The article by Mauriello and Pagnucci was an interesting article. I am figuring that this article is dated because it is dealing with, what I assume, were early difficulties with using the internet in the classroom. I do agree with some of the points though especially at the end when it thought-provokingly questions the idea of technology and whether it is really all that important. How many teachers are using technology because they “have to” not because they necessarily think it strengthens their classrooms. I am not downing technology; I just thought that was an interesting question.
I also thought the idea of pseudonyms was a good idea, until I was proven dreadfully wrong. I then remembered that we live in the internet age of blogs and such and people can be blocked and so the need for this type of privacy is not as important as it may have been in the beginning. I thought that they were working through the idea of privacy well, but I did not agree with the fact that their students could receive criticism from anyone on the web. That did not make any sense to me, because that seems like a dangerous thing to do: ethically and pedagogically. A student’s esteem could be slashed and personal information could be used against them. But again, I think that blogging solves some of that dilemma for us as well, as long as a teacher knows what blogs are decent and whatnot.
Selfe also writes about technology in the classroom and “technology should not drive pedagogy.” I was happy to read that small section because it alleviates some fear of have the internet and using it in my classes ( I know, I am the teacher who thinks they should be an “expert” of something or else they will make an ass of themselves). But! Selfe also explained that we can learn from our advanced students and have them help us, so I may be able to get over my fear. In general, I thought that Selfe’s chapter was helpful. I liked the way it was set up and it made some really good points about technology and how to use it. I particularly liked the idea about sequencing when using technology and the internet because that way the students can learn it and possibly see why they are completing an assignment (always a perk). I hated the “technology” classes I had that would have me do some random thing on the internet/Blackboard or whatever and then I never did it again in my life. It remains an assignment that I miraculously completed through a lot of pain and sweat.
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Technology in the Classroom
I thought the articles by Selfe and Mauriello were very interesting and eye opening. For a long time, I was resistant to using technology in the classroom. I was so used to turning in neat word-processed papers, I was afraid to move to powerpoints and online blogs. Since I've been at college, however, I have opened up. Technology is an inevitable part of the classroom now, just as it is an inevitable part of everyday life.
I thought it was interesting when Selfe proclaimed that all technological pedagogy was experimental. I had never thought about this issue, but it truly is. The internet, computers, and technology in general are transforming everyday. The computer systems we use to day look a lot different from those we used just a couple of years ago. (A few years ago, Facebook was unheard of, now it is a part of almost every college student’s life.) Technology is constantly changing, so technology in the classroom must always be changing. It can never get stagnate, so it must always be experimental and new. This makes using technology in the classroom all the more challenging. It is never a "sure thing."
Both Selfe and Mauriello talked about how the internet can lead to student publishing. I think that the internet is very good for this use. It is important for students to write for "real" audiences sometimes. It can make a profound difference in the amount of investment they put into an assignment.
The internet poses ethical problems, however. And this is something that I never really considered. How do you walk the "tightrope" as Mauriello calls it, between empowering students through online writing, and silencing them through it? The internet can be a scary place to compose. Everything you put on it is there for the world to read. Some students are inevitably not going to be comfortable with this. How do we make it a safe environment?
The last issue I want to talk about is what you do with those students in the classroom that are not advanced in using technology. Inevitably, we will get students in our classrooms that have not been exposed to technology at the same level as others. (They may come from poorer schools, not have a computer at home... etc.) How do you work around this? How do you make the assignments accessible for these students and yet challenging enough for those that use technology frequently? It is another tightrope to walk.
The internet is an exciting aspect to use in teaching, but it is also a very challenging one.
Broken record time: Once again, I thought that this article was far too dated to be relevant. The problem involving the privacy of students can easily be solved by a password-protected or invite-only blog. And I think the possibility of theft is just something you have to accept when using the Internet. As a writer on the Internet, I have to accept the fact that my work is sometimes copied elsewhere without giving any credit to me. There’s really nothing I can do about it, but I like to think that if someone is going to steal my work and profit off of it, it wouldn’t be hard to catch them. If I were go to elaborate lengths to protect my work, no one would be able to read it!
I also think the computer problems of the mid-90s are dissolving now that everyone is expected to have a basic amount of computer literacy. The idea of a “file transfer workshop” mentioned in the article is ridiculous to me, but I can imagine it could be difficult for someone completely new to computers.
The information about pseudonyms was interesting though. It may be apparent to us, but I think we need to inform students that how they present themselves online is important. I’m all for casual, online discussion, but I’m not going to take you seriously if your online nickname is “D0ggyStyLE69.” Though I think people on the Internet have gotten less stupid about this over time.
I also noticed that the articles were a bit dated (although by this point in the tech age, an article published last year is pretty much archaic), and I think I may have laughed out loud when I read "this new Internet community," but I think the basic priciples about student's trepidations are still relevant. Regarding the students's fears of posting there personal work on the internet, I beleive the answer may be modifying the topic of the assignment. Few people would want to publish (especially on the Internet)a paper about their most personal, life changing event. Students may be more willing, however, to post a paper on any number of topics outside of their personal lives (environmental issues, pop culture pieces, etc...)
The pseudonyms I think aren't a bad idea, as long as the writer chooses actual names and surnames, and not just nicknames. As long as the other writers in the clas know their identity, I don't believe it's very important that the casual browser knows the author's name. When handled, I think the pseudonym also solves the problem of self censorship, considering that people would be a little more candid if they knew their work could readily be identified.
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