12.14.2011 Final Exam + Grades

Process for sending grades:  You wrote your final exam today and sent it to me as an attachment.  Many of you checked in on your participation + midterm grades before you left (exactly half the credit for  the course) so you should have a good idea where you are.

I will be grading your exams and the rest of your research papers as quickly as I can.  I hope to have your complete grade calculated and sent to your email by the end of Friday.  So keep an eye out.  If you find that I have made a mistake (which is entirely possible) or if you have issues with work was evaluated - please be in touch before Sunday.  If there are errors in the way your grade was calculated we can correct them  If I don't hear from you - I will assume you are OK.

I will post grades to Keanwise on Monday.  

What to expect on your grade sheet:  The grade sheet has all the numbers.  Hopefully the grades for participation + midterm are already clear (since I have mailed you comments on that work, and your participation is largely a product of your attendance).  

As we discussed the research essay + final exam will be worth 200 or 300 points = with the higher weight going to the stronger work.  I will send back your essay + your exam with comments.  These comments will not be as extensive as comments to drafts - because I do not expect that you will be revising.  At the same time - the comments should help you understand both why you earned the grade - and what to work on as you continue to write papers and exams for other courses.  .

About this course. . .

You grappled with big ideas in language and literacy in this course.  You read  "real research" - essays where professionals in composition, literacy studies and linguistics proposed theories for how to understand the way literacies work.   I am hoping you continue to think about those ideas as you go forward in your education and your professional lives = judging by your research papers and class discussions => you have new perspectives to contribute to this field!

I want to thank you for your good will and good work.  This was the first time I taught this course - and I prepared it on short notice - so the course design clearly had some "bugs" in it.  Your suggestions last week were EXTREMELY helpful. 

At the same time - and despite all its faults - I loved teaching this course.  I looked forward to every class.  You are a wonderful group to work with.  I enjoyed reading your writing and listening to your comments in class..Even the fiascos associated with the study guides were an education for me.  Thanks!

   

12.14 Final Exam

Selfe (1999):  technology and the classroom = how teachers teach it, literacy and access, educator's role, technology is not neutral= potential for technology to exclude users by race, class, gender, and discourse

Selfe & Selfe (1994): politics of the interface; MS office made for business; metaphors of the interface; 
exclusion by language group => coding ASCII ; structure of interface reflects white, middle class male literacies; 

McGee & Ericsson (2002): politics of the grammar checker => designed for business not for education; the essay proposed a different set of designers; problems posed by grammar checkers for teaching writing: false senes of security=

Eldred (1991):  4 approaches to teaching writing;  technology asintegral to effective literacy pedagogy; choice of technology, ease of use, participation, audience

Williams (2001): hypertext pedagogy; design model for teaching writing; how hypertext changes composing + composing process

Hayles (2008): hyper attention=> multitasking, aware of multiple inputs, need for stimulation + interaction, active;  deep attention = focused, sustained attention = like reading a Dickens novel

Herring (1994) : men v women behavior + value systems related to the internet; politeness (+ and - P, + and - N) = different values for politeness AND for freedom

boyd (2007):  social networking and teenagers; identity creation, social status, [impression management]; social networking connects identity to writing and the features of persistence, searchability, replicability, & invisble audience further complicate identity issues => publics play critical role in development of identity; tensions between public and private

12.7 Plan for revising Research Essays, Weighting chart for grades, and discussion of final

We began class with a discussion of what the class (in general) needed to work on to revise the research essay.  We reviewed the assignment sheet and emphasized that the purpose of the assignment (in addition to what was listed on the sheet) was to  demonstrate mastery of theorists, show that you can apply them to your research question, and to demonstrate your ability to critique (question, evaluate) - the theorists you discuss.

Essay organization:  We then discussed the points you neeeded to make and an organization (approximate) that would provide a clear, logical narration for your essay (where background information is provided BEFORE the discussion where you refer back to that information).


Introduction
Set up a clear research question

Maybe = refer to/summarize other research that poses your question

Make points about why your question is relevant or important

Set up /introduce the  theorists you will discuss

Give a broad overview of why their theory is relevant + how you will apply it (write this or at least review it after you have written your essay)

Body

Discuss or make connection to your focus in terms of  4 theorists.  Ask yourself the following questions about each discussion.  

·       What point I make with respect to my focus (for this theorist)?

·       Is my summary of what the theorist says accurate?  Is it central to that theorist’s  work – (or should I choose a differdnt theorist to make this point)?

·       Have I extended or applied this theory in a new way?

·       Do I critique or question the theorist’s ideas when appropriate?

Conclusion:  Provide the :"answer" to your research question, reiterate (briefly) your points, and (if appropriate) point out any remaining questions. 


Process:  We also discussed a process for revising your draft.  The bullets below list "moves" - though you will probably need to "cycle through" these moves - rather than doing them once or checking them off.

• Make sure you are writing to a focus suitable for the assignment
• Develop as much material as you need
• Are my points in the best order? => reverse outline
• Make appropriate moves/revisions
• Revise content for appropriate set up + transition
• Revise intro + conclusion

When you are finished revising for content - revise for grammar, word choice, clarity etc.


Good luck.




Grades:  The following table lists the plan for weighting the different assignments as I calculate your grades.

1.  Study guides, in-class reflective writing, class participation: 250 points 

                                                                    

2.  Midterm + Class presentations:  250 points

3. Literacies project:    300 (200) points           


4. Final exam:  200 (300) points

Total points for course                                   1000 points

For points 3 & 4, project scores will be weighted in accordance with your best performance.


Final exam:
Your final exam will be posted on the blog at the beginning of class next week.  You will have both class periods (and some time after if you need it) to write the exam.  You will be presented with 4 questions and instructed to choose two.  Each question will request that you discuss 3-4 theorists (depending how many are relevant).  Your discussions will need to include in-depth references to a minimum of 6 of the 8  theorists.


Exams will be in essay form and they will be graded on:
Original thinking in response to the question
Appropriate choice of theorists 
Accuracy of statements about the main points/central concerns of the theorists you discuss
Original or re-cast application of theory suitable to issues raised by the question 
In-depth, critical analysis of theory as it applies to the question
Clarity and organization of the answer


Good luck!  And thanks for the great feedback on how to re-design the course. I have lots to think about!

Some sample questions you came up with for the different topics

What we will do in our next class:

More practice taking apart questions = figuring out what to answer; bring questions about theorists

the internet and " learning to read social cues and react accordingly":Hayles, Herring, boyd

How has the internet changed the way we communicate with others

digital technologies, composing process, and teaching writing:  McGee & Ericsson, Eldred, Williams, Selfe

 how have digital technologies changed best practices for teaching writing?

digital spaces and social justice issues: Selfe; Selfe &Selfe, Herring, boyd

literacies and interfaces: Selfe& Selfe, McGee & Ericsson, Williams, [Hayles], boyd

discuss disadvantages of currently available interfaces for (define particular users)

literate practices and digital technologies: McGee & Ericsson, Hayles, Herring, boyd, Eldred

how does Eldred’s principles about choice of technology, ease of use, participation and audience influence changing literate practices associated with digital technologies

Explain how digital technologies have changed the way we use writing for social interactions

Social networking

Email

Blog

Interactions in classrooms

New language

11.30 boyd, Herring and exam questions

List of theorists for second half of the term:

Selfe:  technology and the classroom = how teachers teach it, literacy and access, educator's role, technology is not neutral= potential for technology to exclue users by race, class + gender


Selfe & Selfe: politics of the interface; MS office made for business; metaphors of the interface;
exclusion by language group => coding ASCII ; structure of interface reflects white, middle class male literacies;


McGee & Ericsson: politics of the grammar checker => designed for business not for education; the essay proposed a different set of designers; problems posed by grammar checkers for teaching writing: false senes of security=


Eldred:  4 approaches to teaching writing;  technology asintegral to effective literacy pedagogy; choice of technology, ease of use, participation, audience

Williams: hypertext pedagogy; design model for teaching writing; how hypertext changes composing + composing process

Hayles: hyper attention=> multitasking, aware of multiple inputs, need for stimulation + interaction, active;  deep attention = focused, sustained attention = like reading a Dickens novel

Herring : men v women behavior + value systems related to the internet; politeness (+ and - P, + and - N) = different values for politeness AND for freedom

boyd:  social networking and teenagers; identity creation, social status, [impression management]; social networking connects identity to writing and the features of persistence, searchability, replicability, & invisble audience further complicate identity issues => publics play critical role in development of identity; tensions between public and private



List of topics for exam questions:

the internet and " learning to read social cues and react accordingly":Hayles, Herring, boyd

digital technologies, composing process, and teaching writing:  McGee & Ericsson, Eldred, Williams

digital spaces and social justice issues: Selfe; Selfe &Selfe, Herring, boyd

literacies and interfaces: Selfe& Selfe, McGee & Ericsson, Williams, [Hayles], boyd

literate practices and digital technologies: McGee & Ericsson, Hayles, Herring, boyd

For next class:

I will return your draft research essays with comments.  We will use the class as a workshop for your research essays, and as a review for the final exam.

11.16 Hypertext pedagogy, hyper-attention and deep attention

We started class with a discussion of the mid-term, and how to set up the due dates/assignments for the rest of the term (see the previous post).  I have invited all of you (at your kean email) as editors for a google.doc sign up sheet for a conference on your research essay or anything you might need to talk about.  If the times listed don't work for you, or if you cannot access the document - send me an email.

The study guides for Williams, and for Hayles are posted.

No class Wednesday, November 23:
For class Wednesday, November30:
Read: Politeness in computer culture,    Why youth © social networking sites
Study guide links should be sent to me by Sunday, November 27.

Have a great Thanksgiving and see you in two weeks.

Due dates + planning for the rest of the term

Research paper

Optional submit research question + theorists & some discussion about how they fit:  by Friday Nov 18 for feedback by Nov 23

Draft due: November 30 

include questions/requests for help

Returned by December 5

Final project due: December 14

Final exam:

Focus for exam announced November 30

Review December 7

In-Class final examp december 14

Sample Hypertext compositions

Electronic literature (includes hypertext essays and many other composition, for information about the release - in NYC - of the second volume, see the hompage of the Electronic Literature Organization)

This is the way the world ends a hypertext narrative composed by John Clark, a Kean student from ENG 4081: Introduction to Writing Electronic Literature

Academic hypertext essays at Kairos

For an inside look at the composing process for a hypertext - you might look around the history for entries on Wikipedia.  For example: revision history for entry on hypertext fiction.  Which part of the process from Williams' article do we see here?

11.9 Computers in the classroom + research questions

We spent most of class today talking about how computers re-frame the teaching of writing in college classrooms.  We began by talking about 4 different approaches to teaching writing: in these 4 different approaches teachers focus on writing as a product, writing as a process, writing as critical social construction; writing as a public/networked/interactive practice.  We talked a little about differences in the kinds of assignments teachers might use for the different approaches, and how they might value writing differently.  I suggested you might want to think about how these four different approaches connect to the literacy theorists we have read so far.

The Eldred group presented their study guide - and then we did an experiment to see if we could "read" the language cues that connected to "classroom identities."  So what do you think?

We turned (or I directed ) much of the discussion from this chapter into a kind of reflective assessment on how technology (particularly the group work in google.docs) worked as a writing/learning tool in our class.  In some ways - this reflection underscored the need to take the steps that Eldred set forward in her essay.  At the same time - there were other factors in our classroom that undermined the effectiveness of our use of google-docs to create the study guides.  That was an interesting discussion  - maybe you might be writing some more about this for your final?

We spent the rest of the class talking through possible research questions for your essays.  I am hoping that the "samples" we talked through gave those of you who were listening some clear ideas about how to set up question that will support a strong essay.  If you would like to talk some more about your essay - send me an email to set up a conference.

For next week we will talk about hypertext and hyperattention.

Read: Hayles, posted; Williams, 469

Your midterms are due by Friday midnight.  If I do not recieve the essay by that time - you will receive the grade from your first midterm.

Good luck & see you next week.

11.2: Grammar checkers & Mid-term discussion & Research Essay

We started class with the "Animator v Animation" video - and used it as a prompt to pick up some of the issues raised in the Selfe & Selfe discussion of the politics of the interface.  We speculated about how the videos critiqued the operating system, the programs on the desktop - and the program the chosen one escaped from.  We paid particular attention to the visual representations and what they showed about how users feel about, interpret and re-interpret images/print messages/icons/spatial relationships/actions etc set up in computer spaces.  We observed that in some ways this was a "hybrid" text that connected gaming and composing programs/practices.

The MSGC group then presented an overview of McGee & Ericsson's essay.
As noted in the study guide - some of the essays main points were that:

• grammar checkers were created by computer programmers - NOT writing teachers
• grammar checker's constant interruptions, imposition of authority (taking authority from the composer) and rule-based corrections go against best practices for teaching writing
• grammar checkers and most of MS software is designed for business (rather than teaching) agendas

They asked us to think about what a grammar checker with student writers in mind would look like, and directed us to the author's suggestions about how writing teachers can "deal with" MSGC.

We then participated in an exercise to see what MSGC did and didn't notice in terms of the 20 most frequent errors in college writing, and explored the MS options



 Mid-term exam:  We discussed the mid-term exam - and hopefully we addressed all questions, misgivings and confusions.  As discussed in class, if you were satisfied with your grade for the first essay, you are not required to write this one.  Send the completed exam to the course email as an attachment before class on or before Friday, November 11, at midnight.    I will not accept late essays this time; failure to turn the 11/11. midterm essay in on time will mean your grade will reflect your performance on the first mid-term exam.  .


Research essay:  We reviewed the assignment sheet and talked about how to identify and sharpen a research question.  If you have questions about or would like additional support getting started on your research essay - schedule a conference during my office hours:M 12:15 –3:15 pm; T 4:30– 6:00 pm;  W 1:45 - 3:30; Th 12:15 - 2:00 pm.  N


Notes on the mid-term discussion, and on the research essay discussion (very short) are posted at the end of this entry.
                     
                        

For  next class:

Read:  Eldred (239)
Write: a research question - and a short discussion of how you plan to pursue your research.
Turn in your Mid-term exam by Friday, November 11.

During  class,  we will talke about "Pedagogy in the Computer-networked Classroom" and do the study guide group's activity.  Then each of you will make a short presentation on your research questions - and the class (and I) will provide feedback).

Notes from 11.02.2011 (palindrome day)

3 perspectives on literacies

While there may be overlap in theorists “main” focus – for this exam you can only assign one focus for each theorist.

1.    Focus on writing
Ong = writing as technology, separation/distance; changes thinking

Olson=writing as theoretical model for literacies; part of the thinking process;

Scribner + Cole= experience with particular writing systems results in facility in particular writing practices/thinking practices

2.    Focus on how literacies are used

Scribner + Cole= experience with particular writing systems results in facility in particular writing practices/thinking practices Heath = literacies are social, interpretations created by group interactions/social relationships
Bartholomae = audience explectations, what students wrote to those expectations

3.    Focus on unequal power relationships
Gee
Delpit
Pratt

Organization for essay

Intro – set up theorists to represent each focus = state what different focuses do

For the body of the text, you may organize your discussion in terms of the theorists, or in terms of the three aspects of literacies you were asked to discuss.  Which ever pattern for organization you choose, review your essay to make sure you use the same organization in each section (or close to it).


For example, if you chose to organize your essay by theorists, you would introduce the theorist & identify his/her focus, and then write about the 3 aspects of literacy you were asked to discuss.   Then you would move on to the next theorist (for a pattern as set up below).


Theorist 1

• learning to write,
• interpreting texts, 
• and communicating with others.  

Theorist 2

• learning to write,
• interpreting texts, 
• and communicating with others

Theorist 3

• learning to write,
• interpreting texts, 
• and communicating with others

Then conclusion

If you chose to organize your discussion in terms of the 3 aspects of literacies you were asked to discuss - you would discuss the feature of literacies = and then develop a more in-depth discussion that covers the different ways theorists from each perspective would explain/represent/think about that aspect of literacy.

An organization centered on the three aspects of literacies would be as follows.

learning to write
theorist 1
theorist 2
theorist 3

• interpreting texts
  theorist 1
  theorist 2
  theorist 3

 

• and communicating with others
  theorist 1
  theorist 2
  theorist 3

Conclusion.

Possible research questions and strategies for developing them.

Beginning research question:  What are the advantages disadvantages of an adult literacy learning program?  (good start => but needs to be focused.  This is way too much to take on for a 5-7 page paper).

To narrow your focus => do some background reading:
Look at adult literacy programs

Classify features of those programs in terms of their advantages & disadvantages and think about which particular features you want to write about

DO SOME BRAINSTORMING: Free write, make listes, cluster => any kind of brainstorming in writing that will help you identify and classify different aspects of your topic

Write a series of questions and then think about what you would need to write to answer it.  Consider how well (or whether) you can connect it to the course readings.  

Interface issues

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOXhYqtk_-0&feature=related

Draft Midterm2 Question

This is the focus for your Midterm.   Going back to our summary of the main ideas for each theorist will help you identify the different groups.  We will talk over the question in class and I will answer questions.  We will also talk about expectations about how to write the essay.

Theories we have read so far could be classified (more or less) as presenting literacies from 3 slightly different perspectives.  These perspectives include

1. a focus on literacy as primarily connected to writing itself; 
2. a focus on how literacies are used (and the consequences of that use); 
3. and a focus on the unequal power relationships resulting from the fact that literacies are associated identities and ideologies - and that not all identities and ideologies are equal. 

Write an essay where you discuss how one theorist from each perspective represents:  

• learning to write,
• interpreting texts, 
• and communicating with others.  

Your discussion of communicating with others should take into account how literacies both do and do not allow us to communicate across different discourses.  Use specific references to specific theorists to back up your claims about what each perspective suggests about how literacy works. 

Due by Friday, Nov 11 by midnight.

October 25: Selfe & Selfe, and Selfe

We began class by discussing the midterm.  The outcome was a decision to have another midterm - and you could pick your "best" grade to count.  Those of you who are satisfied with the grade for the practice exam, can keep that grade (you don't have to write the second midterm unless you choose to do so).

I will post the question by Friday.  Look it over and come to class with questions.  During the next class, Nov 2, I will review/explain anything you request.  Also - I would like to have some discussion about any study/writing practices you plan to change in light of what you learned from the practice midterm.

The second midterm will be due, before class, as an attachment to an email sent to the course email, on November 9.


Calendar:  As we were planning dates we noticed (and it is so sad that I noticed for the first time) that the dates on the calendar are screwy.  I have revised the calendar and re-posted.  It should make sense now, and I think we still have time for everything.


Final:  Since you are writing a midterm exam to cover readings from the first half of the course, the final exam will only cover readings on digital literacies (from the last part of the course).  In class we will review how you want to re-adjust points. 


Research project: We also talked over the research project.  You will write about some aspect of literacies that interests you - and discuss it in light of the theories we have studied in this course.  You will choose the focus and we will spend some time in class forming strong research questions - and discussing how to connect your topic to literacy theory in a productive ways.  .  The assignment sheet will be posted by next class.

Class list of possible topics: Children’s literature, Learning to read, Autistic learners, e-books = advantage disadvantage, email/chat, age + literacy, social networks, trolling, internet discourses, grading, folklore + literacy, how literacies are taught here at Kean or at some other school you attended, a particular experience you had with literacy that you now see in another light (or can explain in another way).


Selfe & Selfe:  We spent some time on this one.  To make sure you got what you will need for the final - I strongly suggest reviewing the study guide questions + making sure you can "analyze" an interface in terms of the different cultural axes Selfe and Selfe identified: economics; discourse; and rationalism + logocentrism.  Also make sure that you can write into the strategies they identify for "fighting" the ideological  bullying of the interface (look at the headings).   


Selfe:  The importance of paying attention.   
We did not have enough time to spend on this as we could have used.  To make sure you've got the main concepts, I suggest that you review the definitions of the following terms from the essay - and then see if you can use each term in a sentence about PRINT literacies (apply the idea in a new context).  If you can't = raise questions in our next class.

cultural formations

larger cultural narratives of social-progress-through-technology

technological literacy

literacy myth

overdetermined systems

rhetoric associated with national literacy projects

patronizing assumptions about what it means to have difficulties with reading and writing in contemporary society

Also, take a look at the following quotes. Put them into your own words.  Spend some time thinking about what they mean.  Give some particular examples of these ideas in action.  =>For example, what "large-scale literacy projects have you observed (such as getting all Kean freshman to write in academic English and giving them one semester to learn how)?  how did they turn out?

official literacies usually function in a conservative, and reproductive fashion (103)

. . . we have little evidence that any large-scale project focusing on a narrowly defined set of officially sanctioned literacy skills will result in fundamental changes in the ration of people labeled literate or illiterate. (104)

What does Selfe point out as the connection between the educational agenda & the political + economic agenda for promoting computer communication technologies?  (106-7)

For Nov 2.

Look over the question for Mid-term2, come to class prepared to discuss.

Look over the list of ideas for research projects and the assignment sheet - it will be posted by the end of the weekend.   We will spend some time working on creating a research question that will support a strong essay.

Read:  McGee & Ericsson, 308

Final questions in advance, ½ period to write

OVERVIEW OF READINGS SO FAR:
Ong = writing as technology= creates distance

Heath = writing is social – interpreting writing is often in groups – need to think about how writing is used to understand its form

Olson writing is a theoretical model for language
script on the page does NOT provide enough information to create a single, undisputed interpretation

One or many theoretical models for language?

Scribner & Cole  particular features of literacy change particular cognitive abilities= what you practice you get good at

Literacy in and of itself does not change the way we think= but literacies do change particular literate skills

Gee = writing is social practice; learners [can’t] change Discourse late in life; learn new Discourse through apprenticeship;  Discourse is an “identity toolkit”=> involves a lot of unconscious assumptions; there are Dominant and Nondominant discourses

Delpit  learners can learn secondary Discourses & teachers can teach secondary discourses; new Discourses are learned through mentoring, modeling, talk, supportive feedback = apprenticeship

It is important to teach Academic discourse

Bartholomae = students invent the university= create a theoretical model for what Academic discourse expects of them

Pratt = classrooms are contact zones (look at how she defines this term)= arts of the contact zone include= autoethnography, transculturation, parody,. . . .how we make each other aware of our differenct cultural assumptions