Rhetoric and Technology – ENC 6421

I am fairly new at being a English major. To be exact, I officially declared my major to English in fall semester of 2006. Previously, I was a medical science major. Most of my work consisted of mathematical equations, formulas, and a lot of memorization. As a medical science student, I was required to take Composition I and II. The pedagogical methodologies used were essays and research papers. The emphasis was on thesis statements, introductions, conclusions, supporting ideas, and documenting sources. These courses also focus on grammar, punctuation, word choice, syntax, etc. In other words, this was a typical composition course. My professors did not incorporate the use of the computer nor did they use multimedia tools for teaching. However, I did use computers outside the class to type my essays and assignments. That was the extent of my involvement with computers and writing.

As a technical writer, most of my writing classes used the same methodologies, with the exception of Professor Conner’s Technical Writing course. At the time, Professor Conner just graduated with his PhD in rhetoric and composition from the Penn State. He was eccentric and very odd. He was the professor that introduced me to the Wiki.

To use Jackson Pollock’s words, Professor Conner was an “Author, Advocate, and Technician” he was a die hard fan of the Wiki as a medium to teach the course. His Wiki space was (to use modern day vernacular) pimped out. In addition to Syllabus, calendar, and assignments, his Wiki had links to every possible writing resource a student would need. It was obvious from the start that he invested a lot of time into his wiki and expected us to do the same.

Using the Wiki for the first time was very difficult. To aid us in learning the program, two whole class sessions were allocated for students to learn how to use the medium. He was patient and encouraging while we slowly became familiar with the program. Pervious knowledge of HTML was useful in certain applications but for the most part the Wiki had a language of it own. To be honest, I struggled all semester trying to use the Wiki. If was not for my more Wiki-efficient comrades I don’t know if I would have ever made it through the course.

Professor Conner was very progressive in his thoughts about writing. He wasn’t really concerned about ownership of the work. He was totally cool with other students revising and change other students work. In fact, it was mandatory for students to revise other peoples work. He was excellent in how he used the medium to teach audience, tone, voice, etc. All he really wanted us to do was write. I think he was successful in accomplishing his teaching goals. The Wiki made it very easy for students to collaborate and work together.

Over all, it was a frustrating and challenging course. Aside from the difficulty I had learning how to use the Wiki, it turned out to be a positive writing experience. I recognize the advantages of using the Wiki to make writing more social.

It seems like my writing experience touches on several of the key issues in our reading for this week such as HTML, difficulty with computer and technology, and ownership. The issues in our readings did not seem like a major issue in my writing experience. I am sure these issues will have more value and place in my life as I continue my writing adventures.