I apologize for posting this to the entire CASLL list; it's intended
for Jo-Anne Zimmer, whose e-mail address I don't have with me here
out west. Jo-Ann, if you think you can use this as part of the Cdn.
Caucus roundtable proposal, or if you need me to change anything,
just send me a quick reply by e-mail. --Amanda
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Using Computer Mediated Communication to Teach Writing: What Do We
Lose? What Do We Gain?
What does it mean to be a "literate" user of computer mediated
communication? With the enormous growth of the Internet and the advent
of the World Wide Web, students have access to a much greater range of
data and to vaster networks of people than is possible with tools such
as e-mail or FTP. A growing number of university, college, and
workplace writing instructors see the Web as a powerful tool for
enhancing research skills, collaborative work, and creativity. But at
the same time, concerns are being raised about the Web's glut of
information, the lack of solid criteria for vetting data on the Web,
and the possible effects of hypermedia on "non-vr" (real life) reading,
writing, and reasoning.
What are some views from the "front lines" about the advantages and
disadvantages of using CMC to teach writing? This paper will briefly
summarize comments of faculty who teach academic and professional
writing in universities and two-year colleges, as well as those who do
workplace training. These comments--gathered from informal surveys,
real-time online chat, and from participants in face-to-face discussion
roundtables--are compared with recent scholarship investigating literacy
and CMC. The purpose is to suggest some strategies for writing teachers
who are using, or thinking of using, CMC.
Abstract submitted by Amanda Goldrick-Jones, Centre for Academic
Writing, The University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg MB
Canada, R3B 2E9.
Phone: 204-786-9453. E-mail: [log in to unmask]
