Poet Ponders the Digital

My students have been using Wikibooks, a LEGO CAD application, and various DTP tools. I think their skills will translate much better to the workplace than merely learning about writing. Unfortunately, there is never enough time to really teach the skills that matter... and what matters today won't apply to the next generation of software. I am wondering if I should demonstrate other types of software writers might use. Should I make sure these tools are included in my next writing class? If so, how would I organize the course content? These are questions I might consider over the summer.

Visalia Direct: Virtual Valley May 2008 Issue April 11, 2008 Health Experts versus the Internet “I read on the Internet that the real cause of….” When the research physician started her presentation with that familiar refrain, the room echoed with muffled laughter. During the two years I have been conducting research on special education methods, I have come to appreciate the difficulties that must confront many doctors, nurses, and physical therapists, and psychiatrists. It seems one of the greatest challenges facing health experts is the Internet. Before you assume I am suggesting the experts should be the guardians of all knowledge, understand that I like having information before I meet with doctors, too. I hope I use the information to ask good questions, not to diagnose myself when I’m not well. Alan Gross, author of The Rhetoric of Science, told me that doctors increasingly give in to patient demands because patients can and will find doctors willing to prescribe t...