Mid-South Instructional Technology Conference
Teaching, Learning, & Technology
The Challenge Continues
March 30-April 1, 2003
Effective IT Integration in the Composition Classroom: Instructor and Student Perspectives
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By: Maria Clayton |
Abstract
A Middle Tennessee State University instructor of a web-assisted, first-semester composition course examines her integration of instructional technology (IT), particularly the use of interactivity tools for in-class and cross-class collaboration. Beyond the obvious benefits of making course materials available 24-7 and linking students via email, IT allows teachers to develop assignments that capitalize on electronic small group activities promoting process-based composition instruction. Emerging best practices from her and her students' perspectives revealed through surveys over three semesters are also presented.
Description
"Effective IT Integration in the Composition Classroom: Instructor and Student Perspectives," an individual presentation, reports on, discusses, and examines the effective integration of instructional technology (IT) into a first-semester composition course taught in a computerized classroom. Effective use of IT covers any application of technology that contributes to fostering and promoting learning, practicing and improving skills, and bringing students together to become part of a community of student-centered learners. How can writing assignments be structured to integrate IT? What are the benefits and drawbacks of these assignments? How will the use of IT be rethought and revised to capitalize on the former and minimize the latter? The presenter will address all these issues.
Beyond the obvious benefits of making course materials available 24-7, beyond what can be accomplished by linking students via email, IT allows teachers to develop assignments that capitalize on electronic small group activities to promote process-based composition instruction. Specially designated areas available through web-management software, such as CourseInfo and WebCT, make possible electronic exchange of drafts or parts of drafts among peers, facilitate the peer response process, and even extend it beyond the time allowed in the physical classroom without requiring additional face-to-face meetings. Additionally, expanding these peer communities to include members from other, similar composition sections contributes to giving "physical" presence to the concept of audience for whom rethinking and revising of the writing might be necessary. Cross-composition section groups of peer readers have available to them private email, discussion boards, and file exchange features, among other tools, used for a variety of purposes promoting a process-based classroom. Another beneficial aspect of these groups is the built-in element of collaborative work, as the in-class members work as a team to respond to the out-of-class writing from their peers.
This session will report on the course structure and IT integration, including handouts on the instruction students receive in the use of the website-personal homepages, email access, group work, discussion boards, file exchange, and the like-and specific writing assignments which capitalize on the purposeful use of technology. The presentation will also report the results of student surveys dealing with positive and negative aspects of the inclusion of IT components into an otherwise fairly traditional, first-semester composition course. All these invaluable tools are used to examine the effects of the integration and to rethink and revise the course.
Proceeding