Weekly Response: November 10, 2015

Danielle Donelson

This week's readings complicated the notions of what constitutes a hybrid classroom, especially in exploring the MOOC (Massively Open Online Class). I confess that I had previously understood hybrids to be exactly 50/50 in terms of providing a curriculum focused on online classroom and a traditional face to face classroom setting. In that way, these readings challenged me to reconsider how the degrees of online activity versus face to face activity, may exist in varying degrees, depending on the nature of the classroom, the curriculum, the instructor's individual pedagogy, etc.

I found Graff's (2009) point that teachers must connect and move away from "hermetically sealed classroom" that are private and isolated to be a key point, one that I intend to (and must) consider as someone who will need support, especially in incorporating technology and multimedia into my composition classroom. Additionally, I think that this point corresponds nicely to some of the difficulties educators now face--such as how there is a push to use technology within composition classroom; however, though that urge is there, many instructors still lack training and educational institutions fail to provide adequate instruction in how to incorporate technology into writing classrooms. What's more, as Blair points out, even when there is a push to incorporate multimodality and digital media in the classroom, too often the focus becomes on migration rather than on transformation. Indeed the shift from alphabetic text to multimodality (including but not limited to digital media) is not one can be merely transported to the online realm. At least, it ought not to be. If it is, I concur with Blair, that we do a disservice to all that digital media and technology may offer twenty first composition classroom (as well as further extend the gap between practice and theory).  For this reason, I see that failing to incorporate digital media and technology into the writing classroom is not the only way that composition curriculums may become antiquated and left behind. Rather, I see the limitations of our own dichomotous mindsets to be the barriers or imprisoning walls that we placed around ourselves. I say this humbly and without judgment, for I am one of the people often trapped within the confines of my own binary thinking.

Lastly, as a novice OWI, I appreciate the practical tips provided by Blair, Warnock and the MOOC. piece. The rubrics, points to consider, ways to incorporate various multi-modes (including blogs and audio essays, ones of which I may be more familiar) as well the realistic, first step implementations, I think are all important first steps for techno-phobic individuals, like myself, to consider and work towards implementing in my composition courses.