This document discusses the need to revisit college composition courses and incorporate more instruction on technology skills. It argues that students are fluent with technology in their social lives but lack confidence in academic settings. The document proposes teaching skills like word processing, screenshots, and file conversion to help students effectively communicate. It also suggests instructors should make better use of technology in teaching and look to sources like social media as supplementary "texts". Overall, the document advocates integrating technology skills into composition courses to prepare students for all disciplines.

1. SEND WITHOUT SUBJECT: REVISITING
COLLEGE COMPOSITION
Aubrey Mishou, Anne Arundel Community College
almishou@aacc.edu
AFACCT ’12 Conference, Montgomery College Rockville
Session 5.15 January 6, 2012
Narrated Presentation

2. Narration should start automatically when viewing slideshow 

3. ENGLISH AFTER THE FALL: FROM
LITERATURE TO TEXTUALITY
 “The fall of English is actually part of the fall of all
humanities in a world that is driven by technological
progress and the bottom line. In such a world the
humanities must demonstrate their usefulness. […]
We need to see the main function of English
departments as helping students become better
users of the language – basically, better readers and
writers” (Scholes xiv-v). …
 “[T]he business of English departments is to help
student improve as readers and writers, to become
better producers and consumers of verbal texts” (34).
Narration buttons will usually be over here 

5. THE ECAR NATIONAL STUDY OF
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AND INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY (DAHLSTROM)

6. PROBLEM: PROBLEM: STUDENTS DO NOT KNOW
HOW TO USE SOFTWARE EFFECTIVELY
“A surprising number of
students say they are not
fully confident
that they have the
technology skills to meet
their needs” (Dahlstrom 20).

7. STUDENT SAMPLES

8. PROBLEM: STUDENTS COMMUNICATE TEXTUALLY ON A
CONSTANT BASIS, YET LACK CONFIDENCE WHEN FACED
WITH ACADEMIC WRITING.

9. PROBLEM: INSTRUCTORS DON‟T ALWAYS USE
TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM, AND DO NOT
DEMONSTRATE, OR LECTURE ON, THE EFFECTIVE USE OF
ACADEMIC SOFTWARE.
 “Even though those  “Many instructors need help
technologies are getting technology to work
commonplace on most successfully. Almost one-
campuses, some students third of students (31 percent)
say that their instructors don‟t agree that their instructors
use them effectively or that require help in getting
they themselves don‟t have technology up and running.
the skills they need to use More than one in four
them effectively” (Rice). students (26 percent) agree
that their professors don‟t
know how to use technology
 “„Students are saying they that is available. About half of
want to see classes taught students (51 percent) agree
more like how they live their that they know more about
lives,‟ Mr. Roberts said. „I technology than their
don‟t think they just want professors do” (Dahlstrom
technology for technology‟s 25).
sake‟” (Rice).

10. JACQUES DERRIDA
 "I wouldn‟t think that one single department should
be in charge [of teaching writing], because if you
concentrate the teaching of composition in a single
department – for instance, the literature department
– then you‟ll have the hegemony of some kind of
norm in writing. The people in mathematics and
history and law don‟t have to write the same way.
… you have to adjust the transformations of the
way you write according to each discipline, the
discourse of the discipline.”
 Solution: teach software such as word processing
in composition courses as an integral element of
successful communication.

11. LESSON 2
Computer Skills
For English Classes, and Beyond

12. COMPUTER SKILLS
 Microsoft Word  Internet
 Creating a new document  Accessing and navigating
 Standardized fonts a database
 Headers and Footers  Uploading information to a
 Page numbering forum
 Spacing  Attaching documents to
emails
 Other computer skills  Successful virtual
 Accessing .pdf documents communication
 Converting files  Documentation of use –
 Manually screen shots
 Using a file-conversion
resource

14. “SCREEN SHOT OR IT DIDN‟T HAPPEN”
 How to take a screenshot: PC
 Make sure the screen you want to capture is active. Hold
down the ALT key and hit PRINT SCRN. Open an imaging
program (such as Paint), and select “paste”. You can then
save the image to you computer.
 Tip: You can also paste images into Word.
 How to take a screenshot: Mac
 Typing Command-Shift-3 will take a screenshot and save it
as a file on your desktop
 How to take a screenshot: iPhone
 Hold the “Home” key and press the “sleep” key
 The screen will flash to white momentarily, and an image of
your phone screen will be saved to your photos
 How to take a screenshot: Android – requires a custom
mod
 Further information on screenshots can be found under
“useful links” on the course page

15. CONVERTING FILES: MANUALLY
 Open the file name by clicking once on
the file
 The name of the file should then appear
in a text box, highlighted
 Move the cursor to the end of the file
name
 Type in the desired file extension, such
as “.jpg” for a standard jpeg (or image)
file, or .doc for a Word file
 Some computers may ask if you want to
“add” the extension to the name –
click yes
 The file will convert once the extension
has been recognized.

16. CONVERTING FILES: GOOGLEDOCS
 The following screenshots demonstrate how to use
the application GoogleDocs
(www.docs.google.com) to properly format, and
save, essays for English 112
 Also available for file conversion: www.zamzar.com
 Zamzar will require you to give your email address so
that a link to your converted filed can be sent directly to
you
 After you retrieve your link you should be sure to
download your paper; Zamzar will not save your work
indefinitely, so it is important that you save your
converted file to your computer or flash drive.

17. Google provides a free word processing application online. It requires a
Google account, but that, too, is free.

18. The user interface of Google Docs functions much like familiar word
processing applications, and will allow students to edit documents to meet
all MLA requirements, including spacing, page numbering, font, and other
formatting concerns.

19. SOLUTION: LEARN TO USE TECHNOLOGY IN
THE CLASSROOM
 Use virtual learning
environments to provide
notes so students can
focus on the discussion
rather than notation (less
hiding behind laptops)
 Provide electronic
assignments and syllabi
(cut down on paper
waste, and prevent the
excuse of “I lost the
assignment”)
 Demonstrate the use of
technology through
projectors and smart
carts

20. SOLUTION: LOOK TO SOCIAL MEDIA AS
SUPPLEMENTARY TEXTS
 “We live in a world
dominated by mixed
media rather than by
different spheres
partitioned off from one
another” (Scholes 13).
 “…[W]e have much to
gain by moving from the
limiting notion of literature
to the more inclusive
concept of
textuality...”(Scholes 31).
(Munroe)

22. ASSIGNMENTS
 Proofreading Everyday: Due April 13 (20 points)
 Grammatical mistakes are everywhere, from product tags (like the one found on
my hair dryer, pictured below), to signs, advertisements, and virtual
communication. For your first notebook assignment you will be looking at everyday
texts and identifying errors.
 Find ten examples of incorrect grammar in everyday life. Look for mistakes in
signs, advertisements, social networking sites, and even personal messages like
emails and texts.
 Provide an image of the mistake; you can do this by taking a picture with your
phone or camera, or even taking a screenshot.
 Note: If you choose to use an email or social networking site be sure to remove
personal information (such as names and personal photos) – the point is to
identify errors, not to bully or embarrass individuals.
 Posts from blogs, websites, or other sources are not acceptable; the mistake
you identify must come from your own experiences. If any image is found to be
from a secondary source the student will receive a zero on the whole
assignment.
 Identify the mistake being made. Is it a spelling error, a comma splice, incorrect
apostrophe use, or even a homonym?
 Example:
 Spelling Error: Umplug used in place of Unplug
 Purpose: Practice proofreading skills and recognize the everyday use of proper (or

23. SUMMARY
 Composition courses need to include instruction in the use
of technology.
 Instructors need to use technology both to emphasize the
skills being taught, and to show the practical application of
those skills.
 Most importantly, instructors should maintain virtual learning
environments for the benefit of all.
 Instructors should consider looking to contemporary
sources when teaching and emphasizing grammatical
skills.

24. WORKS CITED
 Dahlstrom, Eden, et al. “The ECAR National Study of Undergraduate
Students and Information Technology.” Boulder: EDUCAUSE Center for
Applied Research, 2001. PDF file.
 Dunn, Jeff. “Can you find the the mistake?” Meme. Edudemic.com. Edudemic.
14 Oct. 2011. Web. 15 Dec. 2011.
 Fowler, H. Ramsey, Jane E. Aaron, and Cynthia K. Marshall. “The Apostrophe.”
The Little, Brown Handbook. Instructor‟s Edition. New York: Longman,
2010. Print. 451-8.
 ---. “Exercise 37.1 Revising: Appropriate Words.” 454-5.
 Lundy, Brook, et al. “The Best Obnoxious Responses to Misspellings on
Facebook.” HappyPlace.com. Someecards, Inc, 27 Dec. 2011. Web.
2 Jan. 2012.
 Lunsford, Andrea A. and John J. Ruszkiewicz. Everything’s an Argument. New
York: Bedford/St. Martin‟s, 2009. Print.
 Munroe, Randall. “Listen to Yourself.” Cartoon. xkcd.com. xkcd, n.d. Web.
30 Dec. 2012.
 “Obsessed with Facebook.” Infographic. Online Schools. OnlineSchools.org.
2010. Web. 1 Oct. 2011.
 Olson, Gary A., ed. “Jacques Derrida on Rhetoric and Composition: A
Conversation.” Rhetoric: Concepts, Definitions, Boundaries. Eds. William A.
Convino and David A. Jolliffe. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1995. Print. 545-64.
 Rice, Alexandra. “Students Push Their Facebook Use Further Into Course
Work.” Wired Campus. The Chronicle of Higher Education. 27 Oct.
2011. Web. 7 Nov. 2011.
 Scholes, Robert. English After the Fall: From Literature to Textuality. Iowa City:
University of Iowa Press, 2011. Uncorrected Proof.