In this interactive workshop, participants will create their own digital writing assignments for first-year composition students after being inspired by successful assignments used by the workshop facilitators.

Background:

Many state secondary public English/Language Arts standards depend on and teach the five-paragraph essay, meaning that the student population coming to us college teachers is highly dependent this five-paragraph paper as a primary means of expression in their English courses. However, in the 21st century, college students need to develop skills that transcend the teachings of current-traditional classroom spaces. To paraphrase Paul Simon, college students may benefit by learning "fifty ways to leave" this five-paragraph paper behind for good. After all, most of the writing that students will do after college will not be in this format: it will be Internet-based, and consist of blogs, wikis, and social networking. As Kathleen Welch wrote, "Rhetoric is now electric." Andrea Lunsford's statement that "every act of writing is an act of collaboration" will seem even more true, as the dimensions of literacy become increasingly social. During this half-day workshop, we will examine how college instructors may use digital writing assignments for purposes well-suited for 21st century learning. These purposes include promoting collaboration, expanding student notion of audience, critically responding to the work of one's peers, and developing analytical and creative abilities.

Procedure:

Participants are encouraged to bring their own ideas for digital writing assignments as well as their own laptop computers. All participants will create at least one digital writing assignment for their first-year composition students. It is hoped that by the end of the session that we will have built have a collection of drafts (for posting on a wiki site) of at least fifty digital writing assignments for first-year composition students. We can even continue revising these assignments beyond the scope of this workshop on the wiki.

Goal:

As creators of digital writing assignments, the workshop facilitators and participants challenge the spaces and knowledge of current-traditional composition instruction by questioning how we approach writing and what is truly best for first-year composition students. These new assignments serve as gateways for 21st century literacy instruction.

Schedule:
9:00-9:20--Introductions of facilitators and participants/collect more e-mails to add participants to wiki/review of workshop goals and schedule
9:20-9:40--Assignments That Have Worked: Gordy, Jacque, Dana, Brian share with large group one digital writing assignment that has worked in the first-year composition classroom.
9:40-9:50--Q & A on digital writing assignments

9:50-10:05--Assignments That Have Worked (cont.): Jeff, Chris, Laurie

10:05-10:15--More Q & A

10:15-10:30--Prewriting/brainstorming for digital writing assignment--use workshseet as guide: work individually or in groups as desired.  Facilitators help as needed.
10:30-10:45--Break

10:45-11:30--Drafting for digital writing assignment: again, work individually or in groups as desired. (Use word processor if possible so your work can be placed on wiki: save to flash drive and facilitator can upload your work to the wiki; add draft to wiki on your own if/when you can; or e-mail it to one of us.)  Facilitators provide help as needed and answer questions for participants.
11:30-11:55--Participants divide into seven groups of four-five, each with one facilitator.  Each participant shares with small group what he/she has developed.

11:55-12:20--Each participant briefly shares his or her idea with the whole workshop.
12:20-12:30--Conclusions: what we've learned, remaining questions, evaluation forms.

Facilitators and Their Assignments:

Additional Resources:

http://myctlwork.blogspot.com/

http://digitalwritingtc.pbworks.com/w/page/36405645/Welcome%21

https://sites.google.com/site/sabbaticalwork/home

http://digitalcccc2012.wikispaces.com/