Like some professors I encountered, some in the writing center believe that there is no space for technology in the writing center. Buck and Shumway stated "writing centers have for years endured an uneasy relationship with technology." .... violates the very foundation of the writing center philosophy."
I actually feel in some ways technology will stop the fix it shop issue. With programs like "Grammarly", you wouldn't have to look over much as far as grammar or word usage, which is more of things that are done towards the end of the paper. More focus can be committed to the composition of the paper and collaboration of the though process.
There was something also mentioned where they felt the writing process would be loss due to computers. I digress. I think the writing process is a delicate one which the writer can get more thoughts down before losing them in the thought process than with handwriting. There is a certain degree of thinking that goes on when you are handwriting and I feel a fluid typist obtains the same degree of the thought process. Yes, people who have to look at the type writer or have issues typing may have typing issues and should write things out first.
I am not a fan of online tutoring. I think the process is broken up too much to get the most out of a session. Online tutoring because of the delay, is really best when a paper is toward the final drafting process. The fix it shops that the writing center is trying to go against.
I agree that there are issues with online tutoring, and that it's hard to indirectly tutor through that technological barrier, but I still think there are some benefits to it. We've talked about how it's okay to be direct in certain circumstances, and if the student in particular learns better through a more direct fashion, then maybe online tutoring is a good option for them.
ReplyDeleteI think my problem with online tutoring is just what it says about our society. In this fast-paced world, it's unfortunate that someone who wants an education cannot be 100% invested in it. Instead, we are forced to have jobs and be at work, or stick to prior commitments, instead of being able to immerse ourselves all the way in an educational environment. Thus, online tutoring benefits those who cannot physically be there; at the same time, it's a shame that they cannot, but that's really a question for another day.
ReplyDeleteI do have mixed feelings about technology and the writing process. I personally like writing ideas down on paper because it's more personal for me. But, as you said, everyone is different, and some find the computer a lot easier for putting down ideas faster.