. In fact, in some ways I am technically illiterate. However, despite all of this I still found Nicholas Negroponte's book, or at least the brief sections we read, to be very interesting. For example, I really liked the example of his laptop that he used to compare the value of atoms versus bits. He states, "while the atoms were not worth that much, the bits were almost priceless" (12). I can relate to this as I often feel as if my whole life is on my computer and I would be lost without it. Luckily I have never lost it and it is password protected; however, if anyone ever got ahold of it they could easily steal my identity. My computer is not only the center for accomplishing my coursework and holds all my previous papers in the hard-drive, but it also holds my favorites songs, irreplaceable pictures, friends numbers and addresses, etc. In addition to his discussion of atoms and bits, I also actually enjoyed that fact that this article was dated. In my daily life I do not give a lot of thought to technology because I think you grow accustom to new devices, such as the iPhone, and forget how you ever lived without it. I found it fascinating to read problems that he discusses and then be able to recount in my mind how these have been fixed in the last 10+ years. For example, he discusses digital versus printed books and seems be doubtful that the digital book will ever surpass the printed book. As a book lover, I can attest to the fact that a digital book can never compete with the feel of holding a book in your hand and the smell of old library books. However, in the last few years Kindle has responded to many of the problems of digital books he discusses. For example, he states that printed books are "lightweight, easy to 'thumb' through, and not very expensive" (13). Today, Kindles are about the same weight as an average novel (sometimes lighter), are easily searchable and the books you buy are forever stored on your Amazon account. In addition, the solution to the problem of paper-like screen has been created. However, at $140, Kindles are still pretty expensive. Yet, if one will make this initial purchase, Kindle books are much cheaper than printed because you are not paying for inventory and shipping. Finally, I laughed a little when I read his account of video rental places making billions of dollars on unreturned videocassettes. Not only do videocassettes feel like a lifetime ago, but Netflix has practical put places like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video out of business by not having late fees.

Education and Culture

I really enjoyed the Chinese professors visit to our class this week. I found it interesting to listen to the similarities and differences between English composition courses in China and in the US. For example, they emphasize speaking and listening more and we emphasize reading a writing more. Although this difference might seem strange at first, we must remember that English is not their first language. Therefore, English composition classes must emphasize speaking first or they will not be able to move forward to writing. I actually lived overseas until I was 12 years old so I have always been intrigued by differences between cultures. One of these professors stated that the average Chinese student is much more interested in other countries and cultures than the average American student. I can absolutely attest to this. When I lived in Jakarta I went to an international school with students from all over the world. We even had a day every year when students would dress up in their country's "traditional dress" and bring food from their country. I always loved that day because I found cultural differences fascinating (and still do). However, I had quite a culture shock when I moved back to the U.S. and no one knew where Indonesia was and frankly got sick of hearing me talk about it. I quickly learned that if I wanted to make friends here I would have to discuss pop culture not other cultures. The Chinese professors' discussion in our class reminded me of how much I love learning in an international environment and re-inspired me to apply for jobs at international high schools when I finish my Master's.

Interruption and Minimal Grading

I had a very different reaction to each of this week's readings. The first reading, "Interrupting Our Way to Agency" by Nedra Reynold's, I found rather difficult to agree with. Of course women need to attain agency and the "conversation" needs to be continually added to and changed; however, in the year 2010, I see no reason why it is necessary for women to interrupt in order to achieve this purpose. In addition, the word "interruption" has a very negative connotation. Perhaps the it would help if "interruption" was changed to "speaking up." It was very obvious in class on Tuesday that I view interruption as rude because I did not want to interrupt the conversation in order to give my presentation. On the other hand, I found Richard Haswell's article, "The Complexities of Responding to Student Writing," to be very useful. I constantly struggle with the vast amount of time it takes me to grade 1301 drafts. I tend to lean more on the side of telling the student how to improve their work instead of asking a question or saying "this doesn't work." Sure, I am probably limiting creativity this way but I think that is better than students not understanding my comments (and therefore what is wrong with their work) and thus being unable to change anything. However, being this specific in my comments is extremely time-consuming. I would like to implement an abbreviation list and give the students a key. However, I think that only works when you are the only professor and are not trying have 40 graders grade the same way.

Community & The Right to One's Language Movement

In Tuesday's class, Emily and I did a little research on the history of "the right to one's own language movement." Obviously it was hard to learn very much about an entire movement in a few minutes, but we came to some conclusions. This idea of a right to your language, to me, seems to imply that we must create a common language with the students. I think this also includes relating to their underlife. However, it must be noted that no language is pure. They all overlap in some way. Joseph Harris explains this well when he states, "Our students are no more wholly 'outside' the discourse of the university than we are wholly 'within' it. We are all at once both insiders and outsiders" (755). In addition, acknowledging different languages could cause teachers to stereotype their students. Moreover, who says that students have this "right"? This generation has already been noted as having a large sense of entitlement. It seems that teachers adjusting to their language will simply increase this feeling. Also, the real world is diverse. More often than not, these students will have to adjust to the "accepted" language at their job. I do think it is important for teachers to not speak in large, rarely used words that are completely over the students' heads. In addition, relating to their underlife by referencing pop culture is helpful in keeping their attention. However, it must not go to the extreme. For example, it would be ridiculous to require a teacher to speak in slang, or even ebonics, in the classroom. Instead, students and teachers should come to some kind of middle ground where teachers relate to students but at the same time teach them in the accepted language they will be expected to know in the real world.

Group Work

Although Trimbur's article made some interesting points, overall I felt that he took a simple idea and presented it in a complicated manner. It seems that his article can be summarized by two questions: Is collaborative learning, or group work, successful? And is it wrong for students to come to a consensus? There are obvious benefits to working in groups in a class. For example, it forces students to organize, work together and "expand the conversation" (733). I really liked how Trimbur referred to consensus as creating "a common language in the classroom" (743). However, there is a "fear of conformity" in coming to a consensus (734). Although this loss of individualism is evident in group work, it is irrelevant. The idea of students working in a group is not for them to present their own voice, but rather to hear other voices and let it shape and develop their own. There are other outlets for students to present solely their own voice, such as journals, blogs and papers. However, there is a risk of a consensus not truly being a consensus. For example, it may be coming from three people out of a four person group if that forth person is too shy to assert themselves. I found it interesting that collaborative learning did not really exist in universities until after open admission programs came into existence (736). I wonder if this fact implies that group work exists to aid the lowest-common denominator, a student that comes from a very weak educational background. Perhaps group work is there not to further develop these students' pre-existing ideas, but to allow them to take ideas from the students that understand the assignment?

Hidden Ideologies

After reading Berlin's article and participating in our class discussion, I began to wonder if I have any hidden ideologies. I also began to think about the ideologies of my previous teachers and professors. Like I mentioned in class, I had a high school history teacher that linked every lesson to socialism. I also had a professor for a survey of early American literature (a 3000-level course) who only discussed Thoreau's writings and her personal views on life. In the first example, although it at times became boring to continue discussing socialism, this teacher's ideologies did not have a negative affect on his teaching. He was actually the best teacher I had in high school. His views did not limit his teaching, as I actually learned more in that class than I did in all of my college history courses put together. Instead, his strong beliefs showed him to be a passionate person and therefore an engaging educator. However, in the other example, this professor was definitely the worst professor I had during my undergrad. She was a very intelligent and well educated woman but for some reason she did not feel the need to teach us. Her classes were 100% lecturing with 50% of that dedicated to her talking about herself and the other 50% talking about how we should live our lives like Thoreau (she actually suggested we all buy a cabin in the middle of the woods). In this case this professor's ideologies hindered her from teaching us the literature we wanted to learn. It was an intro class for only English majors and to this day I feel inadequate in my knowledge of early American literature.


Both of these teacher's ideologies were very obvious; however, it made me wonder if I have any ideologies that even I am not aware exist. Based on my blog post a few weeks ago on my teaching philosophy, it seems that I value critical thinking, organization, universal errors and individuality. I do believe all of these are important but I am sure that I have other ideologies as well. For example, I think that the English classroom is the perfect place to discuss social and political issues, especially controversial ones. Berlin gives an example of this when he states that in the sixties and seventies "the writing classroom became one of the public arenas for considering such strongly contested issues as Vietnam, civil rights, and economic equality" (667). I think one of the reasons why I value discussions like these is because they force the students to think critically. Of course, it is important to not venture too far and become like that professor I had. We can encourage our students to have these kinds of discussions but we must keep the focus of them directed to our teaching goals, be they in writing, reading or both.

Student Motivation

Our discussions in class this week made me begin to ponder student motivation, or I should say their lack of motivation. I saw a news special last week on secondary education in the countries who's students rank highest. Most of these nations had better qualified teachers; for example, all of Singapore's teachers graduated from the top 10 percent of their class. However, the students of these countries also seemed to have a better value and understanding of the worth of education. They knew that to get anywhere in life, education is the key. Perhaps it is because our average standard of living is so high, but for some reason our students do not understand the peril of a life without a good education. They seem to believe that whether they do well in school or not, they will be just fine. Yet a student in India, only has to glance out their window to be reminded of their motivation in education. 

We specifically discussed the students' use of the writing center. I also mentioned that I offered office hours to help students on their first long paper and no one came. In that moment it was easy to become discouraged and conclude that in general students do not care. However, when I offered office hours again a couple days later, I had several students come by for help. So perhaps the problem here is not motivation but procrastination? Either way, the entire grading system itself serves as an example of poor student motivation. Unlike graduate students, if undergraduates are asked to do an assignment that does not have a grade attached to it, they will not do it. Thus, it seems to me that we must force students to understand how important a well-rounded education is, before we can expect any work from them. Although, what happened to taking pride in one's work just for the sake of it?

Writing Philosophy

1. I believe that good writing always includes good thinking and analysis and organization are key parts of this;
2. I believe that universal errors should be focused on in teaching instead of every mistake; and
3. I believe that students' writing should be more formal but still present their own unique voice.

I found it very difficult to summarize all of my beliefs about teaching and writing. I have many ideas that are not here; however, I think these are the most important ones. My first belief is important because if a student is not thinking their writing is not worth my time to read. In addition, they will only get something out of the assignment if they are thinking about it. For me, all this thinking can be summarized in the word "analysis." In addition, I put a lot of value in organization because communication is extremely difficult without it. A paper may be well written in every other way, but if it is not organized the audience will not receive the message. For this reason, I think it is still very important to teach the "5 part essay" to beginning writers. My second belief was formulated for two reasons. Firstly, if the student is graded on every single grammatical mistake they make, they are likely to become extremely discouraged and give up on writing. In addition, when teaching, it is practically impossible to have enough time in class to go over every single mistake every student made. Therefore, I believe that while grading, teachers should come up with a top 20 most common errors for that particular class and then go over them together. Finally, I think it is important that students learn how to write with a balance between formality and their own voice so that they can avoid engfish. Without formality, the paper will have slang and abbreviations that are not appropriate for the assignment. However, students must also learn to write with their own voice so that they can engage the reader. In addition, having their voice in their writing assures that all the students' papers will be unique.

D'Angelo and Shaughnessy

After reading D'Angelo and Shaughnessy's articles this week, I was most interested in how experience affects one's writing and the teacher's grading. For example, Shaughnessy discusses that in 1970, due to NYU's open admission policy, students of a different kind entered college for the first time. Shaughnessy states that these students were "strangers in academia, unacquainted with the rules and rituals of college life, unprepared for the sorts of tasks their teachers were about to assign them" (388). In addition, many of these students spoke English as their second language and were from poor areas of town that unsatisfactorily equipped them in education. Personally, I believe these facts should be taken into account by a teacher when both teaching and grading. For me, one of the most frustrating aspects of being a grader for 1301 is that I do not know any of the students, but I am expected to grade their work anyway. I am not arguing that a teacher should lower their expectations for their students or teach easier material. However, like Shaugnessy aruges, I believe the teacher should look at a student's work holistically instead of focusing on every single grammatical error. In addition, I believe it is important to not only show them what they need to work on in their writing, but praise them for the improvements they make over the semester, however small. We discussed in class the idea of who gets a better grade - the student that submits "A" quality work the entire semester but does not improve or the student that starts out with poor quality work but makes great improvement? The first student obviously deserves an "A" for meeting the standards; however, I would not give them a higher "A," such as a 98, because one can always improve one's writing and this student did not. As for the second student, I would not automatically give them an "A" because they have made great improvement over the semester; however, I do believe that effort and improvement are important. Therefore, if the student had a 78 or 79, I would round it up to an "B." Obviously, a teacher needs to be careful of being too subjective when grading (such as grading underprivileged students easier); however, I think we must remember that students are not just a piece of writing but people with varied experiences.

Macrorie and Crowley

After reading Macrorie and Crowley this week, I was most intrigued by the concept of "Engfish." It made we wonder if I have ever written "Engfish" before and if I still do. Because of the mixed message we get as students, I think it is very likely I wrote "Engfish" in high school. From a student's perspective, it often seems that "Engfish" is what teachers want and as students we try to mold our writing to every teacher's preference or whim. We do not notice that our voices have been completely lost in a piece of writing, that we do not know the meaning of half of the words we used, or that our writing sounds nothing like the way we speak. We simply hear the teacher say "write formally" and we translate that to mean "write Engfish." Also, as Macrorie points out, many textbooks use "Engfish" and students copy what they see. Luckily, somewhere along the way I found my "voice" in writing and am able to write formally and simply at the same time, while still sounding like myself. Overall, I found this article very interesting and plan to use some of Macrorie's tactics in the classroom to help my students avoid writing "Engfish."

Brereton and Kitzhaber

In Brereton's article, I was most intrigued by the section on Fred Newton Scott. I do not comprehend how four professors could teach English to 1,200 students! Scott's tone of frustration is very understandable. I liked his idea of the English classroom being like a lab. English is more complex than other subject areas, for example, history. It is far more than pure memorization of dates or formulas; therefore, it makes perfect sense that students need individual attention like the kind they receive in a chemistry lab. In addition, Scott is convincing when he argues that he does not expect literature or beautiful style from his students, but instead simply that they "think straight-forwardly" and "express themselves clearly and connectedly" (105-6).

The main idea from Kitzhaber's article that resonated with me was the question, "who's to blame?" Although he does not really follow through with the thought later in his article, he raises a good point when he states that college English professors always blame high school teachers for not preparing the students adequately for college English courses. However, after reading the article and seeing the vast differences in college syllabi, it is not surprising that high school teachers are receiving a mixed message on what they should be teaching. I am personally interested in this topic because after earning my M.A. I want to teach high school English. Based on these syllabi, it is unclear if I should focus on grammar, literature, rhetoric, linguistics, logic, semantics, public speaking or try to teach a little bit of everything. It seems freshman composition courses across the nation should either come to an agreement on what is the most important skill for students to come to college with, or if they cannot agree, at minimum they should stop putting all the blame on the high school teachers.

Parker & Horner

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the readings this week! I learned a lot of interesting things about the history of teaching English composition that I would have never thought of otherwise. For example, I found Parker's metaphor of oratory and linguistics being the mother and father of English to be intriguing. The connection between linguistics and English seems obvious; however, I had never really thought about the link between written and spoken word. I assume the reason why I never considered it is because they value different characteristics. For example, elocution seems to be of a different field than the act of writing in a formal manner. In addition, I knew about the long history of learning to read and write Latin in English universities; but I guess I always assumed that they were studying English as well. To me, it seems crazy that they would value a degree in a dead language so much, but not study the literature of the language they spoke everyday. Finally, I thought it was fascinating that American universities structured their education, specifically the study of English, based on the Scottish model. The Scottish were quite modern and progressive in their idea that everyone deserved an education, despite their social class, and I am quite surprised that they do not receive more credit for being the foundation of our education system.

What is Composition?

Simply, composition is writing. However, it is not necessary for the term composition to be limited to a particular genre or style of writing. In addition, it need not be formal in diction or tone. Yet, it is important for composition to have organization and several key ideas or points. Without organization or main idea, the piece will seem to lack purpose and the reader will be less able to understand the work. Although basic, an introduction, thesis and conclusion will aid in presenting the meaning of the composition.