Hawisher, Gail, and Cynthia Selfe. "The Rhetoric of Technology and the Electronic Writing Class."   

               Computers in the Composition Classroom: a Critical Sourcebook. Ed. Michelle Sidler,

               Elizabeth O. Smith, and Richard Morris. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2008.

Summary

In Hawisher and Selfe's article, "The Rhetoric of Technology and the Electronic Writing Class," the authors offer their insight into widespread computer use in the traditional classroom. They say that it is vital that educators reassess their classroom strategies because of these technological advances, and that we simply cannot use the same model that has always been used-- It simply will not work.

The authors claim that across the board, teachers have only positive things to say about technology use in their classrooms. They say that technological access provides students with more resources, quicker turnaround with assignments, and more methods of collaboration than ever before. They also say that they enjoy the fact that their students can access them at any time for assignment questions, and that they can keep in touch with their fellow students for collaboration like never before.

Hawisher and Selfe say that although these are all great points, there are some shortcomings that educators need to realize. For one, many English classrooms are practicing the same teaching models as always, except now they have thrown computers in the mix. This is dangerous, because it can make students feel isolated at their workstations, and completely disengaged with everyone else. There is also the problem of students feeling self-conscious because their writing is now on a glowing beacon of a computer screen in the middle of everyone. Their teachers can see it, as well as their fellow students. This awareness can stifle creativity and confidence in self-expression.

The article wraps up, saying that, in many cases, students still want to please their teachers, and teachers still want to feel wanted by students. Because of this, classrooms with multiple computers in them must be tweaked so that technology can advance the minds of students, rather than stifle them. Technology is a wonderful tool, but not if it is used incorrectly.

Reflection

This resource could prove very helpful to teachers who are being inundated with technology, and don't exactly know how to handle it. This article cites the dangers of keeping with a traditional classroom model, peppered with technology-- It doesn't work. Teachers have to adapt so that students can adapt, resulting in a positive educational experience for all. This engaged me because I know that this problem is only going to get worse as new technologies are introduced. It must be hard for teachers to completely change their methods, but the element of progress makes this completely necessary.

Something confusing about the resource is the methods the authors use to go about addressing this problem. They go back and forth so much, saying in one section that technology is good, and then saying it is detrimental to students in another. It seems that they do not really take a position, other than that teachers have to change their ways if they want to use technology. Are they suggesting, then, that if teachers are not willing to change their ways, a complete lack of technology would be better? Isn't some exposure to new educational practices better than none at all, as far as students are concerned?

I would like to learn more about why teachers refuse to report the flaws they encounter when using technology in their classrooms. Hawisher and Selfe state that they were hard pressed to find any teacher who would speak negatively about the use of technology in his/her classroom, but found multiple flaws upon their own observation. Are instructors afraid of not receiving funding if they badmouth new technology? Are they excited about progress, but still don't quite know what to do with it?

This article gives me a lot to think about in terms of how I will conduct my classroom someday. It is not enough to scratch the surface of technology, and expect students to use that along with old fashioned teaching methods. Practices like this would not be making the best use of my teaching time, or student learning time. It is necessary to revamp teaching styles to adapt to new strides in the technological world.