Learning To Teach

An explanation of the perils associated with modern technology and the necessary adjustments we must make Learning To Teach

We are seeking to improve the approach of writing classes for incoming college freshman so as to better prepare them for the ever changing technological world we live in

We will use a variety of resources from the acclaimed author Richard E. Miller to help guide our thinking and support the ideas presented. Richard E. Miller

We will now look into some of the problems that have gotten in the way of achieving this goal as technology has advanced OurGoal • Richard E. Miller describes what I believe to be a suitable goal for introductory writing classes and to a certain extent all the education process as a whole. He believes the goal of education is to “sculpt moral human beings”

The Perils • Lack of interest • Lack of need • Lack of privacy

In Richard E. Miller's speech “Growing Up Digital”, a compelling case is made for why students are becoming less interested in school. Students are taught that knowledge is the ability to fill in the correct bubble, that creating a good essay is not a matter of creativity but writing something that can be graded by a machine. It is no wonder that there is an increasing lack of interest among students growing up in this technological age when they are not taught to be creative but instead to produce answers others deem to be correct or write an essay with the topic and structure already predetermined. Lack of Interest

From the same speech, Miller also outlines how the growing lack of interest in current writing classes stems from simple distractions brought on by the internet. Lack of Interest • “How do you get people's attention at a time when we have created devices that say the second you are bored, we can liberate you from your boredom” • With the advancement in technology, there is a world of distractions in the form of web pages, social media sites and applications just sitting in your pocket. With that kind of convenience, boredom has become a thing of the past

“You need to cultivate the art of being bored, because when you are bored you might finally figure something out about yourself” -Richard E. Miller

Is there really any true value in writing courses now that our thoughts are limited to 150 characters and automatically spell-checked for us? Lack of Need • Why do we need writing classes?

In the 'Dark Night of the Soul', an essay published by Richard E. Miller, such questions arise about the need for writing in the modern age. He states, Lack of Need “The challenge , for all those whose lives are inextricably bound to the literate arts, is to make a compelling case for why writing might be said to matter in the twenty-first century”

Arguably the cause for the most concern is the lack of privacy that has come with the information overload that is the internet

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/30/nyregion/30suicide.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/30/nyregion/30suicide.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Lack of Privacy Tyler Clementi serves as a case study for how the lack of privacy brought on by technology can have dire consequences. Below is a link to a NY times article detailing the events.

A Rutgers University student, Tyler Clementi came home to his apartment one night and asked his roommate for some privacy until midnight. The roommate proceeded to turn on his webcam and live stream the video it produced onto the internet. When Tyler Clementi brought another man into the room and started making out, unaware that it was being broadcast for the entire world to see, it was a clear violation of his privacy and trust. Upon discovery of what had happened, Clementi jumped off of the George Washington bridge and ended his own life. Lack of Privacy

The Tyler Clementi case may seem like an extreme example of what can go wrong when ones privacy is violated but it is not an uncommon occurrence. Internet predators, cyber-stalking and identity theft are just a few of the countless examples of other issues that have arisen with the popularity of the internet Lack of Privacy

If we are to follow the goals of Richard E. Miller, our aim is to “sculpt moral human beings”. How are we supposed to accomplish this through introductory writing courses? Solution

While being able to eloquently portray your ideas is important, it is more important than ever to stress online safety and personal value. These are two traits which need to be emphasized in the upcoming years to incoming college freshmen. It should be the goal of writing professors to establish and broaden the range of media available to the younger generation when voicing their opinions. It is in this way that we can learn to use the tools available to us in a way that expresses our opinions without endangering ourselves and those around us. It is also in this way that we can sculpt moral human beings. Solution

Bartholomae, David, and Tony Petrosky. "The Dark Night of the Soul." Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999. 420-43. Print. "Department of English." Miller, Richard E. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. Foderaro, Lisa W. "Private Moment Made Public, Then a Fatal Jump." The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 Sept. 2010. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. Miller, Richard E. "Growing Up Digital: Embodied Experience in the Virtual Age." YouTube. YouTube, 18 Apr. 2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. Sources

Learning To Teach