Book Recommendations for Graduate Course in "Computers, English, and Pedagogy"

Submitted by platypus matt on November 26, 2006 - 15:38.

I'm putting together a syllabus for a Spring graduate course called "Computers, English, and Pedagogy," and wondered if anyone had any good recommendations for books. I like Passions and Pedagogies and Teaching Writing with Computers, but I'm wondering if they might not be a bit dated at this point. I suppose I could put together a course packet using articles from Computers & Composition, but I thought I'd fish around for some ideas. I'd especially be interested in works that are well-written and compelling enough to help generate good in-class discussion (essays or books that ask the right questions are quite valuable, even if their answers are problematic). At any rate, as long as it somehow involves teaching writing with technology, I'm open to it.

My basic idea with the course would be to focus on the "pedagogy" part, since I teach another course called "Computers & English" that delves more into theoretical concerns involving new media. I'll be teaching the course in a Windows-based computer lab.

Is there any hope that I might just do this with a couple of good books, or should I just forge ahead with a course packet?

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Here's Two

Submitted by scott on November 27, 2006 - 22:12.

You might want to look at Writing New Media, ed. Wysocki et al. and Visual Rhetoric in a Digital World ed. Handa. The Handa is a collection of previously published articles. I'm not sure if either works as a stand alone text, but together they might be good sources for a packet if you go that route. The chapters in Writing New Media include sample assignment sequences and the book overall is teachers writing to teachers about how to deploy computers, new media, etc. in writing classrooms.

good books

Submitted by gcritel on November 27, 2006 - 23:36.

I'm taking a graduate-level rhetoric and technology course this semester and have found Selber's Multiliteracies for a Digital Age very insightful.

platypus matt's picture

Thanks

Submitted by platypus matt on November 27, 2006 - 23:55.

Thanks, guys. I've ordered the Writing New Media Book. Those are some great authors, and I'm hoping it'll be a fun read. I'm also doing the Passions book. That ought to be enough book readings, methinks.

I'll be teaching this class in a very challenging environment (computer lab class with no meeting tables; everyone will be in rows with some with their backs to the rest sort of like cafeteria benches.) Any advice for how to teach with this setup? I want to have some good class discussion, but again I think the classroom architecture will be working against me.

Check out Barton's gaming blog at Armchair Arcade.

cel4145's picture

initiate discussion outside of class

Submitted by cel4145 on November 28, 2006 - 12:11.

Given the topic, I'd definitely integrate blogs into the classroom and have them blog on topics a day or two before class meetings and then respond to each others posts both inside and outside of class. One thing I like to do is pick 2 or 3 featured blogs from among those posted as the one's we discuss. That tends to work very well because it creates conversation within a few venues rather than a few comments here are there scattered among everyone's posts.

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