English 201: Writing and Technology - Recently Updated Pages

Schedule

rsbarnett — Fri, 08 May 2009 08:32:38 CDT

Undoubtedly, the schedule will need to be adjusted during the semester. While I will often alert you to adjustments in class and/or through email, I encourage you to visit this page often to ensure that you are up-to-date with all readings and assignments.

All readings and assignments are due on the dates indicated.

CP=Coursepack

*Week 1*
Wednesday, January 21	Introductions: To the course and each other
Friday, January 23	Introductions 2: Assignments and Technology Meet in Writing Center Computer Classroom (6171 Helen C. White Hall) Introduce Blogging Assignment Set up blogs in class (email me your blog's URL by the end of class)

*Week 2*
Monday, January 26	Blogs as Writing Technologies Meet in Writing Center Computer Classroom (6171 Helen C. White Hall) Anton Zuiker, “Blogging 101” Carolyn Miller and Dawn Shepherd, “Blogging as Social Action: A Genre Analysis of the Weblog”
Wednesday, January 28	Writing as Technology Denis Baron, “From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technology” (CP)
Friday, January 30	Writing as Technology in the Classroom Meet in Writing Center Computer Classroom (6171 Helen C. White Hall) Introduce Media Specific Analysis Project Kathleen Blake Yancey, “Made Not Only in Words: Composition in a New Key” (CP) Recommended: Madeleine Sorapure, “Between Modes: Assessing Student New Media Compositions”

*Week 3*
Monday, February 2	Writing and Technology in the Classroom Meet in Writing Center Computer Classroom (6171 Helen C. White Hall) Richard Miller, "This is How we Dream" Part 1 Part 2 Jeff Rice, “What Should College English Be? Networks and New Media” (CP)
Wednesday, February 4	History of Science and the Production of Knowledge Thomas Kuhn, “Introduction: A Role for History” (CP) and “Crisis and the Emergence of Scientific Theories” (CP) Recommended: Wikipedia entry: “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions”
Friday, February 6	Language and the Production of Knowledge Richard Rorty, “The Contingency of Language” (CP)

*Week 4*
Monday, February 9	Technology and the Production of Knowledge John Potts, “Who’s Afraid of Technological Determinism? Another Look at Medium Theory”
Wednesday, February 11	Technology as Experience Michael Bull, “Sounding Out Cosmopolitanism: iPod Culture and Recognition” (CP)
Friday, February 13	Our Technologies, Ourselves Andy Clark, Natural-Born Cyborgs (Intro-Ch. 2)

*Week 5*
Monday, February 16	Our Technologies, Ourselves Meet in 6176 Helen C. White Hall Andy Clark, Natural-Born Cyborgs (Ch.3-4) In-Class: The Usual Suspects
Wednesday, February 18	Our Technologies, Ourselves Meet in 6176 Helen C. White Hall Clark, Natural-Born Cyborgs (Ch.5-6) In-Class: Stelarc
Friday, February 20	Our Technologies, Ourselves Clark, Natural-Born Cyborgs (Ch.7-8)

*Week 6*
Monday, February 23	Workshop MSA Presentations Meet in Writing Center Computer Classroom (6171 Helen C. White Hall) Pre-Proposal for Final Research Project Due
Wednesday, February 25	Workshop MSA Presentations Meet in Writing Center Computer Classroom (6171 Helen C. White Hall)
Friday, February 27	Draft of MSA Presentation Due Meet in Writing Center Computer Classroom (6171 Helen C. White Hall) Workshop MSA Presentations

*Week 7*
Monday, March 2	Writing, Technology, and Materiality Meet in Writing Center Computer Classroom (6171 Helen C. White Hall) Katherine Hayles, “Materials Metaphors, Technotexts, and Media-Specific Analysis” (CP) Recommended: Writing Machines Online Supplement MSA Presentations: Evan and Shuhan (Flash); Aaron (iWeb)
Wednesday, March 4	Writing, Technology, and Materiality Meet in Writing Center Computer Classroom (6171 Helen C. White Hall) Katherine Hayles, “Electronic Literature as Technotext: Lexia to Perplexia” (CP) Talan Memmott, Lexia to Perplexia (must use Internet Explorer) MSA Presentations: Jennifer W. (Picnik); Addison (iMovie); Jack (Audacity)
Friday, March 6	Writing, Technology, and Materiality Meet in Writing Center Computer Classroom (6171 Helen C. White Hall) Sarah Arroyo, “Hands & Writing: A Digital Sample” MSA Presentations: Jennifer R. (Avidemux); Ryan (Photoshop); Alex (Code-It); Andrew (FotoFlexer)

*Week 8*
Monday, March 9	Writing, Technology, and Materiality Meet in Writing Center Computer Classroom (6171 Helen C. White Hall) Conclude Discussion MSA Presentations: Birt (Moviemaker); Shane (Picasso); Christina (Dreamweaver); Izzy (Wikis); Kate (Garage Band)
Wednesday, March 11	CCCC, San Francisco No Class
Friday, March 13	CCCC, San Francisco No Class Final Proposal for Final Research Project Due (Email to me)

Monday, March 16	Spring Break
Wednesday, March 18	Spring Break
Friday, March 20	Spring Break

*Week 9*
Monday, March 23	Technology in the Sciences and Social Sciences: A Phenomenological Approach Don Ihde, “The Experience of Technology” and “A Phenomenology of Instrumentation: Perception Transformed” (CP) Recommended: Intro to “Phenomenology” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Wednesday, March 25	Technology in the Sciences and Social Sciences: A Phenomenological Approach Don Ihde, “A Phenomenology of Instrumentation: The Instrument as Mediator” and “A Phenomenology of Instrumentation: Technics and Telos” (CP)
Friday, March 27	Technology in the Sciences and Social Sciences: A Phenomenological Approach Conclude Discussion Introduce Collaborative Wiki Project

*Week 10*
Monday, March 30	Collaborative Wiki Project Workshop Meet in Writing Center Computer Classroom (6171 Helen C. White Hall)
Wednesday, April 1	Collaborative Wiki Project Workshop Meet in Writing Center Computer Classroom (6171 Helen C. White Hall)
Friday, April 3	Collaborative Wiki Project Workshop Meet in Writing Center Computer Classroom (6171 Helen C. White Hall) Annotated Bibliography for Final Research Project Due

*Week 11*
Monday, April 6	Technology, Collaboration, Distributed Intelligence Steven Johnson, “The Myth of the Ant Queen” (CP)
Wednesday, April 8	The Politics of Technology Design Howard Rheingold, “Smart Mobs” (CP)
Friday, April 10	Good Friday No Class

*Week 12*
Monday, April 13	Technology, Collaboration, Distributed Intelligence Meet in Writing Center Computer Classroom (6171 Helen C. White Hall) Wikipedia: The debates and the alternatives Scott Jaschik, "A Stand Against Wikipedia" (Inside Higher Ed) Colbert Report, "Wikiality" Conservapedia.com Citizendium.org
Wednesday, April 15	Technology in the Disciplines In-class: review and discuss sample of Final Research Project
Friday, April 17	Complete Draft of Final Research Project Due Meet in Writing Center Computer Classroom (6171 Helen C. White Hall) Collaborative Wiki Project work day

*Week 13*
Monday, April 20	The Politics of Technology Design: Surveillance Culture Modern Marvels: Surveillance Tech Bio Mapping (see especially Project Concept, Leaflet, Essay) View in class: School Matters: Students under Surveillance
Wednesday, April 22	The Politics of Technology Design Carolyn Miller, “Learning from History: World War II and the Culture of High Technology” (CP)
Friday, April 24	Collaborative Wiki Project and Reflection Due Post reflection to your blog

*Week 14*
Monday, April 27	Workshop Final Research Project (in Wiki Collaboration Groups)
Wednesday, April 29	Workshop Final Research Project (in Wiki Collaboration Groups)
Friday, May 1	Workshop Final Research Project (in Wiki Collaboration Groups)

*Week 15*
Monday, May 4	Collaborative Wiki Project Presentations Meet in Writing Center Computer Classroom (6171 Helen C. White Hall) Presentation groups: Web Development and Video Editing
Wednesday, May 6	Collaborative Wiki Project Presentations Meet in Writing Center Computer Classroom (6171 Helen C. White Hall) Presentation groups: Sound Editing and Image Editing
Friday, May 8	Closing Remarks: Looking Ahead Meet in Writing Center Computer Classroom (6171 Helen C. White Hall) A Vision of Students Today Final Research Project Due

See also: Announcements | Assignments | Study Guides

Introduction

rsbarnett — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 13:51:40 CDT

Welcome to the English 201: Writing and Technology Homepage!

This wiki is our central meeting place to plan and discuss assignments throughout the school year. Check back regularly to review any new announcements, review the schedule, and ask a question for other students or the instructor.

To visit the Writing Technology Wiki resource for students and instructors, click here.

Course Description

Near the end of Plato’s dialogue Phaedrus, written in the 4th century BCE, Socrates famously disparages the emergence of a new technology that in his view leads to simplemindedness and forgetfulness in the souls of those who have learned it. Whereas speech allows conversants to engage each other’s ideas and pose questions of them in the here-and-now of face-to-face communication, this new technology writing, Socrates argues, distances the author temporally as well as spatially from his/her readers, making it difficult if not impossible for readers to interact with the author in the ways speech allows. Thus, he worries, “when it’s been once written, every speech rolls around everywhere, alike by those who understand as in the same way by those for whom it is not fitting, and it does not know to whom it ought to speak and to whom not.” At the heart of Socrates’s concern is an understanding that technology—even a relatively “simple” one such as alphabetic writing—is by no means neutral and that its introduction into everyday practices can have considerable effect on people’s perceptions of themselves and the world around them.

In this course, we will follow Socrates’s lead by questioning what technology contributes to the act of writing and, further, how various technologies mediate and inform what we come to see and know about the world and ourselves within the world. More specifically, we will focus considerable attention on how technology contributes to the production of knowledge in areas that include the humanities as well as the sciences and social sciences. In each of these areas, we will read and discuss a range of scholars who address the important—and often overlooked—role technology plays in the daily work of research and communication across the university. Over the course of the semester, students will extend their understanding of these issues by learning at least one new writing technology and contributing to a group project that will provide online information and support for instructors and students at UW interested in using new technologies in the writing classroom. In addition, each student will complete a semester-long research project examining a specific technology in their field of study and reporting on it in the form of presentations to the class and a final research paper.

Announcements	Schedule	Projects & Assignments
Course Policies	Contact Information	Resources

Collaborative Wiki Project

rsbarnett — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 13:49:12 CDT

Building very closely on the Media-Specific Analysis project, the Collaborative Wiki Project will bring together a handful of students working on similar writing technologies (e.g. within larger categories such “Image Editing”). Working together, each group will collaborate to write and/or revise wiki entries addressing information about their category relevant to the study and teaching of writing at the college/university level. In addition, each student will also take the lead on drafting and/or revising a wiki entry based on the specific writing technology he/she learned in the media-specific analysis project (e.g. “Photoshop”). The goal for this project is to continue the project of building a public and interactive new media resource for writing instructors and students at UW. Each group will present their collaboratively authored entries to the class during the final week of class.

As with other encyclopedia-style wikis (and especially Wikipedia), some programs will already have existing pages and others will need to be built from scratch. In an effort to distribute the work as evenly as possible, each participant should take primary responsibility for their particular entry but all participants should contribute to each individual entry as well as to revisions to the category page. So, for example, if one entry needs less revision than others, the participant responsible for that entry should assist other participants whose entries require more revision and/or drafting.

On April 24, I will ask all participants to turn in a 2 page reflection describing the work they did on the project as well as their thoughts on what remains to be done on the entries and on the wiki resource as a whole.

Here is a link to the wiki:Writing Technology Wiki

Group Presentation

The intent here is to share and reflect on the work done this semester on the wiki. These presentations can be informal, though you should have planned out what topics you plan to address and who will address them.

Your group presentation should provide an overview of what you found with respect to both the category and your individual programs, paying particular attention to how they might be used in writing intensive classes. You will have access to the Writing Center computer and LCD projector, so plan accordingly. In addition to showing the wiki, for example, you might consider showing and briefly discussing the program interface and/or examples of how these programs are currently being integrated into writing classes.

I would also be interested in hearing about the collaboration process itself—how you managed it as a group, what you did to facilitate collaboration, and what you might do differently in the future.

Lastly, I would like to hear from each group member about what work remains to be done on the wiki entry—e.g. things you didn’t have time or expertise to address this semester. This information will help me plan for next semester’s class and the extent to which students in that class will revise and add to the existing wiki entries.

Specifics: About 15-20 minutes total. Each group member should contribute a relatively equal amount to the actual presentation.

Due Dates

Friday April 24: Program and category pages
Friday April 24: 2 page reflection on your experiences working collaboratively on the wiki
Monday May 4 - Friday May 8: Group presentations of wiki projects

Research Project: Technology in the Disciplines

rsbarnett — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:05:40 CDT

The goal of this project is to research and examine the role a specific technology plays (or played historically) in determining what researchers and/or teachers in your major or field have come to know about their subject(s) of inquiry. This project will have five parts: 1) an informal pre-proposal; 2) a more formal “final” proposal; 3) an annotated bibliography; 4) a complete first draft; 5) a final draft, 8-10 pages double-spaced and including a works cited page.

Part 1. Pre-Proposal (due Monday, February 23)

This should be a brief 1 page document describing the technology in your discipline you plan to research. Who uses this technology? How is it used? To what ends?

Part 2: Final Proposal (due Friday, March 13)

Unlike the pre-proposal, this should be a relatively formal document of about 2 doubled-spaced pages explaining what you plan to research and write about for your final project. While the proposal can take a number of shapes, it should include in some way the following information (feel free to use headings rather than attempt to weave these items together into a coherent mini essay):

A clear and specific introduction to the technology you plan to study and the field within which it is being used.

At least one early hypothesis addressing how you believe this technology has helped shape the practice of research in your field and what researchers have come to know about the phenomena they study. Though provisional, this hypothesis should be specific, tying the production of knowledge in the discipline to particular features or capabilities associated with the technology.

A short review or summary of relevant theory that might help you make this case. Though you are free to look for sources on your own, you should also include some (but not all!) of the texts we have read this semester. You might, for example, discuss how Hayles's understanding of Media-Specific Analysis or Clark's discussion of distributed cognition help us understand the role your technology plays in the production of disciplinary knowledge.

A short discussion of other research or work you plan to do, such as reading books or journals, interviewing professors or graduate students, etc.

Part 3. Annotated Bibliography (due Friday, April 3)

In this third part of the research process, you will submit a working bibliography of all of the sources you might use in your paper. Each entry should be formatted in MLA and should include 3-5 sentences for each entry summarizing the source's main ideas and addressing how they might be useful in your paper. In addition to sources you find on your own, your bibliography should also include texts read in class that will help you build a theory for analyzing the role your technology plays in your discipline. At this stage in the process, you should include anything that seems relevant to your paper at this point--meaning that, in all likelihood, your annotated bibliography will be longer than the one you include with your final paper. If there are particular texts you know will be foundational for your paper, place an * beside them so I can comment accordingly.

Part 4. Complete First Draft

The first draft should be complete, by which I mean all parts of the final paper should be present (e.g. Introduction, Analysis, Conclusion). You may still have things you need/want to work on in these sections, but you should at least have the general shape or focus each section will take written out for this draft.

In terms of organization, there are many possibilities. What appears below is only one such possibility; you should feel free to retool this to better suite your interests, writing style, or topic. Nevertheless, all of the information described below should appear in one form or another in your paper.

Introduction
Establish the scope and purpose of the paper. Lay out the argument (thesis) you will make--this should respond in some way to the question, in what ways has this technology changed the way works gets done and how knowledge gets proposed in my discipline?

Brief summary or description of the technology
Gives the reader a clear, layman's understanding of the technology and how it's used in the discipline you're studying.

Brief summary or overview of relevant theory
Gives the reader a clear, layman's understanding of the theory or theories your analysis will use to interpret the technology and argue its place in the production of disciplinary knowledge.

Analysis
The real "meat" of the paper. Uses the theory as a lens through which to read and interpret the technology's place in the production of disciplinary knowledge. Can also include as supporting evidence outside readings on your technology and/or interviews conducted.

Conclusion
Offers a brief summary of the paper's main points, especially its argument. Then moves to take a more expansive view to speculate on the overall importance of understanding technology's place in the production of knowledge.

Part 5. Final Draft (due on last day of class)

Resources

rsbarnett — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:54:36 CST

Campus Resources

The Writing Center
The McBurney Disability Resource Center
Computing@UW-Madison
Computer and Media Center
Software Training for Students
My Webspace
Visual Culture at UW-Madison

Technology Resources

Writing Technology Wiki
Firefox Add-on for downloading web videos
Zamzar: Free Online File Converter
Delicious (Social bookmarking tool)
Creative Commons

Other Writing Resources

MLA Documentation (Purdue OWL)
Writing in the 21st Century (a report from the National Council of Teachers of English)
Digital Youth Research Project

Announcements

rsbarnett — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 08:35:22 CST

Check here regularly for changes in the course schedule and other information.

Updates:

Wed Feb 11: We'll be meeting in room 6176 on Monday and Wednesday of next week. I've updated the schedule to reflect this change.

See also: The Syllabus | Assignments | Study Guides

Media-Specific Analysis

rsbarnett — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:11:09 CST

Overview

For this project, you will learn a specific writing technology in order to examine the various affordances and constraints this technology poses for writing and writers. One of the important challenges of this project will be locating resources for technical information and support (we will discuss some strategies for tracking down such support in class). Your learning will culminate in two distinct projects: 1) a presentation using the technology that addresses the ways your particular technology intervenes in the act and experience of writing; and 2) a two-page written reflection describing your experiences learning the technology and what opportunities and challenges it poses for writers in the university and beyond.

In Writing Machines, Katherine Hayles describes media-specific analysis (MSA) as a kind of criticism "that pays attention to the material apparatus producing the literary work as physical artifact." What MSA offers, in other words, is an awareness not only of what a finished text (whether fiction or website) says, but also how its materiality and constructedness (the binding and paper of the book, the links and images of the website) affect users' experiences with that text. Such an awareness of technology's role in how we experience text is important both because of the media-saturated environment in which we live but also, and perhaps more importantly, because opportunities for lay users to produce media are increasing dramatically, thereby making valuable the functional and rhetorical skills necessary to communicate effectively with this media.

With this in mind, the goal for this assignment is twofold: 1) to learn the technical skills specific to a given writing technology; and 2) to learn the equally important rhetorical skills that will help us deploy these technical skills in the most effective ways possible given their particular affordances and constraints.

Categories

Ideally, you will self-select into a category that is either of interest to you or might be particularly useful in your major and/or future profession. Once the groups are established, you will research to learn about the various software applications available within your selected category. Each student in the group will then agree to learn one of these on his/her own. If available, as a group try to include both commercial and non-commercial applications.

Web Development / Content Management Systems
Image Editing
Sound/Audio Editing
Video Editing

Part 1. Presentation

The presentation should be about 5 minutes (with questions and answers to follow). Your primary purpose here is to demonstrate to the class some of the ways your particular technology shapes--that is, enables and constrains--the act of writing and the ways we as readers interpret or experience that writing. The idea is to showcase some of the functional literacies you developed in the last month while at the same time communicating to the class (in an admittedly "meta" way) what the materiality of your technology contributes to the production and reception of writing performed with it.

To be clear, then, the presentation is not a technology tutorial or walk-through. In other words, you aren't teaching the class how to use the technology but rather explaining with/through the technology what possibilities it affords writers at the UW and beyond.

Part 2. Written Reflection

On the day of your presentation, you will hand in a two-page written reflection addressing your experiences learning and using your particular writing technology. You may take any number of approaches to this brief document, including (but not limited to) discussing: the various affordances and constraints the technology presents, particularly with respect to writing; what was new or surprising for you about the technology; what was particularly challenging or difficult with respect to the technology; what you might have done differently in the presentation if you had more time to learn the technology; what uses the technology might have in writing or communication classes.

Resources

We will add to these in the coming days and weeks. For now, here are some general resources you might initially consult:

Software Training for Students (STS)
Online Discussion Boards and Blogs
Web Tutorials (e.g. on YouTube)
Program Help Menus
Campus Computer Labs and Support Staff
Program Guides/Books available in College Library Computer Lab
Web 2.0...The Machine is Us/ing Us (an example of MSA using new media)

Specifics/Due Dates

Presentations begin Monday, March 2 and continue through Monday, March 9. The written reflection will be due on the day you present.

Blogging Assignment

rsbarnett — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:46:03 CST

The goal of this assignment is to have a way to gather and share information and ideas over the course of the semester. I will ask each of you to create a blog on one of the major commercial hosting sites (see below) and to use it to comment on our work, experiment with ideas, and to point others to interesting information.

• Post at least once a week, addressing something related to the course (see below)
• Read and respond to each other's blogs
• Be creative

Though I encourage you to resist conventions and experiment with new and different ways of addressing course material, you might (in addition to those experiments) consider these possibilities: 1) Discuss and/or respond to one or more of the week’s readings; 2) Continue a conversation or debate begun during a class discussion; 3) Provide and discuss additional examples that animate, extend, or critique ideas addressed in the week’s reading; 4) Experiment with some of writing practices discussed in class or in the reading; 5) Link to and discuss webtexts (articles, blog posts, etc.) that address issues related to the course.

Unless otherwise noted, all posts will be due by 9:00 am Friday. You should comment on at least 3 different blogs by 9:00 am Monday. Please keep track of your comments and make sure that by the end of the semester you have commented on everyone’s blog at least once.

Resources and Examples

Blogs (Writing Technology Wiki)
Blogs in Plain English
Collin vs. Blog
Blogos
Yellow Dog
Working Blue
Canned Goods

Blog Providers

Blogger
Typepad
Wordpress

Contact Information

rsbarnett — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 13:02:45 CST

Instructor: Scot Barnett

Office: 6157 Helen C. White Hall
Office Hours: Mon 11:00 am-12:00pm, Wed 11:00 am-12:00pm & by appointment
Email: rsbarnett [at] wisc [dot] edu
Office Mail: 603 Helen C. White Hall
Office Phone: 608-263-2803

Above are listed all the different ways you can get in touch with me: through campus mail, email, phone, or a personal visit to my office. The best way to handle substantive issues is through a face-to-face meeting—if my scheduled office hours conflict with your schedule, I will gladly work with you to set up a time that works for both of us.

The best way to contact me for less substantial matters, or to make an appointment with me, is through email (but note I don’t always keep the same hours as you – if you send me email at 2:00 am, I won’t be getting back to you immediately!). I try to check my email throughout the working day. At nights and on weekends, I may not return your message as promptly.

Course Policies

rsbarnett — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:39:55 CST

Attendance

Regular attendance in English 201 is mandatory. Regular attendance means that you are writing regularly and it means that we can (as a class) give that writing the attention it deserves. Attendance is also required so that a strong intellectual community can form in the class: reading and writing are, after all, fundamentally social acts.

For these reasons, you will need to be in class on time and prepared every meeting. Of course, illnesses and other minor emergencies may arise over the course of the semester. For such occasions, you are allowed three excused absences. For every unexcused absence after the third, your final grade will be lowered one half-letter grade. If you need to be absent for some extraordinary reason, because of a severe accident or illness, a family emergency or death, jury duty, or a religious holiday (see the university’s policy on religious observances), please let me know, and we will try to work out some accommodations. For such absences, either prior notification or subsequent documentation is required.

Late Assignments

All assignments are due on the dates indicated on the course schedule, even if you are absent. Late assignments may be turned in (or uploaded to your blog) two calendar days after the original due date; however, for each day pass the due date, late assignments will be penalized one letter grade. Late assignments turned in after two calendar days will receive a 0 or F.

I understand that schedules and emergencies occasionally come into conflict with course work. If this happens, please contact me immediately to request an extension. The sooner you contact me, the more likely I’ll be to grant your request.

Academic Integrity

The University of Wisconsin-Madison and the English 201 program consider plagiarism a serious violation. Please consult the Office of Student Conduct for more information on UW’s policy regarding plagiarism and academic integrity, including what constitutes plagiarism at UW.

Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities may contact the McBurney Disability Resource Center (263-2741, Middleton Library, located at 1305 Linden Drive), which provides assistance for students with learning and other disabilities. If have a disability that affects your performance in this class, please let me know so we can make accommodations.

Projects & Assignments

rsbarnett — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:37:44 CST

Click on the assignment name for more information.

Media-Specific Analysis
For this project, you will learn a specific writing technology in order to examine the various affordances and constraints this technology poses for writing and writers. One of the important challenges of this project will be locating resources for technical information and support (we will discuss some strategies for tracking down such support in class). Your learning will culminate in two distinct projects: 1) a presentation using the technology that addresses the ways your particular technology intervenes in the act and experience of writing; and 2) a two-page written reflection describing your experiences learning the technology and what opportunities and challenges it poses for writers in the university and beyond.

Collaborative Wiki Project
Building very closely on the Media-Specific Analysis project, the Collaborative Wiki Project will bring together a handful of students working on similar writing technologies (e.g. within larger categories such “Image Editing”). Working closely with technology specialists from Doit as well as two other UW writing instructors, each group will collaborate to write and/or revise a wiki entry detailing information about their category relevant to the study and teaching of writing. In addition, each student will also individually author and/or revise a wiki entry based on the specific writing technology he/she learned in the media-specific analysis project (e.g. “Photoshop”). The goal for this project is to continue the project of building a public and interactive new media resource for writing instructors and students at UW. Each group will present their individual and collaboratively authored entries to the class during the final week of class.

Research Project: Technology in the Disciplines
The goal of this project is to research and examine the role a specific technology plays (or played historically) in determining what researchers and/or teachers in your field have come to know about their subject(s) of inquiry. This project will have five parts: 1) a pre-proposal, presented to the class using the technology you learned in the media-specific analysis project (see above); 2) a final written proposal submitted to me; 3) an annotated bibliography; 4) a complete first draft; 5) a final draft, 8-10 pages double-spaced and including a works cited page.

Blogging
The goal of this assignment is to have a way to gather and share information and ideas regularly over the course of the semester. I will ask each of you to create a blog on one of the major commercial hosting sites and to use it to comment on our work, experiment with ideas, and to point others to interesting information.
• Post at least once a week, addressing something related to the course (see below)
• Read and respond to each other's blogs
• Be creative

Participation
Active participation is an important part of any course. But what does participation mean? Most obviously, participation means arriving each day on time, prepared to discuss and ask questions about the that day's reading. More specifically—and perhaps less obviously—participation suggests active and empathetic engagement with the issues and perspectives being addressed during a class period. I firmly believe that the best way to learn is through questioning and collaboration. In this course, we’ll learn from each other and we’ll learn by coming together and working through complex ideas as a class.

There are many ways you can participate during a given day. You may: respond to the day’s reading by agreeing, objecting, and/or complicating the arguments presented therein; draw comparisons between one text and another read in or outside of the course; offer an example or illustration that further develops and/or contradicts positions made in the text; suggest possible applications for writing in digital domains; ask questions of the instructor and other classmates.

Assessment

There are four projects and assignments for this course. To pass the course, you must complete and turn in all of the projects listed below. The percentages will be distributed as follows:

Assignment	%
Media-Specific Analysis	20
Collaborative Wiki Project	20
Research Project	25
Blogs	20
Participation	15

Total	100

Texts & Materials

rsbarnett — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:05:40 CST

All are required.

Clark, Andy. Natural-Born Cyborgs: Minds, Technologies, and the Future of Human Intelligence. New York: Oxford UP, 2003. (Available at A Room of One's Own Bookstore, 307 West Johnson St.)
Coursepack (available at Bob’s Copyshop, 616 Univ. Ave across from the Fluno Center)

Copy card for printing online articles and other materials.

English 201: Writing and Technology - Recently Updated Pages

Schedule

Introduction

Announcements

Schedule

Projects & Assignments

Course Policies

Contact Information

Collaborative Wiki Project

Research Project: Technology in the Disciplines

Resources

Announcements

Updates:

Blogroll

Media-Specific Analysis

Blogging Assignment

Contact Information

Course Policies

Projects & Assignments

Texts & Materials