The following is a quote from my blog of a larger article I'm working on.
Drafts, drafts, drafts! Thanks!
The Balance <http://www.k12converge.com/?p=3D469>
Before doing this =93educational technology=94 thing, I made a small living=
as a
writer. I wrote for ERiC, the Educational Research Information Clearing
House, way back in the 1980s. I wrote articles and research reports, at the
same time I wrote short stories and plays.
As I writer, I found myself balancing two things: writing skills and
communication/emotional intelligence. The most important thing I learned as
a writer was to do multiple drafts, and to never attach myself to a first
draft as being =93some brilliant hunk of gold that just fell from the
heavens.=94 Secondly, I learned to never blame the reader. If I wrote
something that was confusing, unclear or off-putting, it was my fault, not
the audience=92s. It was full responsibility time.
Given that it was difficult to live on $500 a month, I went to grad school
and found myself teaching college courses (in writing, composition, etc.)
afterward for about ten years. As a teacher, I found myself balancing two
things: teaching skills and communication/emotional intelligence. Teaching
students meant shaping a spiraling set of learning experiences (drafts, one
could call them) that could challenge students to realize their strengths
and abilities while also improving their skills. Again, however, if the
students were confused or lost doing an assignment or understanding my
comments on their papers, it was my fault entirely.
Back in the late eighties, as the first PCs began to roll into colleges and
universities, and students started using them for writing, I found the
computers to be a natural fit for the development of skills and the doing o=
f
multiple drafts. Yes, there were frustrations and reliability issues and
limits, but at that time the computers were definitely a way to improve and
take one=92s skills in a forward, positive direction. Using computers for
writing is still their prime academic use today.
What has changed in the last ten years, however, is that computers are now
in the other side of the equation as well=96 the communications/emotional
intelligence side of writing and education. A colleague of mine spent an
evening at a panel discussion with UK journalists, who were very open about
how they are really struggling to decide how reshape their roles in light o=
f
Web 2.0 technologies. What was once more of a solitary (and some could say
egotistical) profession as a writer (broadcasting one to many) is now
becoming more of an expert in broader group discussion of many to many. Wha=
t
was once very little feedback from readers (occasional letters of praise or
scorn) is now a fire hose of responses and desired interaction or input fro=
m
individuals with direct knowledge or experience.
In essence, technology changed and moved forward their skill sets, but now
technology is amplifying the ability of their audience to react, respond an=
d
ask questions in the communication/human intelligence realm.
As my own children do their homework at night, often until 8 or 8:30 p.m.,
they will email their teachers if they have questions or need help with
something. We don=92t expect a response that night, but typically there is =
a
response in a day or two. Alternatively, they Skype or email their friends
in the class (and receive an immediate response). In essence, all homework
can now be collaborative, in real time.
Over the years, as I have worked with faculty who don=92t like technology, =
I
have tried to understand their concerns from their perspective. In essence,
it appears the primary concern is =93it is changing the way I teach in ways=
I
don=92t like.=94 Or =93kids can=92t control themselves with technology, so =
I don=92t
allow it in the classroom.=94 Or =93it breaks all the time so I don=92t use=
it.=94
Or =93I didn=92t need that when I was in school.=94
As computers and the production/communication tools become as commonplace i=
n
the home at night as having dinner or talking about the day, it=92s hard to
imagine how this genie is going to return to its bottle. There are changes
needed in both one=92s teaching skills and communications/emotional
intelligence as technology increases interactivity and expected connections=
.
We can=92t be there 24=D77 for all of our students, but we have to come to
accept that we are entering a much more interconnected realm of thought and
expression. Again, it=92s a question of balance and respect, and
acknowledgment that we are responsible for how we write, teach and relate t=
o
others.
The audience has changed. Interesting changes are underway.
Thanks!
Jim Heynderickx
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