I am Matthew Williams and You are Not

Disclaimer: I rarely if ever post things to this blog in "rough" form, but I've been stewing over this for a few weeks now and finally want to eject it out into the world. If anyone out there in academia would like to collaborate to further aspects of this, I am completely game. These thoughts are admittedly rough, but I feel have potential somewhere.

Even though the phenomena is nothing new, recently there has been a spate of commentary concerning...well...commentary on the internet. The problem is that it isn't working. Any look at the comments section of nearly any online publication will reveal that actual discussion is not taking place. Instead, it is mostly a pit of name calling, racism, shouting, and worse. This puts a damper on many of the hopes we had for the internet. It was supposed to be democratic. It was supposed to provide space for more voices to be heard. It was supposed to increase our awareness of issues. It was supposed to, in short, make the world better. And, in some small isolated ways, these things have occurred. But on a large scale, these hopes have largely proven to be a mirage of an oasis. Increasingly, we have begun to reach the oasis promised to us only to find more sand in a desolate environment.

Where educators, journalists, web advocates, technologists, bloggers, and nearly everyone else have erred is a misunderstanding of the role of the body in discourse. In short, the body matters. To remove the body from the equation removes the possibility of communication. The body is its own powerful and absolutely necessary rhetoric. Without the body, it is not discussion or communication that occurs, but rather pure routinized performance of big "D" Discourse.

We can explain this phenomena in even simpler terms. Any look over the un-moderated comments of a newspaper online will reveal little to no listening. In place of that, we have pure replication of "talking-points" that are often appropriated wholesale from other sources from media outlets to community values to racist, sexist, and classist convictions. Additionally, these comments are not employed in order to interact. Instead, these comments are employed and exist simply to be seen, hence their monologic character. The danger of this is extreme. Instead of discussion and hence public opinion rapidly modifying itself to adapt to current situations, we have static opinions and beliefs that prevent adaptation to new situations. Instead of entering into conversation and discussion so that we may change our own ideas as well as those of others, we simply seek to shut out all competing ideas. We become trapped by the past in a radically different present.

Continue reading "Disembodied Discourse and the Failure of Internet Discussion" »

Posted by Matthew Williams at 5:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This has been the debate in my head lately: Do I include a link to this blog in my email signatures or do I not? On one hand, I hope that if nothing else, the ideas that I work through on this blog give the readers I have something to think about. They may not agree with me, or they may think I just don't know what I'm talking about. But this is much better than not having ideas at all, or theorizing stuff but never telling anyone. And if this is what I believe, the increase in readership can only be positive.

Yet, there is that phrase I just used: "ideas that I work through on this blog." Even though the words and tone may mask it, there is a high degree of uncertainty in everything I say on here. This truly is a place for me to roll out ideas that pass through my mind, regardless of how rudimentary, over-generalized, and academically naive they may be. I am the first to admit that blog entries on here are the start of the intellectual investigative process, definitely not the end. I have so much to learn still. Sometimes, I am fearful of my colleagues finding this blog for the sheer reason that what I say here is so debatable (even within myself) that I don't want to be seen as that person "who believes X" (or Y, whatever).

It occurred to me today while talking to Geoff Sirc that in this internal debate in my mind, there is something to be realized or understood about blogging. What I was beginning to understand is that there is a very large rift between how academia views public displays of thought and how the blogosphere understands it. This rift, in a sense, might mark the loose thread that will someday start to unravel some very closely held ideas and assumptions. Additionally, it points to many signs that how we view "drafts" in composition classes is entirely off the mark for the new generation of students filling our classes.

Continue reading "Blogging is not Publishing; Publishing is not Blogging" »

Posted by Matthew Williams at 8:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I first want to apologize for the atrocious title to this article. Both to you the reader and to Gil Scott-Heron. Really, I should know better. But...I couldn't resist. But really, there is a reason for this title. Today, as I was sitting in a pre-semester professional development workshop on campus on teaching first year students, David Langley mentioned a few "assumptions" about the new generation of students coming into college. Nearly all of these rang true to me. So, as soon as I could, I got a copy of this report (authored by Diana Oblinger) and these ideas have been on my mind ever since. (as an aside, if you work at the U and don't know David, you should. In fact, you should know everyone at CTL, as they have proven to be some of the most valuable contacts I have found at the U of MN.)

These come from the Texas Association of Community College's "Educating the NetGen: Strategies that Work." In it, Diana Oblinger provides Jason Frand's description of ten attributes that people of an information have as a mind-set. Basically, I'll quote a few ideas and then give my thoughts on them. And, as I think you'll agree, thinking about these assumptions may help to drastically change what assumptions you have of students entering your classes as well as might help you to understand what practices can really help them.

* Computers aren't technology. Students have never known life with out computers and the Internet. To them the computer is not a technology - it is an assumed part of life.

A lot of times when I sit in on workshops, a lot of instructors (even some who are within a couple years or so of this generation) speak of "adding technology" to their class as if it is a dash of pepper or a pinch of salt. A little technology here, a little technology there. Little islands of controlled technology. To a student of the millennial generation, this is a very odd concept indeed. They are used to technology being seamless, integrated, and holistic. I asked a couple of my colleagues who work out in the "real world" in corporate jobs if their boss would only let them use the internet while at work every other week for a couple hours. They gave me very justified dumb looks. If this is how you treat technology in your classes, as an "object" that you just "add" to your class, your students will not recognize this landscape and will probably see less of a connection to what you are doing in class to their own personal lives.

Continue reading "The Revolution Will Not be Televised (It will be podcasted!)" »

Posted by Matthew Williams at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As discussed in earlier entries, the instructor centered framework of education takes two flavors (usually a combination of the two): the lecture and the recitation. Technology, when employed in either of these concepts, will exhibit the following characteristics:

* A need on the instructors behalf to be prescriptive in regards to how the technology will be utilized
* The presence of grading rubrics
* Samples / models are distributed to students to demonstrate appropriate / satisfactory work
* Presence of grades as motivation for activities (evidence of external motivation as primary motivation)
* Assignment based
* Considered to be part of the pre-existing concept of "class participation" within the grading structure.
* Language is often seen as imprecise (a sign of students using their own experience as a basis for discourse and not "academic" language). This is followed by a need to "fix" this on the part of the instructor.
* Instructional tools are modified and restricted to fit into learning objectives

Continue reading "Characteristics of Technology Enhanced Learning Within the Instructor Centered Paradigm" »

Posted by Matthew Williams at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So I have committed the cardinal sin of blogging: I have not updated as often as I would like. As anyone who does this blogging thing knows, once you stop having regular updates...people stop coming. Kind of like website design..if it doesn't work once, most people are not going to give you a second chance. It's tough out there.

But I promise I have a good excuse. School is starting (very) soon, and I have been knee deep preparing for that. But in the midst of all that, thinking about my inability to update every 2-3 days (my goal that I'm sure I won't be able to keep) has led to some ides about blogs and their role in the classroom. I know that many others in the 'blogosphere' are very interested in this, and some very interesting ideas have been floated around. Even on the U of MN host that this blog is brought to you from, there are numerous classes and other instructors who talk about assignments on blogs and so forth. But, once again, a lot of times technology is being used in the wrong place under the wrong circumstances. For instance, yeah it is great to have students post assignments on a blog. But by doing this, you really aren't "blogging." It is no different than a student posting something on WebCT, or...in all honesty, just handing it to you. The only difference is everyone has to go through the hassle of doing all of this online. Really…and I mean this sincerely…why bother?

Continue reading "Blogs in the classroom" »

Posted by Matthew Williams at 10:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Did you know that in 1901 President Abraham Lincoln was exhumed at the request of his son to prevent would be criminals from digging up the body and holding it for ransom? Further, did you know that on this occasion 20 something people looked into Lincoln's coffin and saw his body, 36 years after John Wilkes Booth shot the 16th president in the back of the head while Lincoln was watching a play? (interestingly, his body was so well embalmed that people claimed he was still "recognizable")

If you're anything like me and learning is not just something you do for a living, but something you live for, Wikipedia is like purified caffeine that you directly inject into your bloodstream. Personally, I can't get enough. One subject will link to another and all of the sudden you've gone from reading about cheese making processes to salt domes and energy policy over the years. There have been more than one occasion where much "important" work was set aside as I pulled one of my all night Wiki binges. (what can I say, some people do drugs and booze...I just look up obscure facts)

As with most things I encounter in life, one of my first reactions is always, "neat! now how do I use this in the classroom?" But instructors beware: Wikis are a wily beast that will truly turn a mirror to your own known or unknown beliefs about education. Wikis can be a powerful learning tool in the classroom, but only if you're prepared to spend the time to really understand what is going on.

Continue reading "Theory into Practice: Wikis as collaborative learning tools" »

Posted by Matthew Williams at 12:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There is a reason that I chose to do one of my undergraduate degrees in Humanities, an interdisciplinary liberal arts degree (my other is in Philosophy, if you couldn't tell). That reason is because of one professor: James (Jim) HiDuke. Don't worry about me using his name; he's dead. But before he died, I, like so many other students, were so appalled at his teaching ability and overall attitude in the classroom that I told him how I felt. He promptly told me that he didn't care.

This was one of those professors who truly seemed to love telling students they just weren't good enough to pass his class. He would swear at students, tell them they were idiots when they would be unable to answer a question correctly, even go so far as to tell the class I was in that in all of his years teaching he had never seen such a "stupid" bunch of students. He was truly a classroom tyrant in every sense of the word. But, despite his sheer lack of respect for anyone in his classroom, he had tenure. He was, to nearly everyone, untouchable.

Continue reading "Ratemyprofessor.com and the Role of Students in Evaluating Education" »

Posted by Matthew Williams at 9:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Psst. You. Yeah, you…the person reading this. Want to know a secret? Of course you do. I have a Facebook account. Yep, in the summer of 2004, a mere 4 months or so after Facebook was started at Harvard, I had myself an account. Want to know another one? In 2003 I came across a tiny site run by man named Tom. I signed up for that one, too. I have been a member on Myspace ever since, for better or worse.

While admitting you were a member of such sites in public was once as taboo as admitting to placing a personal ad in a newspaper, it is near impossible now to walk into a coffee shop near any campus and not hear the words "facebook" or "myspace." The meteoric rise of such websites have earned them a near permanent place in contemporary culture. The have also helped to expose an astonishingly rapid increase of the size of the "digital divide" between instructors in Universities and the students that are in their classes.

Continue reading "Myspace and Facebook: What higher-ed can learn from social computing." »

Posted by Matthew Williams at 10:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (3)

Ahh, fall time in Minnesota. Fall is truly one of those times where I really get dreamy. The cool breezes in the morning that lift orange and yellow leaves off the ground for short distances while others wait to fall beneath stunningly crisp blue skies. The afternoons where you can lay in soft green grass under partly cloudy skies feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin. The evenings and the inevitable smell of burning leaves mixed with roasted coffee, pumpkin pies, and an occasional whiff of impending rain. And the nights where the sounds of gentle rain fall on soggy leaves creep through cracked windows and somewhere in the distance is an error message that reads something like "WebCT is currently experiencing technical difficulty, please try again" that is followed by an anguished scream.

If you, or someone you love, has used or will be using WebCT, the above scenario is one that you are probably familiar with (in particular, the last part). If the statistics at the U of MN are correct, somewhere around 2,000 classes use WebCT in some form or another. That's a lot of classes. And, I should mention this to you now, for the last two years my own classes have been a part of that number. For my part, I have exposed at least 100+ students to that thing we all call WebCT. Yep. I had students take quizzes over WebCT, submit papers, engage in discussion. And, not to brag, but I'd say my ventures in WebCT-land were moderately successful. There are things I wished had gone better, but for the most part, WebCT did what it was designed to do. And that is why I am never using it again.

Continue reading "The case against WebCT" »

Posted by Matthew Williams at 11:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(in the most random presentation possible!)

* Technology should never be used for the sake of using technology.

* There is a philosophy behind every piece of technology. Understand this and make sure it is identical to your preexisting teaching philosophy.

* You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink. Similarly, you can build message boards, but you cannot make students participate. In both cases, you have to make them thirsty for the satisfaction of engaging in the activity.

* Never expect that students are digitally literate. It is a skill that must be acquired like anything else.

* Don't expect that students will get this training somewhere else.

* Being able to surf the web and correspond via email does not mean a student is digitally literate (even though even these small tasks are difficult for some faculty)

Continue reading "Manifesto concerning technology in the classroom." »

Posted by Matthew Williams at 12:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While eating dinner with a good friend of mine, the discussion turned to RSS feeds and what not. And I got to thinking of how all this relates to the classroom...blogs, podcasts, etc etc etc.

I think right now, this whole blog thing has become the darling of the technoheads. The people that I have seen use these for classes have, more times than not, used them just for the sake of using technology. This is, obviously, a dead end road to some sort of sustainable research development in education.

Its too early (or late...does that make it earlate?) in the morning to really think about this. I had better thoughts earlier. Maybe more will follow on this later.

For now..questions in my mind:

* What relationship should there be between technology usage and teaching philosophy? How can this best be articulated?
* Are there seperate goals and objectives we should be considering when implementing technology in the classroom?
* If so, what are those goals and to what ends are they being met?
* How does all of this relate to the position Universities now occupy in contemporary culture?

More later, tomorrow I'm off to Denver!

Posted by Matthew Williams at 2:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)