[Teaching_Composition] New Module

Sat, 11 Nov 2006 08:37:57 -0500

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C7056C.B08AC600
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

The first place most students go now to find information on just about =
any
topic-whether it's part of their academic learning, or to satisfy their
curiosity, or to win a bet, or to organize their social lives-is the
Internet. Mea culpa. In the past five hours, according to my browser's
history, I've used Web searches fourteen times. I used searches to find =
the
location of a music club where I need to drop my son and a friend so =
they
can see the Black Keys, and then again to get directions to that club, =
and
then again to find out more about the Black Keys. I used a search to =
check
on the accuracy of a story about Wal Mart's run-in with the German
government over its (Wal Mart's) excessively controlling employee code =
of
conduct that bans all "flirtation" and provides anonymous hotlines so
employees can rat on their colleagues (Germany's constitution protects
people's rights to flirt). I used a search to look up the reference of =
an
essay I was quoting, and then to scan the table of contents of a book =
I'm
thinking of ordering for a course. I used a search to check the weather =
in
New York, where I'm heading shortly, and look for an updated menu of a
restaurant I like there. I used a search to see if I could find any
interesting statistics on rates of information literacy for this
introduction (I should have known better, given the complexity of the
concept and its varying definitions). In short, all of us are =
increasingly
turning to the Web to find stuff out, which has expanded the domain of
information literacy exponentially from what many of us experienced,
pre-Internet, in the quiet alcoves of local libraries.=20

=20

But the Internet is a risky place for students to rely on for more than =
club
locations, restaurant menus, and weather forecasts. The kinds of
sophisticated commentary, analysis, research, and other information we
expect students to access as part of their academic work is often better
found in the digital libraries of the 21sth century than in random =
searches
on Google or quick dives into Wikipedia. At the same time, more
authoritative, reliable information is flowing daily into easily =
accessed
domains on the Web for general public consumption. Finding information =
on
computers is like shopping at a huge bazaar, where real gems of accurate
knowledge are buried in mounds of useless junk.=20

=20

How do we help students to learn become information-literate in the =
context
of composition instruction? How much of this foundational knowledge is =
up to
us to provide? How do we help students to be skeptical and critical =
about
the information they do access electronically-and its source(s)? What =
skills
and knowledge do they need so they can search reliable academic sources?

=20

But there's more. When we place these questions in the context of =
shifting
expectations and domains of knowledge-different contexts and activity
systems-we have the subject of this month's module, "Rhetoricizing
Information Literacy," led by Rolf Norgard. Please visit the =
TeachingComp
Web site to read Rolf's module, which begins with a helpful overview of
information literacy, leads up to some excellent questions for our
discussion, and includes resources for further reading and pedagogical
application: http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/english/tc/

=20

Rolf Norgaard (Ph.D. Stanford University) is a faculty member in the =
Program
for Writing and Rhetoric at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where =
he
recently served as associate director of the program.  He has published
widely on the rhetorical dimensions of writing instruction in =
institutional
and curricular contexts, information literacy, and writing as a vehicle =
for
civic engagement and ethical inquiry.  A regular presenter at national
conferences, he is the author of Managing the Partnership between Higher
Education and Industry (with Jana Matthews), Ideas in Action: A Guide to
Critical Thinking and Writing (Longman), and Composing Knowledge (a =
reader
from Bedford/St.Martin's that will publish in December 2006).  In April =
2006
he received the Boulder Faculty Assembly Award for Excellence in =
Teaching,
the highest campus-wide teaching award.

=20

 Thanks to Suzanne Blum Malley for leading last month's module on =
linguistic
diversity-an important and complex issue for all of us involved in =
teaching
composition.

=20

Chris Anson

Moderator

=20

=20

=20

------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C7056C.B08AC600
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<html>

<head>
<META HTTP-EQUIV=3D"Content-Type" CONTENT=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Dus-ascii">

<meta name=3DGenerator content=3D"Microsoft Word 10 (filtered)">

<style>
<!--
 /* Style Definitions */
 p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
	{margin:0in;
	margin-bottom:.0001pt;
	font-size:12.0pt;
	font-family:"Times New Roman";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
	{color:blue;
	text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
	{color:purple;
	text-decoration:underline;}
p
	{margin-right:0in;
	margin-left:0in;
	font-size:12.0pt;
	font-family:"Times New Roman";}
span.EmailStyle17
	{font-family:Arial;
	color:windowtext;}
@page Section1
	{size:8.5in 11.0in;
	margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;}
div.Section1
	{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>

</head>

<body lang=3DEN-US link=3Dblue vlink=3Dpurple>

<div class=3DSection1>

The first place most students go now to find information on just =
about
any topic&#8212;whether it's part of their academic learning, or to =
satisfy
their curiosity, or to win a bet, or to organize their social =
lives&#8212;is
the Internet. Mea culpa. In the past five hours, according to my =
browser's
history, I've used Web searches fourteen times. I used searches to find =
the
location of a music club where I need to drop my son and a friend so =
they can
see the Black Keys, and then again to get directions to that club, and =
then
again to find out more about the Black Keys. I used a search to check on =
the
accuracy of a story about Wal Mart's run-in with the German government =
over its
(Wal Mart's) excessively controlling employee code of conduct that bans =
all
&quot;flirtation&quot; and provides anonymous hotlines so employees can =
rat on
their colleagues (Germany's constitution protects people's rights to =
flirt). I
used a search to look up the reference of an essay I was quoting, and =
then to
scan the table of contents of a book I'm thinking of ordering for a =
course. I
used a search to check the weather in New York, where I'm heading =
shortly, and
look for an updated menu of a restaurant I like there. I used a search =
to see
if I could find any interesting statistics on rates of information =
literacy for
this introduction (I should have known better, given the complexity of =
the
concept and its varying definitions). In short, all of us are =
increasingly
turning to the Web to find stuff out, which has expanded the domain of
information literacy exponentially from what many of us experienced,
pre-Internet, in the quiet alcoves of local libraries. =

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

But the Internet is a risky place for students to rely on for =
more than
club locations, restaurant menus, and weather forecasts. The kinds of
sophisticated commentary, analysis, research, and other information we =
expect
students to access as part of their academic work is often better found =
in the
digital libraries of the 21sth century than in random searches on Google =
or
quick dives into Wikipedia. At the same time, more authoritative, =
reliable
information is flowing daily into easily accessed domains on the Web for
general public consumption. Finding information on computers is like =
shopping
at a huge bazaar, where real gems of accurate knowledge are buried in =
mounds of
useless junk.

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

How do we help students to learn become information-literate in =
the
context of composition instruction? How much of this foundational =
knowledge is
up to us to provide? How do we help students to be skeptical and =
critical about
the information they do access electronically&#8212;and its source(s)? =
What
skills and knowledge do they need so they can search reliable academic =
sources?

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

But there's more. When we place these questions in the context =
of
shifting expectations and domains of knowledge&#8212;different contexts =
and
activity systems&#8212;we have the subject of this month's module, =
&quot;Rhetoricizing
Information Literacy,&quot; led by Rolf Norgard. Please visit the =
TeachingComp
Web site to read Rolf's module, which begins with a helpful overview of
information literacy, leads up to some excellent questions for our =
discussion,
and includes resources for further reading and pedagogical application: =
<a
href=3D"http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/english/tc/">http://www.mhhe.com/s=
ocscience/english/tc/</a>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

Rolf =
Norgaard
(Ph.D. Stanford University) is a faculty member in the Program for =
Writing and
Rhetoric at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he recently =
served as
associate director of the program.&nbsp; He has published widely on the =
rhetorical
dimensions of writing instruction in institutional and curricular =
contexts,
information literacy, and writing as a vehicle for civic engagement and =
ethical
inquiry.&nbsp; A regular presenter at national conferences, he is the =
author of Managing the Partnership between Higher =
Education and
Industry (with Jana Matthews), Ideas
in Action: A Guide to Critical Thinking and Writing =
(Longman), and Composing
Knowledge (a reader from Bedford/St.Martin&#8217;s that will =
publish
in December 2006).&nbsp; In April 2006 he received the Boulder Faculty =
Assembly
Award for Excellence in Teaching, the highest campus-wide teaching =
award.

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>&nbsp;Thanks to Suzanne Blum Malley for leading last month's =
module on
linguistic diversity&#8212;an important and complex issue for all of us =
involved
in teaching composition.</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>Chris Anson</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>Moderator</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

</div>

</body>

</html>

------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C7056C.B08AC600--