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Cain Dziadek

FINAL Draft “Meeting the Needs of the Instant Gratification Generation”

We are living in a technology focused world; communication between countries organizations and school is a finger tip away. The students of today have grown up with instant gratification for the majority of their lives; there is a need for the writing classroom to embrace technology and capture students’ attention. The present college freshman uses, email, facebook, instant messaging and texting services, (to name only a few) on a daily bases. So the need is evident that the composition classroom needs to jump in head first into the age of using technology in the classroom.

As instructors we are bound by internal forces to reach each new generation that comes through our classroom door, we modify methods to hopefully reach each new student. TheCollege student is living in a world that is smaller and literally filled with responses. There can be great benefits to this and they can be channeled into the classroom. Gary Rudman who has a consulting firm that studies teen and young adults reports, “Technology is such an inherent part of their lives; They have come to expect it every step of the way. When they come to college, they are expecting this technology to be incorporated into their learning (qtd. in Classrooms). The students that walk into our classrooms have grown up in an interactive digital world and they learn differently.

Don Tabscott author of the article “Higher Education Is Stuck in the Middle Ages” comments, “They want to inquire not rely, on the professor for the detailed roadmap. […] They want an animated education, not a broadcast, one that might have been perfectly fine for the Industrial Age, or even for the boomers” (Tapscott). This instant gratification generation is making new demands of universities, so I saw the significant need for myComposition classes to not only use technology in the classroom, but communicate with my students using the forms of communication they are familiar with in their lives. Tadgett continues “Young Americans under 30 are the first to have grown up digital. Growing up at the time when cell phones, the Internet, texting and Facebook are as normal as a refrigerator” (Tadgett). This change in our students means one needs to change their mind in how we approach instruction. There are critiques like Mark Bauerlein an English professor who contend that the generation presently sitting in our class room is the “dumbest generation.” I consider his thoughts to be completely irrelevant and ignorant; the students that are sitting and have sat in my classroom are determined, intelligent and curious about all the technologies within their realm.

The ability to engage and communicate effectively with my students depends on the educational institution and the instructor (Tapscott). So Self reflection was required andI asked myself, “Am I meeting the needs of my students?” I saw the necessity to revisit my pedagogy, rethink my methods of delivery, revise my thought process and thus renew the vitality in my writing class room. In my constant search for reaching each student,I have found the use of virtual conferencing, twitter and wiki to be an excellent combination for creating an engaging, interesting and a fun composition class.

These three technological tools create what Roland Barthes calls “the writerly text.” Now I understand the new trend is to consider Foucault’s “What is an author?” with regards to digital writing, but Barthes concept of the writerly text is divine. He says, there are two kinds of writing…writing that you only read and writing that you can write…writing which invites you to write (4). Barthes argues that most texts are readerly texts with no interaction available. Readerly texts are usually associated with classic literature, but we can apply the concept to writing courses more importantly traditional composition classrooms. Traditional composition classrooms where instructors lecture on the writing process and grammar, and the students sit, and merely receive information. The students write and are evaluated; they are the readerly. We could refer to this as a traditional, linear or status quo classroom. Usually students will turn in papers and there is little to no interaction with their instructor. When students turn in papers, we want them to be in an active role, they need to be producers not just consumers. (4).

Susan Sontag editor of A Barthes Reader points of the difference in writerly texts: “Barthes divides writers into those who write something and the real writers, who do not write something but, rather write. This intransitive sense of the verb ‘to write’ Barthes endorses as not only the source of the writers felicity but the model of freedom” (Barthes XXI). The writers (our students) are now in a position of control with his/her text and takes an active role in the construction of the meaning of their text. So essentially we want our students to be creators of “live texts.” We are inviting them to write, to write for humanity and helping them find that feeling of self, which only comes with interacting with different texts over and over. The use of virtual conferencing, twitter and wiki helps them to become active creators and responsible care for what they create.

Barthes continues in his text S/Z, “In this ideal text, the networks are many and interact, without any one of them being able to surpass the rest; this text is a galaxy of signifiers, not the structure of signified; it has no beginning; it is reversible; we gain access to it by several entrances, none of which can be authoritatively declared to be the main one” (5). Students in times past saw writing as punishment and wrote only when they were instructed to; they often kept their true feelings and ideas at a distance. The instant gratification generation do not see writing as alien or intimidating. They are writing and updating all day long. A new literacy is happening and it goes hand in hand with today’s students learning process.

In the article “We are all writers Now” by Anne Trubeck she acknowledges, “that the rise of amateur writers means more people are writing and reading. We are commenting on blog posts, forwarding links and composing status updates. We are seeking out communities based on written words.” Students are creating Barthes’ ideal texts; texts in which they interacting with multiple times a day. Personally, I am writing and reading and responding to student writing more than ever. Andrea Lunsford, a professor of writing and rhetoric at StanfordUniversity says, “I think we’re in the midst of a literary revolution the likes of which we haven’t seen since Greek civilization” (qtd. In New Literacy). In Lunsford’s professional opinion technology is not inhibiting students writing ability, but rather it is reviving it and thrusting students into new directions (Thompson). The ongoing research Lunsford is doing proves students are writing more than the generation before them, and most of this social interaction involves text –Lunsford testifies regarding her students that, thirty-eight percent of this writing was being done outside of the classroom (qtd. in New Literacy). When I considered this information I knew what had to be done in my classroom to engage my students even more.

Banning cells phone in the class is not the solution, but rather realizing technology is so connected to this generation’s life it can’t be separated, so I embrace that fact of life. Beth Simon a computer science professor at the University of California says about students and technology, “They’re going to use it no matter what”(Classrooms). She asks, “How do you use this ubiquitous technology that’s out there to change the dynamic of the classroom, to engage the students?” (Classrooms). This question resonated with me and I began to think of ways in which I could further engage students, so I started virtual conferencing with students 4 years ago.

Virtual conferencing allows the instructor to meet the educational needs of the student, foregoing the traditional face to face or group meetings. When I first started this form of conferencing I met with some resistance, because students were entering the unknown with their instructor. The issue I faced with conferencing face to face was it was so time consuming, and this led me to group conferences. In a group setting there are usually students who do most of the talking, and then you have students who sit quietly. I wanted to reach each and every student and alleviate their fears of talking with their instructor, so I persisted in the use of virtual conferencing. Students talk all the time with their friends using IM services, but leading them to use this feature to their academic realm was something completely foreign. I explained to my students the reasoning behind this change, the conferences would not be tied down to a specific location and this would be advantageous for them. Virtual conferencing would not require them to physically be present, and it would allow me to conference one on one with at least three students at the same time. Is this method of communication better? James Shimabukro author of the article, “What are online conferences?” says it is like comparing apple to oranges. But in my opinion the advantages are vast.

There are so many opportunities created for an instructor when using virtual conferencing. When one has group conferences there are always students who sit and are inactive; however, virtual conferencing forces a change in this learned behavior. Dr. Bill Klemm professor at Texas A&M University College Station says, “Teachers should try to correct the problems of passivity, not reinforce them by tolerating lurking. […] Converting a lurker into an active online learner is uncomfortable for lurkers. [..] Change is uncomfortable, but worth it if it improves learning and the ability to learn.” I found this statement to be so true, so despite some resistance from my students I took Dr. Klemm’s advice, He says, “Require participation, don’t let it be optional. […] Critics will say this approach does nothing to ensure quality of input. But it at least gets the student engaged, and hopefully, once they get caught up in the activity, they will strive to improve” (Klemm). So I revisited, rethought and revised my approach and implemented this idea into my all my classes, and made it mandatory to conference with me online. The results have been positive from the beginning of virtual conferencing which I began four years ago. My students first portfolio reflective this semester overwhelmingly supported virtual conferencing; the comments made over and overwere that virtual conferencing was convenient and personal with out the stress of meeting face to face.In a voluntary survey done in the Fall of 2009 with 71 of my students, 73.2% liked virtual conferencing and 81% liked being able to reach me via internet (Dziadek “Tech Survey”). Students receive their instant gratification by having one on one time with the instructor and they have a record of the conversation which they can review later. I have collected 4 years of online conversations and have seen the rhetoric of their tone move from frigid to relaxed yet respectful. It is a wonderful feeling to have a students contact me years after leaving my class; they not only inquire about my present courses but ask me questions about their present writing. A connection was made and it is hard to break. We have definitely entered a new era in the writing field and I love the renewed communication lines that have been and continue to be created with virtual conferencing. The use of twitter in the classroom has renewed the zest for writing within my academic triad.

At Texas A&M University Corpus Christi I work in the First Year Writing Program, and we place students in learning triads. I am presently working in a Political Science Triad paired with a large Lecturer and seminar leader. One of the things we strive for within the learning communities is constant communication between the instructors and helping first year students succeed. So when all this hoopla started about twitter I thought it was important to rethink the forms of communication our triad was using and rethink how this new internet technology could be used to help my department.

I started to follow several Professors on twitter from various institutionsand found that twitter was a gold mine of information. By simply tracking a word, I was able to findmany writing instructors. There are many professors posting links to articles, their latest research and class success, all through twitter. One professor that I follow is Dr. David Perry Professor of Emerging Media at UT Dallas. He makes wonderful suggestions in implementing twitter into the classroom through his article “Twitter for Academia.” He explains that twitter creates class chatter, a classroom community, students start to get a sense of the world, and they get their instant gratification by always being live and online. This article gave me just the right push to revise my plans for the upcoming 2009-2010 academic year.

The use of twitter in the writing classroom is an extraordinary experience todate. Twitter is pimp; a way for me to connect with my students tweet by tweet. Student retention is a big issue on many campuses, and twitter has enabled me to step into a proactive role in my students’ success. There are critics of twitter, like productivity guru Tim Ferriss who calls twitter “pointless emails on steroids” (qtd in Sixth Sense), and Clive Thompson agrees with this thought, if you are only looking at the post individually (Sixth Sense). But that is the point; the power of twitter comes from receiving numerous updates. Thompson continues in his article “How Twitter creates a social sixth sense,” “It’s almost like ESP, which can only be incredibly useful when applied to your work life. You know who’s overloaded –and who’s on a roll.” The use of twitter in the my composition classroom has enabled me to get to know my students better, so I can make encouraging comments, funny comments, share experiences, clarify assignments within the triad and chit-chat about writing.

In the Fall of 2009 I took the plunge and required my students to open a twitter account. There were some grunts, groans and eye rolling, but they did it and with a little push they were off and tweeting. Dr. Perry was correct; my students were carrying on conversations outside of the class and supporting one another in their writing process via twitter. My students were required to follow political figures, professionals within their field of interest and a couple for fun. I created a hashtag within twitter for our class, so questions asked could be contained in one place. All the students with the hashtag could see the question and the response. The hashtag created for our triad put the student in a position of responsibility by posting requests for peer-review if their partner failed to fulfill their role. Twitter is also responsible for getting several classes within the triad communicating since we share the same writing assignments. The creation of the hashtag also allowed the other instructors within the triad to keep up with what was being done in my composition classes. My seminar partner jumped in full force with her support in using twitter within her classes also, encouraging the students to jump in full force.

When I am not online, I have students contact me through twitter to set up impromptu virtual conferences. The first time this was requested of me, it immediately became a clear moment when the student was taking the reigns of their learning opportunities. The twitter experience has enabled my students to create texts and communicate dialectically within their writing communities. On numerous occasions within the past two semesters I walk into class, they ask me if I read their tweet and what I thought about it. I get into trouble if I can’t answer yes; Most of them will pull up their twitter page and ask me to read it. I love the connection I am experiencing with my students. I find now that my students are tweeting to record short inspirations and insights from their day; they are retweeting each other’s posts to their followers. Twitter has allowed me to extend my office hours into the virtual realm. This idea may not appeal to many, but it works well for me since I am split between two campuses. I have set hours in which I will be online via twitter and IM. Virtual conferencing and twitter are an addition to my composition classroom; The wiki web has proved to be a successful tool to engage students in their writing.

The wiki web is a web application that allows its users to add content on an internet forum. The wiki creates a writing community that allows students to edit the content of their work at any time. All wiki’s run about the same, thought some of the commands are different. But basically there are relatively few commands to memorize and student get to see the fruits of their labor instantly, and this satisfies this instant gratification generation.

The objective of using the wiki in the composition class is to get students pre-writing, writing, re-writing and publishing, actually interacting with their writing community and demonstrating and understanding of the writing process. The first day of class my students are given a handout with a web address and instructions to their syllabus online and class plans for that day. I model everything for them, so everyone is actively involved from day one. “A wiki is totally live” (Bergin) so this on the fly feature is gratifying to my students, since this feature is similar to their Facebook, myspace and texting services. Wiki is vital to our writing classroom. Usually students feel fear and anxiety when handing in a paper to their instructor. With the use of wiki students have come to terms with this fear and anxiety that comes along with writing texts.