captstone 467 final project

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Nicholas Strom English 467 Dr. Rupiper Taggart 5/13/14 Uncreative Writing: The Pedagogical Benefits of Digital Writing Instruction in Opposition of Modernism– The Digital Age of Writing Abstract Education in the United States is in a state of reform. The introduction of the Common Corse State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) has introduced pedagogical guidelines for what every students should know and be able to do in math and English language arts in a K-12 school setting. Contemporary writing instruction remains predicated on utilizing “memory… [as] the primary source of imaginative experience” (Goldsmith 8). I believe writing and composition instruction should in turn be reformed as a means of reflecting the advancing digital mediums present in contemporary society so that further examination of the literary merits of techniques considered outside the scope of literature, such as copying, plagiarism, archiving and transcribing, and digital manipulation of language may be conducted. My research explores the educational benefits of the implementation of uncreative writing practices, as defined by Kenneth Goldsmith, in a K-12 setting that adheres to the CCSSI. I have created a series of three rationalized lesson plans that emphasize the importance of teaching enduring understandings which reflect the importance of context over content, and the ways that digital manipulation of unoriginal language can foster innovation. Unit Rationale It starts with the quill pen. Larry Cuban, in his blog post “From Quill Pens to Computer Adaptive Testing: Old and New Technological Devices” provides the historical perspective of the way in which writing technologies have shifted the way we

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Page 1: Captstone 467 Final Project

Nicholas StromEnglish 467Dr. Rupiper Taggart5/13/14

Uncreative Writing: The Pedagogical Benefits of Digital Writing Instruction in Opposition of Modernism– The Digital Age of Writing

Abstract

Education in the United States is in a state of reform. The introduction of the Common Corse State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) has introduced pedagogical guidelines for what every students should know and be able to do in math and English language arts in a K-12 school setting. Contemporary writing instruction remains predicated on utilizing “memory… [as] the primary source of imaginative experience” (Goldsmith 8). I believe writing and composition instruction should in turn be reformed as a means of reflecting the advancing digital mediums present in contemporary society so that further examination of the literary merits of techniques considered outside the scope of literature, such as copying, plagiarism, archiving and transcribing, and digital manipulation of language may be conducted. My research explores the educational benefits of the implementation of uncreative writing practices, as defined by Kenneth Goldsmith, in a K-12 setting that adheres to the CCSSI. I have created a series of three rationalized lesson plans that emphasize the importance of teaching enduring understandings which reflect the importance of context over content, and the ways that digital manipulation of unoriginal language can foster innovation.

Unit Rationale

It starts with the quill pen. Larry Cuban, in his blog post “From Quill Pens to Computer Adaptive Testing: Old and New Technological Devices” provides the historical perspective of the way in which writing technologies have shifted the way we perceive language presented to us. Cuban elaborates on this by suggesting that “The quill pen was first mentioned in the writings of Saint Isodore of Seville in the seventh century… The quill seems to have been by far the best writing instrument invented in its time for it displaces all other forms” (Cuban). The essential qualities of the quill as “the best writing instrument invented” are reflected in the preparation of the tool. In order for writers to effectively utilize the device, Cuban informs that “… [T]he writer had to stop frequently in order to reshape and sharpen the quill. Since writing was a slow art, pride was taken in it” therefore “Writing with the quill had been a slow, unhurried art…” because the writer had to take time to sharpen and reshape their instrument (Cuban). Cuban is implying that the necessity of the writer to cease the act of writing allows the author time to reflect on what has been written, as well as consider what will be written next.

However, this practice changed in 1809 with the advent of a machine used for cutting quills; this machine incited the development of various writing tools, the most prevalent being

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the steel pen. The steel pen permitted writers to write continuously: “There was ever increasing pressure on the pupil to produce written material in quantity” (Cuban). This implies that the quality of written work was less imperative than the quantity of. Beyond Cuban’s perspective, one can look at more contemporary writing devices from a similar frame. The ability to mass produce ball-point pens mirrors the concepts associated with the steel-pen. The graphite pencil, though initially harkening back to the reflective qualities of reshaping and sharpening associated with the quill, are now labeled as “mechanical” and provide a method by which writers might remove what has been written in the form of an eraser. The keyboard combines the elements of continuousy and erasure. It permits writers to make mundane mistakes, such as the unintentional inclusion of asdf, on the paper for all to see, while the mouse removes the need to compose original works all together through the act of copying and pasting. It’s this focus on the seemingly mundane that prompts the most interest culminating to the ponderous thought: How might techniques traditionally thought to be outside the scope of literature, such as cutting and pasting, databasing, and archiving be just that: Literature?

Figure A.

Kenneth Goldsmith, in his text Uncreative Writing: Managing Language in the Digital

Age, postulates that“…the suppression of self-expression is impossible. Even when we do something as seemingly uncreative as retyping a few pages, we express ourselves in a variety of ways. The act of choosing and reframing tells us as much about ourselves…” (9) With this in mind, one might return to the mundane asdf. Used in the context presented in Figure A., what might the inclusion of such text tell us about a writer? Well, it most certainly informs us that the writer is familiar with keyboarding practice (asdf of course being one of the sections of the home row on a keyboard). Perhaps it informs us that the writer requires visual aids to keep place when pondering what might be included next in the list? One might even go so far as to suggest that

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the included asdf informs us that the writer does not revise his/her work, as instructor feedback had been received. Goldsmith’s concepts of Uncreative Writing go much further by placing emphasis on the way in which words possess material, physical properties as well as semantic properties, ultimately indicating that the use of digital mediums has made language malleable in and applicable to all contexts.

The relevance of these perspectives on digital literacy lies in the thoughts proposed by Lawrence Lessig. Lessig is of the opinion that the act of re-appropriating preexisting texts promotes “interest-based learning” (Lessig 80). The term interest-based learning can be easily deciphered: In allowing students to create original texts using unoriginal parts, educators would be permitting students to learn content by using tools preferential to their interest. This would instantly prompt an increase in student motivation: When kids get to do work that they feel passionate about, kids…learn more and learn more effectively” (80). Media literacy is emerging as the dominant form of literacy in contemporary youth, and technology is gradually shifting written language to prefer quantity over quality. With this in mind, below are a series of rationalized lesson plans reflective of the concepts of Uncreative Writing in a K-12 setting, adhering to Common Core State Standards.

Uncreative Writing Lesson Plans

Lesson #1:

Class Title Grade LevelEnglish: Coding and Image Distortion 11-12

Content Standard CoveredCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.4Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.6Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information

Learning Objectives Students will juxtapose the works of an author with the coding of a .jpg Students will create informatory rationale for their juxtaposition that focuses on

relating the selected unoriginal text to the new distorted image (i.e. How does the new image reflect the inserted text?)

Students will utilize the Internet as a source for parsing through digital languages Students will

Learning Activities (label each activity with an estimated amount of time)Opening activity or Hook – grabbing student attention and establish relevance)

10 Minutes:

The instructor will provide lecture students the way in which language is capable of altering all media. The instructor should inform students that

Activities and Methods (identify what the students and teacher will do)

30 Minutes

15 Minutes: The instructor will go through the process of showing students how to create a digital language-image juxtaposition. The instructor should begin by showing students how to save an image as a .txt file. Following this the instructor will provide a brief commentary on the way in which the digital era has prompted the creation of a new digital language. The instructor will then parse through the unaltered .txt file in an attempt to find some form of intelligible language (The instructor should prepare their thoughts and findings prior to class). The instructor will then explain the significance of the image, as well as why the instructor chose the text for juxtaposition (This example utilizes a digital copy of one of Rockwell Kent’s Moby Dick etchings; the text juxtaposed is found in CHAPTER 135. The Chase.—Third Day of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. Though the instructor may use any image and text that they desire). Following this the instructor will proceed to format the image coding, and copy and paste the desired text into the text three times at somewhat equal intervals until it resembles something similar to Figure 1.

Original Image.

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Figure 1.

Following this, the instructor will explain to students the process of resaving the image as a .jpg. Once the instructor has saved the image, the display should hold an image similar to that of Figure 2.

Figure 2.

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The instructor will then go through the process of interpreting the juxtaposition with the students. To do so, the instructor should conform the image to align with one half of the screen horizontally. The instructor will then present the original unoriginal text to the students in a format of the instructors choosing (Microsoft Word, original webpage text was received from, etc.) by conforming it to the opposite side of the image. In this way, the instructors display should resemble something similar to Figure 3.

Figure 3.

The instructor will then go through the process of explaining to students how the reframing of this text through the manipulation of the digital image promotes a new interpretation. The instructor must make note that the interpretation created is only based on visual and textual evidence. No In the case of the examples provided, the instructor may wish to make reference to the way in which inserting the unoriginal text into the coding three times is reflective of Ahab’s three declarations (“…to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.”) The instructor may then choose to reference the idea that the bottom of the image is red; a possible indication of the “hell” that Ahab refers to in his soliloquy.

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15 MinutesThe instructor will allow students the remainder of the time to create their own digital language-image juxtaposition. The instructor will reinforce to students that they should select images and texts that have some sort of significant meaning to the student (This is done to promote student based learning). The instructor should also take a moment to inform students that they will be presenting their findings the next class date.

Closing activity or Wrap-up (explain how the lesson objectives will be reinforced and brought to closure for the day)

10 Minutes:The instructor will allot the remaining time in class for students to complete their digital language-image juxtaposition. If students have completed the visual portion of their assessment they are to begin work on their informatory rationale. The informatory rationale must answer the following questions:

Provide an explanation as to why the image and text were selected Explain how the new, distorted image is reflective of the unoriginal text used Explain how the digital medium allows for the alteration of media, be it images, video,

music, or text.

Alternative Closing Activity:The instructor may also provide students with an exit slip that poses the following question:

How does the digital medium shift our perception of language use? How does it shift our perception of interpretation?Homework (may not be applicable)Complete digital language-image juxtapositionComplete informatory rationale for juxtapositionAssessments (label with the lesson objectives that they measure; each objective should be measured)

Digital language-image juxtaposition (Formal assessment)Informatory rationale (Formal assessment)Discussion (Informal assessment)Materials and Resources (needed by teacher and students)

Teacher:

Juxtaposed image model (can be prepared during class, or before class) Computer access for students Notepad (the computer kind)

Students:

Computer access (provided by instructor)

Coding and Image Distortion Lesson Rationale:

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To a degree, this juxtaposition of digital imagery and text is reminiscent of what Geoffrey Sirc refers to as “box logic.” To describe this concept, Sirc provides the following equation “text as box = author as collector” (Wysocki et al. 117). The purpose of creating is to shift students from being writers towards being designers. Sirc expands on this idea by ruminating on the way that box logic creates a renewing existence of language and image by imposing them together in the same physical or digital space (121). This coincides with Goldsmith’s assertions that language is malleable and innovation of identity can be achieved through the repurposing of a text.

Lesson #2

Class Title Grade LevelEnglish: Retyping five pages 11-12

Content Standard Covered

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.5Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grades 11-12.)CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.10Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Learning Objectives

Students will retype five pages of a selected text as a means of reflecting on the act of typing itself, as opposed to the words selected.

Students will reflect on how digital mediums have shifted our perception of language Students will interpret their experience retyping a text

Learning Activities (label each activity with an estimated amount of time)Opening activity or Hook – grabbing student attention and establish relevance)

10 Minutes:The instructor will begin the course by providing the following writing prompt:

In 1969, conceptual artist Doublas Huebler wrote, “The world is full of objects more or less interesting; I do not wish to add any more.” How might this concept be applied to the creation of literature? How has the advent of the Internet promoted the availability of texts? Have digital mediums shifted our perception of writing?

Once students have written their responses to this prompt, the instructor will require to pair-

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share their thoughts and understandings. Once groups have shared and reflected on their responses, the instructor will require each group to share what they discussed.

Activities and Methods (identify what the students and teacher will do)

40 Minutes:15 MinutesFollowing the think-pair-share, the instructor will briefly lecture to students about the way that the digital medium has shifted our perception of language structure and use. The instructor should have examples to support claims. In this way the instructor may wish to examine the way in which text-speak has influenced language. The instructor should make special note of the jargon “lol,” and “slash;” focusing heavily on the way that lol has shifted from a euphemism for “laughing out loud” into a pragmatic participle (a sign to represent empathy) and the way that slash in text-speak is representative of a new information marker (a way to change the topic). The instructor will frame this to inform students that technology has constantly promoted the fluctuation of language perception. This lecture will conclude in focusing on the malleability of language in a digital era.

25 Minutes(Prior to this class period, the instructor should inform students to bring with them a text that has impacted their life in some way; emotional impact, political impact, literacy impact, etc.)

The instructor will then pose the following assignment to students:

Retype five pages.

Students will engage in this activity for the remainder of class. The instructor will inform students that the transcribed works are due for the next class period. Students will also be asked to write a brief reflection on the following prompts:

Why did you select the text you did? How has retyping the text changed your perception of it? Was your intent to format the text exactly as it was written, or were liberties taken in

structuring the transcription? Why or why not?

The instructor should remain available to answer any questions students may have.

Closing activity or Wrap-up (explain how the lesson objectives will be reinforced and brought to closure for the day)

If students complete their transcription in the allotted time, the instructor will have students begin the writing reflection.

Homework (may not be applicable)

Retyped transcriptionReflective essay that addresses the experience students had with retyping

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Assessments (label with the lesson objectives that they measure; each objective should be measured)

Discussion (Informal assessment)Reflective essay (Formal assessment)

Materials and Resources (needed by teacher and students)Teacher

Display (instructor’s preference) Computer access for students A text to begin retyping (model for students)

Student Computer access (provided by instructor) A text which students might wish to retype

Retyping Five Pages Lesson Rationale:

The purpose of this lesson plan is to allow students to focus on the environmental factors surrounding the process of writing, rather than the This lesson also meets the standards of differentiation, as presented in Lara Robb’s text Differentiating Reading Instruction: How to Teach Reading to Meet the Needs of Each Student. Robb suggests that “Differentiation means that you observe and understand the differences and similarities among students and use this information to plan instruction;” this instruction planning process includes utilizing ongoing formative assessments, fostering the recognition of diverse learners, promoting group work and problem solving, and permitting students the opportunity to make choices in their learning (Robb 13-14). The retyping assessment meets these needs in a number of ways. Firstly, the reflective essay acts as a means of instigating ongoing assessment. It allows the instructor to view first-hand how students perceive the process of writing. Goldsmith, then suggests that the process of transcription “…differentiates one student from another… [through] the choice of what to retype” (Goldsmith 203). This allows students the opportunity to create metaphors for their process of writing, focusing on how the content of the writing is representative of the act of writing.

Lesson #3

Class Title Grade LevelEnglish: Transcribing Dialogue 11-12

Content Standard CoveredCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.10Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3

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Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.6Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

Learning Objectives Students will engage in the process of transcription Students will use transcribed language to create an original piece of poetry Students will be active members of a public sphere

Learning Activities (label each activity with an estimated amount of time)Opening activity or Hook – grabbing student attention and establish relevance)

10 MinutesThe instructor will begin the lesson by lecturing to students the concept of the public sphere as defined by Jürgen Habermas. The instructor will inform students of Habermas’s understanding of the “French café” as a public sphere, informing students that it was a public space in which members of a society could come together to discuss cultural and political concerns with one another in an attempt to prompt change. The instructor will then probe students with the question:

What digital mediums might act as a representation of Habermas’s concept of the public sphere?

The instructor will allow students to brainstorm this idea, throwing out any medium they see as connecting to the concept of the public sphere. The instructor will write these on some form of display (subject to instructor’s choice). Once the list is compiled the instructor will make particular note of the way in which social media and chat rooms are reflective of the public sphere. Once this is complete, the instructor will provide students with a desired chat space that is accessible to all (chat space subject to instructor choice: example – Chatzy).

Activities and Methods (identify what the students and teacher will do)

30 MinutesThe instructor will inform students that they will be transcribing dialogue from a video that the instructor will play for students (video subject to instructor choice). Guidelines will be set for students: Once the video starts, no conversation is allowed except to type that which they are hearing from the video. Subjective commentary and opinions are prohibited. Once the video has concluded, students will be asked to compile all of the dialogue into a word document. From here, students will be asked to parse through the text, and attempt to create a poem, with a clear theme. It should be reiterated that students are only able to create this poem from the

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text recorded in the chat space.Closing activity or Wrap-up (explain how the lesson objectives will be reinforced and brought to closure for the day)

10 MinutesStudents will be asked to share their poems with the class. The instructor and the students’ academic peers will probe the presenter, asking why the poet selected the information they did to represent the theme their poem caters to.

Homework (may not be applicable)N/A

Assessments (label with the lesson objectives that they measure; each objective should be measured)

Discussion (informal assessment)Transcription (formal assessment)Poetry creation (formal assessment)

Materials and Resources (needed by teacher and students)Teacher

Display (i.e. Microsoft Word on projector, whiteboard, etc.) Approximately 30 minute video with means to display (video should be school

appropriate) Computer access for students Access to an invite only chat space

Students Computer access (provided by instructor)

Transcribing Dialogue Lesson Rationale:

The creation of poetry using words that students select is directly related to a concept presented by Terry Hermsen in his text Poetry of Place: Helping Students Write Their Worlds. Hermsen indicates that once we provide students with the techniques of creating literature, we must allow students to apply their learned skills I a way that matters to them (Hermsen 69). What Hermsen is suggesting is that students desire to use techniques of creation as a means of fostering cultural identity. Goldsmith examines the concept of transcribing in a similar frame by suggesting that “…all media using language is multifaceted, at once transparent and opaque; by reframing, recontextualizing, and repurposing the found language around us, we’ll find that all the inspiration we need is right under our nose” (Goldsmith 209). In this way, students utilize the

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“found” language of the transcribed video, permitting them to compose an original piece of literature with the use of previously made materials.

Common Core:

The primary question must then be posed: Are the acts of uncreative writing applicable to And much like our perception of the written language has changed, so to have our understandings of what students need to learn in a K-12 setting. In the academic school year of 2014-2015, all but six of the United States will have achieved full implementation of the Common Core State Standards (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices). Developed by the NGA and CCSSO, the Common Core State Standards aim to “ensure all students are ready for success after high school” as colleges and businesses demand more than ever before (NGA and CCSSO). The development process of the standards was divided into two categories: College-and-career readiness standards and K-12 standards. In interpreting these standards, one can see that they are largely skill based, often suggesting that students should be able to accomplish some task by the end of a lesson. This means that the current standards more readily relate to student objectives when constructing lesson plans, further allowing educators to utilize backwards design when creating a curriculum.

To conclude, I would indicate that the principles of Uncreative Writing directly reflect the desires of the Common Core State Standards. The standards

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Works Cited

Cuban, Larry. "From Quill Pens to Computer Adaptive Testing: Old and New Technological Devices."Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice. N.p., 14 Dec 2012. Web. 5 Mar. 2014

Goldsmith, Kenneth. Uncreative Writing: Managing Language in the Digital Age. New York: Columbia University Press, 2011. Print.

Hermsen, Terry. Poetry of Place: Helping Students Write Their Words. Urbana: National Council of Teachers of English, 2009. Print.

Lessig, Lawrence. Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy. New York: Penguin Books, 2008. Print.

National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, and Council of Chief State School Officers. "Common Core State Standards English Language Arts." . National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers, n.d. Web. 11 Mar 2014.

Robb, Laura . Differentiating Reading Instruction: How to Teach Reading to Meet the Needs of Each Student. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2008. Print.

Wysocki, Anne, Johndan Johnson-Eilola, Cynthia Selfe, and Geoffrey Sirc. Writing New Media: Theory and Applications for Expanding the Teaching of Composition. Utah State University Press, 2004. Print.