Discussion+of+Sustainable+Computer+Environments



1.) p. 45 - Do Selfe’s ideas apply to the creation of any sort of tech-rich environment? (a lab, a writing center, a laptop / tablet intiative) Or do the social, professional dynamics change depending on what type of environment you’re trying to create?

2.) p.7 / p.49 - Consider the reference to the “conventional separation of the arts and technology” and that “English teachers . . .prefer that computer systems for supporting their efforts remain invisible . . . because of their humanist educations and leanings.”

3.) Selfe makes the argument that it is important that “humanist educators. . . understand their responsibility for actively designing and shaping these systems” (p.49). - To what extent is the teaching of language arts separate from technology?

- Is a “computer environment” vital for the teaching of language arts?

- When happens if we teach English without a technological environment?

To what extent do you agree with his premise – that language arts teachers should be directly involved with every aspect of creating a technological teaching / learning environment?

4.) p.24 – 25 – Would you add anything to this list of challenges of integrating technology into an English classroom?

- lack of time to prepare and learn new stuff - lack of technical support when learning new stuff - lack of relevant training – especially by other English teachers - lack of convenient access - lack of power in deciding on technological policies that will affect teaching

5.) p.28 – 33 – Are you more teacher / leader or teacher /user? How do you know?

6.) p. 34 / 35 (job description) – Pretend there is funding for instructional support personnel.

Would you prefer a literacy coach; teaching with technology coach; neither – let’s create more lab space. 7.) p. 46 /47 – “Because communication technologies never stop changing and because technology – rich instructional designs are inherently exploratory, a program, department, or institution can never have too many work-shopping opportunities.”

Agree?

What makes for a successful workshop experience?

8.) p.60 – In terms of identifying instructional needs of students – what effect will the Common Core Standards (and the new evaluation system) have on schools / English departments in terms of their ability and willingness to sustain technological teaching / learning environments?

For example - two of the tech-oriented goals from Common Core –

W.9-10.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.

W.11-12.8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.

9.) p. 62, 65 Are your instructional goals always conducive to a technologically rich environment?

For example - Consider the summer workshop outlined on p. 65 – “Participants develop approaches to teaching interpretation and development of new media texts within writing-intensive classrooms and programs. . . . participants consider how compositional and rhetorical approaches to writing carry over into the interactive and intensely visual places of computer screens.”

If we all followed Selfe’s advice and maintained technological teaching/ learning spaces – what would happen to the traditional composition? Are we OK with these changes?



Is the technological teaching / learning environment at your school sustainable?

Consider the following :

p. 2 – Is it sustained by following the general formula people first; pedagogy second; technologies third?

p.8 – Does a dynamic of blame exist?

p.24 -25 – support that is needed

p.27 – 28 – activities that surround sustainable tech-rich environments

p.41 – Does a culture of support surround it?

p.43 – list of questions to ask

p. 45 -46 – Is there an STA program?

p. 55 - think through these bullet points

p. 56 – 57, p. 77 – 79 – Does it look and feel like what is described here?

p. 58 – think about what is not there

=YES ...................................................NO=