For this module, we have been talking about infrastructure choices, course design, and the classroom syllabus. In particular, what stuck out to me was the discussion of syllabi in the online writing class. Scott Warnock, author of Teaching Writing Online: How and Why, says, “For many instructors, the syllabus has become more than simply a list of readings and due dates, and instead is a contract between teacher and student” (38).
The syllabus acts as a contract between the teacher and the students. This is a new idea to me. Before doing the readings, I had never thought about a syllabus in this way. But now that I am thinking about it, the syllabus really does acts like a contract between teacher and student. Warnock also says, “Many teachers are turning to elaborate, detailed syllabi that provide not only the readings, course contact information, and a list of class activities, but also the guidelines for expected class behaviors, department policies, and contact information for campus support services” (38). These added details to a class syllabus seem to flesh out the contract-like nature of the syllabus.
Reading about classroom contracts and syllabi got me thinking about my own online writing course and the sample writing course we will be developing for ENG 725. Eberly, Newton, and Wiggins highlight the importance of the syllabus document by stating that it is the “initial communication tool that students receive as well as being the most formal mechanism for sharing information with students” (qtd. in Warnock 38-9). With this in mind, I want to make a good first impression on my students. Warnock advises, “You’ll want to spend time thinking over what you say and how you say it in the syllabus” (39).
I don’t want my students to get the wrong impression, so I definitely want to make sure that my syllabus is well written, understandable, and free of any grammatical, spelling, or mechanical errors. I also want to get across to my students that I will be available for them. Warnock suggests, “You might want to designate times each week when you will check and quickly respond to email, and other times when students should expect a lag” (40). By letting my students know the times when I am (or expect to be) readily available, students will know when they can expect a quick response from me. I think communication is key to classroom morale, too, especially in the online writing class. It can be very frustrating for students who are unable to get a response from their instructor. I haven't really experienced this too much at MSU, but I can only imagine how frustrating it would be.
Another important aspect of the syllabus is the schedule. I would like my students to be aware of the assignments they will be completing throughout the semester. I think this allows students more time to brainstorm, process, and map out possible ideas for each major project. From a student’s perspective, I like knowing what I’m getting myself into from the get-go of any semester. Even if some students choose not to think about an assignment before the due date approaches, at least they will have the option. I also understand that due dates and schedule do, indeed, change for many different reasons. So, I will have an idea of the overall direction of my course, but I will be organizing my course on a weekly basis, similar to the Moodle used for ENG 725. Warnock says, “In both onsite and online teaching, although you certainly need a clear sense of the overall expectations and the map of the course, you shouldn’t feel that you need to frame out every moment of activity before term begins” (45).
So, what do you think? How important is the syllabus for a classroom? Does this document really function as a contract between teacher and student? What important information will you be putting in your syllabus? Anything unique or unexpected?
Work Cited
Acosta Roa, Ángel Antonito. Correo Electrónico Institucional. 24 Nov. 2012. JPEG file.
Warnock,
Scott. Teaching Writing Online: How & Why. Urbana: National Council
of Teachers of English, 2009. Print.
After reading Selfe’s article, “Students Who Teach Us: A Case Study of a New Media Text Designer,” it really got me thinking about “New Media Text.” How important is “New Media Text?” I wanted to get some feedback on this topic. So, I decided to ask my fellow ENG 725 classmates in a forum thread. Only one person—Erik—responded, but he seemed to agree that teaching our students about “New Media Text” is, indeed, important. In fact, Erik even claimed that we as teachers would be doing our students a “disservice” not to address this contemporary issue in the classroom, whether it’s an online or seated class.
But, what exactly does Selfe mean by “New Media Text.” Here is what Selfe has to say about “New Media Texts:
I mean to refer to texts created primarily in digital environments, composed in multiple media (e.g., film, video, audio, among others), and designed for presentations and exchange in digital venues. These texts generally place a heavy emphasis on visual elements (both still and moving photography, images, graphics, drawings, renderings, animations) and sound, and they often involve some level of interactivity. (43)
After reading this definition, most of us probably realize that we have encountered some form of “New Media Text,” whether it’s online through YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, a blog, or another communication channel. I completely agree with Erik in that teaching our students about “New Media Text” is very important.
As the Information Age surges forward and digital media becomes a more crucial component of communication, we owe it to our students to prepare them for what they will encounter. Selfe says, “Teachers of composition are becoming increasingly interested in such texts, in part, because they see more of them given the growing presence of information technologies in so many areas of our lives” (44). We need to prepare our students to navigate through these digital waters. Writing is not just about the printed page anymore. It’s also about the e-page, whether that page is a website, social media account, blog posting, or an online video or presentation.
This past Friday, I went to an advisory board meeting with the MSU Marketing Department. The purpose of the meeting was to meet with working professionals to discuss how to make college graduates more marketable and employable. Two of the most common things said were writing skills and digital media knowledge. This directly relates back to Selfe’s idea of “New Media Text.” By incorporating this kind of writing, “New Media Text,” we can teach our students about writing and digital media at the same time.
The best thing about “New Media Text” is that we are now more able to teach students this kind of digital writing in the classroom. Selfe states:
Many schools—and even some home libraries—now include software that allows for multimedia authoring; digital photography and photographic manipulation; sound capture and digital sound manipulation; rendering of landscape, objects, and human forms; paintings and drawings, animations, movie production and editing; word processing, graphic design, and so on. (44)
I know that teaching “New Media Text” is easier said than done, but that goes for most things in life. Now that we have more capabilities, the possibilities are endless.
So, what do you all think? Are “New Media Texts” important? How will you integrate them into your classroom curriculum? Also, what legal considerations accompany “New Media Text?”
Work Cited
Selfe, Cynthia. Multimodal Composition: Resources for Teachers (New Directions in Computers and Composition). Hampton Press, 2007. Print.
We’ve all done it. We’re all guilty of it. It’s just really convenient, right? You’re in the car on the way to school or work, and you get a call or a text from your best friend. So, what do you do next? Answer it, of course. Recently, one of my sisters was in a non-life threatening car accident because the other person was using a cell phone while driving. This got me thinking: What could have happened? My sister’s accident made me have an ah-hah moment--cell phones really are distracting.
As a millennial, I grew up with technology, and cell phones have been around for as long as I can remember. But, just because millennials, like myself, grew up with cell phones doesn’t make us invincible to harm or traffic accidents that can result from using them while driving. My sister’s accident caused me to realize this, and now I believe that a national ban on the use of cell phones while driving should be implemented for three reasons.
Using a cell phone while driving is distracting.
Most of us have probably heard the saying that young drivers and teenagers think they’re invincible. Well, I was one of these people, and then my sister’s accident changed my perspective. Us as millennials are not invincible. Cell phones do distract us from looking at the road. Forsyth reports that “Using a cell phone while driving delays reaction time the same amount as having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08, the legal limit” (2012). The use of cell phones while driving distracts us so much that we react as if we were legally intoxicated. That information speaks for itself.
Using a cell phone while driving causes unnecessary losses of life.
Not only does the use of cell phones while driving delays reaction time, but the use of them also causes tragic traffic accidents and death. Ahlers asserts that “At any given daylight moment, some 13.5 million drivers are on hand-held phones” (2011). With so many people using cell phones while on the road, this leads to unfortunate accidents and death. In 2010, “some 3,092 roadway fatalities resulted from distracted drivers (Ahlers 2011). These fatalities are preventable, and the key to prevention is not using a cellphone while driving.
Many states have already passed bans on cell phone use while driving.
Many states have taken initiative to ban cell phone use while driving. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, 10 states have already passed laws forbidding the use of handheld cellphones while driving (2013). Additionally, 39 states currently prohibit text messaging for all drivers. In Missouri, it is currently illegal for an individual under the age of 21 to text message while driving. However, this isn’t enough.
Our national government needs to recognize that there is a problem. Cell phones are distracting and cause unnecessary losses of life. The national government needs to follow the noble examples set forth by the states who have already taken the initiative to ban the use of cell phones while driving.
We all can get involved to make a change. Write to our national representatives in Washington. Write letter; send messages on Facebook and Twitter; or, try a good, old-fashioned phone call. Spread the word that cell phones should be banned while driving. Millennials, I ask you, is it worth it? What will it be? Life or a convenient phone call or text? The choice is yours.
Works Cited
Ahlers, Mike M. "NTSB Recommends Full Ban on Use of Cell Phones While Driving." CNN. Cable News Network, 14 Dec. 2011. Web. 11 Apr. 2013.
Brown, Ed. Person Using Cell phone While Driving. 2 Apr. 2007. JPEG file.
Forsyth, Jim. “U.S. Ban Sought on Cell Phone Use While Driving.” Reuters. Thompson Reuters, 26 Apr. 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2013.
Governors Highway Safety Association. “Distracted Driving Laws.” Governors Highway Safety Association: The States’ Voice on Highway Safety. United States Federal Government, Apr. 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2013.
WhisperToMe. A Sign that States "No Texting While Driving." n.d. JPEG file.
The syllabus acts as a contract between the teacher and the students. This is a new idea to me. Before doing the readings, I had never thought about a syllabus in this way. But now that I am thinking about it, the syllabus really does acts like a contract between teacher and student. Warnock also says, “Many teachers are turning to elaborate, detailed syllabi that provide not only the readings, course contact information, and a list of class activities, but also the guidelines for expected class behaviors, department policies, and contact information for campus support services” (38). These added details to a class syllabus seem to flesh out the contract-like nature of the syllabus.
