Essay+in+Progress

Below is an essay I began writing about a year ago. There is a big blank in the middle. If you have any suggestions for me, click on the discussion tab at the top of the page.

Redefining Text The term “sea change” may have finally replaced “paradigm shift” in our ever-eager, lexiconically-inclined desire to classify the transition that is occurring in the field of English education. I prefer sea change because it is drawn from Shakespeare’s //The Tempest// (at least according to Wikipedia). As a high school English teacher, I may have just offended some of my colleagues. I have a feeling there are quite a few in our field who are put off by referring to both Shakespeare and Wikipedia in the same sentence. But ignoring the importance and relevance of Wikipedia is akin to ignoring a revolution that is no longer knocking at the door, but is in your living room, sitting on your sofa, drinking your Diet Coke. There’s a word that describes the teacher who with a firm edict declares that no student be permitted to use Wikipedia as a source: hypocrite. Everyone uses Wikipedia. Really. Whether it is to quickly look up who uttered the famous quote about climbing Mt. Everest “Because it’s there” (not Sir Edmund Hillary, by the way) or to double-check the spelling of Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha County, teachers use Wikipedia, so why shouldn’t students? The all-too-easy counter argument is that any fool can edit Wikipedia and therefore Wikipedia is not credible. The simplicity of this argument, however, belies its sincerity. Just because the way we collect and disseminate information is changing, is no reason to dismiss the whole of the information out of hand. Evaluating the credibility of sources is one of the most important skills our students need for the 21st Century, and the hard truth is it’s not a black and white issue. In fact, evaluating sources is time consuming and difficult—for students and for teachers. Perhaps it is this difficulty that causes some teachers to outlaw Wikipedia. But the old days of combing through yellowed literary journals and the (mercifully brief) era of manipulating microfiche transparencies on a machine in the back corner of the library have come to an end. Information is now easy to find—and in the wonderful way of inverse equations—harder to winnow.

The Wikipedia dilemma is not singular; it serves as one example of a larger shift in English education. Just as we must re-examine our ideas about information gathering and disseminating, we must also begin to re-define our notions of text, and consequently, re-evaluate many of our more traditional reading and writing assignments. This semester I have been lucky enough to pilot a digital version of the Composition for College class required for seniors at the high school where I teach, and I have found myself changing the assignments I’ve relied on for years. My out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new fervor has spread to the other courses I teach and has led me to believe that my original definition of what a text encompasses is too narrow for today’s students. Yet many of the adjustments I’ve made seem minor. It would be rash to dismiss The Canterbury Tales as irrelevant today (beside the fact that I like The Wife of Bath’s Tale)

THE BIG BLANK PART WHERE I'M DRAWING A BLANK TOO!

Yes, I still teach MLA style, but I also teach my students to publish on the web and to link their sources within their writing. Where does this leave us as English teachers? With more to teach, I am sure. But more importantly, it leaves us with more to learn. That should be comforting, not daunting. After all, most of us became English teachers because we love to read, write or both. Now there’s more to read, more to write, more to learn. We’ll never be out of jobs, I suppose—at least those of us who can adapt.

FAQs on Adding Text It's simple, just click the edit button on the top of any wiki page. A text box will open where you can type or paste your text. Often, wikis require a few minutes of re-formatting to make the text look like you want it to.
 * How did you add text to the page?**

Yes, just take a look at the editing toolbar at the top of the text box after you have clicked the edit button on the page.
 * Could you add a link or an image as well?**

Everyone who uses wikis agrees, wikis are fickle. If your wiki is not cooperating, try using a different browser or a different computer, or come back tomorrow.
 * Why is my wiki not saving the editing changes I've made?**

Below is the same Essay in Progress, but embedded in a Crocodoc. A Crocodoc allows anyone with the link to make comments. Here's the link to the essay if you would like to make comments for me: http://crocodoc.com/HTQ0eOE

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FAQs about Crocodoc Crocodoc is a website that allows you to upload documents and then send the unique URL of your document to others to add comments and suggestions. It's a great tool for peer review. You actually don't even have to sign up for an account to use Crocodoc.
 * What is Crocodoc?**

You might consider including a marked-up draft as well as the final copy to show what you changed.
 * Should I include a draft in my e-portfolio?**

Below is the same Essay in Progress, but embedded in a Google Doc. A Google Doc also allows anyone with the link to make comments. Here's the link to the essay if you would like to make comments for me: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z5h1WNTKAwnpzpsmFSJw8-9C0meFx_RsQZFwaLb8mEg/edit?usp=sharing

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