Response to Dan's articles about technology

TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE

Collaboration is an important part of writing center scholarship. However, is there really collaboration going on? I mean collaboration is the sense that there is more than one tutor working/helping with a particular paper. I believe that technology will not only help with bring a tutor and a student together at more convenient times (Lunsford's article) but also help with getting different perspectives on writing and particular approaches students can take in revising papers. The blog is a great example of how we have exchanged ideas, which have been very diverse.

Thanks Dan

One of your collaborators,

Cocoa

Technology in the Writing Center

The introduction to The Writing Center will Hold discusses Muriel Harris's unique contribution to writing center scholarship. She has been influencial in every aspect in the growth of writing centers, including creating a stage for professionals to collaborate, prompting research about WCs, encouraging collaboration between tutors and teachers, and also taking great leaps forward into the study and application of virtual WCs. The last point mentioned discusses Harris's interest in the potential WCs have to grow and expand via the www. It is fitting that the introduction ends with this point because technology is in the forefront of everyone's mind. OWLs can solve some of the problems that are faced by overcrowded writing centers and a lack of funding for the tutors to be present in the center. OWLs have become increasingly popular in a world where people have unprecedented access to the internet.

In Grimm's article, "In the Spirit of Service," technology is embraced as a way to further research about writing centers. This article questioned whether OWLs threaten on-campus writing centers. I don't believe so. Not only is the internet a fast and effective way to disseminate information about what's going on in writing center scholarship, but it also broadens the the reach of the tutors. This opens up another facet of research about tutoring writing. What (if anything) is lost in translation? Are on-line tutorials more candid than face-to face tutorials? What role does response time play in the success of the tutorial? There are a lot more questions that can be raised, both potentially positive and negative. Any application worth mentioned will dominate in a space between two extremes.

The last article I would like to mention is Neal Lerner's "Searching for the "Proof" of Our Effectiveness." This article strives to find ways writing center assessment is most productive. first he talks about the pressure that directors are faced with in order to keep their funding. This pressure has led to a counting heads type of assessment. However, students merely showing up to the writing center is not the only and definitely not the most telling statistics that can be offered to a supervisor. Lerner goes into detail about how comparing SAT scores and FYC grades provide mounts if information for the writing center researcher. Although his hypothesis was proven wrong the information is still poignant. As he proves in his later more intensive evaluation. What does this all have to do with technology? Statistical analysis is very mush reliant on program and computer technologies. In my previous writing center, we used Word Access to collect data on our students. Some of information included was as follows: year (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior), major (including undecided), class paper is for (to assess needs across the curriculum), when the paper is due (this provided information on whether there was a correlation between grades and time student gave themselves to edit their papers and grades they received), and who recommended them to the writing center (to gauge where information about the writing center is coming from). These types of inquiry give more incite into what's really going on in WCs. Merely counting heads is counterproductive; it devalues what tutors, directors, and teachers do.

Some brilliant (or not) observations

It is very interesting to me that Geoff adressess alot of the same issues that I did with regards to technology; but he did it using different articles. This is a somewhat comforting thought. Geoff has been working in a writing center for more than two years, while this is my first semester. Knowing that my thinking is similar to a more experienced tutor is reassuring. OK, enough with kissing Geoff's butt. See everyone Monday.

Tech Penguins to the Rescue

Technology rears its head often in our world today, and even in a place like the Writing Center.

In Michelle Eodice's Breathing Lessons, she mentions the use of technology that has become a part of our academic lives. Several professors use Blackboard, which offers easy access to email the entire class, host chats, create discussion boards for question and answers or conversation, as well as easy access to assignments and grades for the students. She also talks about Blogs, just like the one I'm posting to right now, which allows us to share our ideas and comments on common topics with each other. This is available to anyone with internet access, opening up our world even more.

Peter Carino addresses the ideas of power and authority in tutoring in his article, Power and Authority in Peer Tutoring. Carino discusses the problems tutors face defining the ideas of "peer" tutoring and the power and authority a tutor may wield. Sometimes this is a problem, especially with some students who come to the Writing Center with an assumption about what services we offer for them. This can sometimes be addressed though the use of an email tutoring session, as the services of the tutor can be clearly laid out and enacted in a one on one email session. This is by no means a fair substitute for face to face tutoring, but it can help people abroad or who don't have time for an appointment, and it can help a tutor work with a client who holds expectations against the tutor's actual role. It also helps if a tutor has issues, often with ESL students, who cannot handle the different roles that can be encountered in a tutoring session compared to what the client is used to.

In Anis Bawarshi and Stephanie Pelkowski's article Postcolonialism and the Idea of a Writing Center, the idea of a Postcolonial Writing Center, or one that does not fix papers but instead looks to better the writer, is introduced. This concept is becoming the focus of more Writing Centers around the country, and technology can be a great aid to this. The use of email and aim allows tutors to communicate and share ideas, because there may not be several tutors in one place, but there is a large community spread throughout the country. Another aspect helping out tutors is the Online Writing Lab (OWL). These labs help students with common problems they have, like grammar, research or citation issues. The presence of these labs helps tutors, as we can direct students to these labs that help them with several f their problems, which then allows us to focus on making our clients better writers.

Technology will be the death of me

Andrea Lunsford's article deals with collaboration in the writing center and the writing process. Collaboration could be facilitated by the use to technology. The use of tools such as instant messenger or even a cell phone make it easier for people to communicate and share ideas. Another example of collaboration is this blog. We can communicate and post ideas without being anywhere near each other.

Anne DiPardo's article talks about the author actually forming a bond with a student that she is tutoring. One of the drawbacks of technology is that relationships like this one may be less likely to form because of people using on-line resources instead of going to the writing center. An on-line resource is always up while writing centers (such as ours) have limited hours. It would be much easier for a student to go on-line and get help for their "grammar problem" than to make an appointment and develop as a writer.

Michael Pemberton's article traces the development of a community of writing centers. This community building is helped greatly by the development of technology. People at writing centers all over the country can communicate with each other, as well as look for new recruits, much easier now through the invent of cell phones and the internet. It is also easier to have a store of knowledge that is accessible for people at other writing centers as well. The growth of the writing center community would not have been as rapid of it was not for the increase in communication technologies.

Response to Dan's article analysis

Response to Dan's Articles

I like the conclusion that you came to at the end of your comments on Murphy's article: "I guess my work here is more psychological than technical." I agree with you; part of being a good tutor as well as a good teacher is convincing your students that they are capable of writing. The way that we get this idea across is much like the way therapist help their patients reach a point of self discovery.

Woolbright's article hit home for all of us. As tutors we have to contend with what we know should be the ultimate goal of a tutorial, to create a better writer, and what students are concerned about, the test at hand. In the back of every tutors mind is whether or not the student will perceive the tutorial as helpful if the concern of the student was primarily related to the text, so there is also a level of gratification through praise of the tutor at work here. I hope that makes sense. The final essay you discussed also deals with these issues.

Something to Think About.

The three articles that I am submitting for my evaluation are “Peer Tutoring and Gorgias: Acknowledging Aggression in the Writing Center,” “Freud in the Writing Center: The Psychoanalysis of Tutoring Well,” and Collaboration, Control, and the Idea of a Writing Center.” In the first article mentioned, Julie Bokser sets forth a convincing argument about the relationship between tutor and tutee as aggressive. According to Bokser, there is an inherent contradiction in the idea of “peer” tutoring because the tutor is always going to be seen as the authority figure. The idea of authority brings in the idea of aggression. In tutoring sessions, tutors lead tutees where they want and believe they should go in their revisions. This push toward the tutor’s concerns can cause another type of aggression. This is expressed by Paolo’s journal response about what he deemed an unsuccessful tutorial. The tutee didn’t respond the way Paolo wanted; therefore, Paolo reacted negatively. However, aggression can also be used positively to move toward a more collaborative state. The overall theme of article can be summarized in the following quotation: “[W]hen we speak we may either seduce or rape; but in the act of seduction the roots of rape are present” (123). As a tutor, it is important to understand the relationships we have with our tutees in the context of this paradox.
In the next article, Christian Murphy compares the relationship between tutor and tutee as parallel to the relationship between psychologist and patient: “As in psychoanalysis, the quality of that interpersonal relationship between therapist and client, tutor and student, determines how successful the interaction as a whole will be” (97). Whereas the previous article argued that “writing is an act of aggression disguised as an act of charity,” this article is based on the idea of charity (119). The therapist/tutor displays an “unconditional positive regard” for the tutee. This relationship puts the tutee in the position of a vulnerable patient who, with the help of the therapist/tutor, discovers things about his/her own writing style. This article was helpful in understanding the state of mind many students may come into the writing center with. What is also telling about the analogy Murphy uses is that a therapist asks questions first and then listens. I believe a good tutoring session has an equal distribution of listening on both sides, but if anyone is going to dominate the discussion, it should be the tutee.
Andrea Lunsford’s article demonstrates how these two different theories on tutoring relationships can affect the “Idea of a Writing Center.” Lunsford discusses how collaboration can be in reality both negative and positive or perceived to be thus. There are three types of centers discussed: The Center as a Storehouse, Garret Centers, and Burkean Parlor Centers. While collaboration poses a problem in Storehouse and Garret centers, Burkean Parlor centers promote “collaboration that is attuned to diversity” (51). However, while collaboration may not be a problem for this type of center, people’s assumptions about collaboration puts this type of center at a loss: “A faculty member working in a writing center was threatened with dismissal for “encouraging” group-produced documents” (51). This article shows while collaboration has gotten bad revues, the other types of centers aren’t adequate because of the nature of writing. Even when a writer doesn’t physically sit down with another person when writing, say an article for journal publication, they are still collaborating because they are entering into a conversation that is ongoing about a given topic. Therefore, even though the idea of a writing center will change, collaboration can never be taken out of the equation because it is a part of the solution.

The Penguins Say "Check it out"

http://www.bluevoda.com

Taking the Penguins for a Little Stroll

Here is my response to Geoff's post:

#1: I too have spent time just trying to clarify assignments with students. It is actually pretty frightening how many students don't really know what their assignment is, and they've already wrote 10 pages on it. I have found that alot of these cases end with me telling them to go see their prof. so they can figure out their assignment.

#2: ESL students can be a difficult case, especially the ones who don't really know what we do. I too have had many people coming in looking for a proofread (alot of them are native English speakers by the way), and need to explain to them what we do in the center. Once the student gets over their initial disgust, the tutorials go pretty well. The main problem I have found that ESL students have is with prepostions.

#3: I too have had many people come to the center looking for a quick proofread. The saddest part is that many people in our own department have no idea what the writing center is for. A physics professor probably won't know much about us, but the people in the English department really should know better. I also try to spread the word to other grad. students (especially GTA's) and anyone who is within ear shot.

Ummmmmmmmm . . . . . Articles

Christina Murphy's article alerted me to the fact that some of the students that are coming to see me are in a way, "wounded." This has been especially true with the freshmen I have tutored. Most have them were creamed on their rough drafts and came to the writing center desperately looking for help. The main thing I try to do in this case is calm the student down. If the student is really worked up, they will never be able to focus and get anything done. Then I try to build the student's confidence up by telling them, "see, you knew it all along" when they fix a mistake. I guess my work here is more psychological than technical.

Meg Woolbright brings up the notion of the tutor having to confront their own agenda in the writing center. This has been true for me this semester. There have been some frustrating tutorials where I just wanted to "fix" the paper and get the student out of my hair. However, I know to take a deep breath and actually try to help the student, even if it is difficult. This is much more difficult for me, but also much more beneficial for the student.

Stephen North's essay mentions that it is the student, and not the text that need improving. This comes in handy when students want me to just proofread their paper for them. I need to slow the student down, and show and explain to them their grammatical errors, not just fix them. This has been handy because most students (and faculty) have no idea what we actually do in the writing center.

Knowledge of the Penguins

3 Articles. All right.

#1-Center Will Hold-Muriel Harris is the Writing Center God(dess).

Real #1-Cultural Studies Agenda
Cooper talks about making the session about the student and their writing. This is one of the ideas that I've really been trying to implement. Often, we don't get to the paper itself, because we spend time clarifying the assignment for the student and what he or she is writing on. I've found this to be really helpful, because even if we don't get to the paper, the student leaves with a more clear idea on the assignment and where they need to go with it.

#2-Lessons from Fannie
This article talks about the trouble of working with ESL students. The example given of Fannie and her tutor shows the problems that tutors working with ESL students can face, as well as cause. This is something that I try to avoid, and I think I do pretty well at it. Several ESL students do walk in expecting just a proofread or edit, and so we have to clarify what we do. Once the idea of our writing center is clear to the student, things go pretty smoothly. I also personally try to gauge what the student is worried about, or looking for, and we focus on that. In one case, I've started working on the rules of English with the student, going through it a step at a time to help her out.

#3-The Idea of a Writing Center
This one talks about what I harp on all the time. It discusses the idea of the writing center for the tutor and for the rest of the world. The common perception is that the writing center is a place to fix writing aka grammar. Thus, we get a lot of students sent by there professor who require their students to come to fix their grammar, or who do other things along those lines, like requiring them to visit the writing center to turn in a late paper and a rewrite. What I do, as often as I can, is get the word out to whoever listens about what the writing center is, and what we do. This is an ongoing part of trying to make the purpose of the writing center understood by everyone who uses it.

Mystery Technology Penguin 3000

Like I said in my previous post, a lot of my work is either done on my laptop, or though my laptop to the internet. Classes demand the use of technology these days, and so I have to be familiar with whatever they may require. It also gives me the ability to easily save and change any works I may have in progress, which is a great advantage over pencil and paper. As the demands in the classroom for the use of technology grow, I have to keep up with it, especially since one day I plan to be using it myself with my students.

The Technology of the Penguins

Technology has obviously become a part of our everyday life. Right now I'm relying on technology to post this. The biggest piece of technology I use is the computer. It's a gateway to the internet, where I do a lot of my research on. It connects me to the library website, as well as blackboard, which allows me to get my homework done. It also gives me the ability to write, save and print my assignments, which is a big bonus for my professors who can't read my handwriting. The major barrier for me is when something doesn't work, i.e. the internet being down, or I can't accomplish something, i.e. writing in html. It has opened up new pathway though, and so even though it can't always be relied on too heavily, it is an excellent tool to have at your disposal.

Technology, it's what's for dinner.

Technology plays a big role in my educational experiences here at Clemson. For example, my assignments for this class are posted on the web. In one of my seminars, the secondary readings are posted on-line. Without the use of the internet, none of these would be possible. I type all of my papers on my computer instead of a typewriter, and the word processing programs have spell checkers on them now. I even have to register for classes on-line. Technology is now playing a role in every aspect of my educational experience.

How Technology Shapes the Way We Write.

Technology is helpful in making seemingly insurmountable tasks more manageable. However, it functions in another way. Technology dictates how you approach a given task as a student. For some students, using technology is the difference between doing something the "easy" way or the hard "way." For others, technology is an outlet for them to access information that wouldn't normally be available. The way in which technology most affects me as a writer is that I am able to affectively join in on scholarly discourse that is ongoing and current about a given topic. This makes my papers and arguments more sound. For example, the MLA bibliography, and many other online databases, allows me to narrow my search based on how recent the article, book, or dissertation abstract was published. However, as I mentioned in my previous blog I tend to look at those resources (because of the abundance and accessibility) as the only information available.

The Rise of Technology

As a student of English Literature, I rely very heavy on a variety of different technologies. First, the most obvious to note is Microsoft Word. For the most part, all writing is required to be electronic or a hard electronic copy. This has changed the way everyone approaches the writing process. In the interest of time, most of my brainstorming is done in the word document. Word processing programs have made the physical act of writing almost obsolete. The benefit of typing my preliminary ideas is I can edit those ideas and formulate them into my final draft. I can have multiple word documents open, and I copy and paste ideas from my brainstorming page to the actual draft. The only negative of relying completely on word processing programs is that accidents and glitches in the system occur.
Another technology that I rely on is the internet. The internet in conjunction with colleges' online library systems cut research time in half. However, I have become entirely reliant on the information that they provide when there are other no-print resources and search mediums that pay also be helpful. Continued in next blog . . .

Mmmmmmm........ technology

The technologies that I rely on as a student are varied. The most important one that I rely on is that of the internet. I rely on the internet for many different purposes. The most important purpose is that it enables me to keep in touch with teachers and classmates. It also enables me to do research from home as well as give me access to books that I would not be able to locate otherwise through e-books.
I also rely heavily on computers in general. This focuses on my role as a writer in graduate school. I need to use word processing programs to write my papers and printers to print them off. Seeing as how I do not have a typewriter handy, it is important for me that these technologies keep working.

I Need Help!!

Here are some questions that I have:
How do you create a link to another page from a button?
How do you create links to other websites?
Is each page have to be saved as an individual E link? Or does Macromedia have a multi-page system?
How do you get rid of the outline of tables so the pictures and text float?

Items for next week

The next item that I need to tackle for our next meeting is linking. I am starting to get a good feel for setting up the pages themselves now, so I would like to know how to get them together. After I get this figured out, I can start working on having a nice continuity between the different pages of the portfolio.

The Penguins Won't Stop Asking Me Questions!!!

Lingering questions I have:
How to get this accessible online
How Penguins dance

Running through more obstacles than the Marines

It seems that we are all having some difficultly in putting together our e-portfolios. As far as color schemes go, just try to remember to keep a good contrast between your colors. Other than that, I think it is just a matter of personal taste as to what looks "good." As far as getting our images to look good on the background I think that using borders around them would help. I guess the main thing is just to keep an open mind and realize that we are probably going to have to go back and change things like the color scheme until we really get a feel for what's going on.

Help is on the Way.

It seems that we are all having the same problems with our portfolios. I do have one helpful hint that came to me while I was in the gas station. Use your favorite candy or snack as a guide for your color scheme. I am now using the Doublemint wrapper as a guide to decide on colors. This method can also be helpful when choosing different shapes and figures. That's the only advice I have. As far as technology goes, all I can say is play. Play with the program and you will discover a lot.

Penguin says what?

So it looks like we're all having design problems at this point in time. This is tough, because a lot of it stems from our inability to use the programs. There is a positive, because we're experiencing what a lot of the freshman are or will be when they try to accomplish this. I guess one of the best ways we can accomplish this is practice with the programs, and maybe a little research on how to use them, such as a help book or guide book. As for figuring out the actual design, how colors work, etc., I think we can all help each other out just by looking at our pages and talking with each other. That also requires that we learn a little more about the programs so that we have a better command of the colors, but it always helps to bounce ideas off one another.

The Penguin Obstacle Course

Obstacles. Everyone loves 'em. Not really. As for the main thing that I can't get under control with the portfolio, I'd have to say it's the overall design. I'm getting the concept down fairly well with the program I'm using, but my overall design just feels like it's lacking something. It might be the color or the background, I'm not sure yet, and I've just been trying to figure it out. We talked about getting the background of the images to match the background of the page, so that might be a step in the right direction.