The speed at which computerized and technological developments are occurring is amazing. It seems that very few papers written by students and scholars alike are not composed on and with the help of a computer. Likewise, social networking, podcasts, and file sharing are no longer new and exotic. This being the case, it is hard to argue that technology, particularly the use of computers, has not influenced the classroom. Thus, I, like many others, believe that the manner in which technology is used is an important part of pedagogical discussions and that technology has an important place in the classroom.   

The use of computers to create is a natural part of society. Many students are used to texting and instant messaging, reading websites, listening to mp3s, and even watching and creating digital videos. However, just because students communicate and actively consume information via these technologies doesn’t mean they recognize the literacies involved or the identities the students portray. Also, coming from sometimes less than plentiful economic circumstances, I understand that not all students and programs will have access to the latest and the greatest tools, meaning it is important for teachers to be sensitive to the backgrounds, situations, and realities in which students are emerged. It is important for teachers to work with new technologies in order to encourage critical engagement and conscious decisions among students but also to be aware of different levels of comfort and the awkwardness that can come from assumptions made about students.

Likewise, as these and other technologies enter programs and classroom through venues such as computerized writing assessment and e-portfolios, teachers need to take an active role in deciding what is and is not appropriate in terms of their needs and the needs of their students and academic programs.

It is for these reasons and others that I feel it is important for me to take an active role in working with issues of technology and education. Part of this process has also been to carefully consider how issues of technological innovation can be encouraged in environments that have fewer resources. Certain scholars have played influential roles in the development of my beliefs and techniques. The work done by Bonnie Nardi, Kari Kuutti, and Victor Kaptelinin with human computer interaction has provided me with a strong sense of how to work with and research the use of computers in specific systems. Similarly, James Inman and Anne Wysocki approach the discussion of computers, particularly in the classroom, through a sociohistorical manner. The work of Cynthia Selfe and the members of Digirhet.org have been very influential in creating a deeper understanding of the need to address these new forms of powerful discourse and to help empower students and encourage informed decisions. I have also come to greatly respect the call of Anne Herrington and Charles Moran to be careful with the integration of computers in writing assessment as well as Chris Anson for his call to remain open-minded. As with other areas of my beliefs, I have also been greatly and positively influenced by Kristine Blair and the many other scholars I have had the pleasure to work with surrounding theory concerning the use of technology in the classroom and those that have helped me to learn to use the tools themselves.

I have sought to encourage students as creators rather than merely consumers. This is accompanied by a strong effort to encourage critical awareness of the rhetorical decisions involved in these compositions as well. Whenever possible students need the opportunity experiment in a safe environment and to carefully consider how messages are altered by the medium. I encourage students to look critically at the work that they do, that is done around them, and that they will be doing after they leave the class. It is important for students to understand how to analyze their situations in order to make connections between the different parts of their professional and personal lives. They need to know how to gain access and comfort with the tools that are a part of composition and to consider the values inherent in those tools and their use.

Part of communicating involves understanding the role that technology plays.Thus, experiencing and using various forms of technology becomes an important part of the process of teaching. Much of the writing and interaction which students will be involved with will make use technology be it through email, instant messenger, or even through file exchanges and site design. With this in mind, just as with writing, it is important to provide ways for students to critically evaluate and experiment with different modes of communication and in different mediums. I do my best to prepare students to analyze the manner in which others use technology, especially when they are the intended audience, in order to understand why choices are being made. For all of this to be accomplished, a highly interactive classroom environment is necessary in which students feel comfortable to try new things and, at times, “fail brilliantly” (Lehman).

In an ever changing technological environment it is impossible to teach students how to use all the tools they will come into contact with. However, the classroom can encourage students to be active in the use and development of digital texts, and to be critically aware of that use and development. This involves, at times, adapting to environments that are not as wired as others.