If I were to create my own class that utilizes technology to teach, I would come up with an English class that teaches students how to write effectively. It is very important for students to learn how to effectively write. Almost every job requires some writing or effective form of communication, so it is important to be able to communicate with others with clarity and impact. The utilization of technology to help students develop reading and writing skills can help make learning easier, more fun and more convenient. I have come up with a class called Write Right, which will help students do just that.

One of the objectives of the class would be to learn how to effectively persuade people through writing. Everyone will need to persuade people to side with their opinion at some point in their lives or another, and people that can effectively persuade are going to be more successful. Students will look at different persuasive essays, advertisements, YouTube clips and other sources to analyze the different techniques used to persuade. It is important that students go beyond the typical argumentative essay format and look at other forms of persuasion that they may encounter or use more practically, such as commercials or political campaigns.

It is also important for students to learn various forms of expository writing. Students will run into situations where they will need to explain how things work or deliver information to people. They should be able to present unbiased information clearly and succinctly.

There should also be a component of creative writing. Writing combines the left and right sides of the brain. The way ideas are organized and presented is determined by the left region of the brain, while the creative presentation of the ideas and figurative language is controlled by the right side. Students should be encouraged to think creatively and come up with new ways of delivering ideas that are insightful.

Technology would be utilized in teaching students various writing techniques. The course would be taught online, through a course management system (CMS) like DrupalEd or Moodle. Many colleges are already using similar systems, where they can post assignments online, network with the scholarly community, peer edit and do various other things. The network setup would make it easy for the teacher and the students to login and assist each other, contributing to the social constructionist pedagogical approach, where students learn not only from the teacher, but from each other as well. Students will be required to log into their account twice a week to check for assignments and network with the community of scholars (other students).

Students will be required to use the book Readings for Writers, by Jo Ray McCuen-Metherell and Anthony C. Winkler. This text will help guide students through a structured process of learning the new concepts. It will also provide examples of texts that put these writing techniques into use. Students will benefit from honing in on their reading skills while also learning to make connections between the theoretical writing format and real examples of its effective use. They will benefit both as readers and writers.

Readings for Writers is a book that provides over 100 excerpts from reputable texts, that acts as real examples to all the writing techniques outlined in the book. It covers a broad range of topics and genres, and some of the most well known pieces of writing in literature. The general format of the book is as follows: First it explains the writing technique covered in the chapter and provides tips on how to write more effectively. It then goes on to show a few passages and excerpts using the writing technique. There are guides that tell you what to look out for and what you should be asking yourself as a reader. At the end of every section there is a self assessment to check your understanding of the concepts discussed.

Students will be required to read sections of the book to learn how to write properly, then they will be assigned a writing assignment testing their skills at applying the strategies learned. Students will have an open choice on topics to write about, as long as they can properly support and formulate their writing pieces. Students will be assessed on how well they can write, as well as on their responses to the readings from the book, to see how well they understand and apply the concepts taught. Students will also peer review and edit passages and papers and provide constructive criticism.

The goal of this class is to further enrich students' writing skills through the use of technology, so they can write more effectively and learn easier and more conveniently. Eventually, I would also attempt to get Facebook integration with the class, so students can combine social networking with academics and make learning fun.

Posted in Posted by Umang Patel at 2:45 AM