Poet Ponders the Digital

When I consider what I hope to teach and research, I begin with the question how online collaborative tools shape the composition process. How does technology restrict or expand the choices available? Is composing enhanced or degraded for those with special needs or language limitations? Because I am a creative writer, I view "team" compositions of interactive fiction with the same curiosity I have for non-fiction projects. Composition, in my mind, includes a mix of what we often label as creative and academic genres. What matters to me is the writing process, regardless of how we might categorize the product at a specific moment. "Composition and rhetoric" are often perceived as limited to the study of academic genres. I cannot foresee myself being limited to genres I want to challenge and reshape. The "rhetoric of fiction" and "rhetoric of theatre/film" are topics I would hope to teach in the future, from a technological and co...

I spent the day preparing the course I am teaching. It's a hybrid, with online content constituting half the course. That is a positive thing, considering last semester. It's already known that I need at least one more eye surgery, maybe more, and one internal surgery. Both of these can be done out-patient and are relatively minor. (Minor if you like having your eye scrapped with sandpaper.) With these things in mind, and the miscellaneous emergencies last semester, I have completed most of the handouts and homework assignment sheets for the upcoming course. If/when I am medically indisposed, a situation which I seem predisposed, the homework schedule can be maintained. That's the joy of an online course. I am going to supplement the course with podcasts and screencasts, giving demonstrations of basic tasks so students can review the lecture concepts. This is going to be quite the adventure. The recorded materials can also become part of my portfolio. Yes,...

Visalia Direct: Virtual Valley February 2009 Issue January 2, 2009 Something Is Always Cooking on the Internet Not long after cooking by fire was discovered, I theorize early humans exchanged recipes. Some recipes became valuable heirlooms, passing through the generations. These connect us to our heritages, as well as wonderful memories. Sharing your family’s oldest, most valuable recipes is a sign of friendship, akin to welcoming a new member into the tribe. Any gathering of passionate cooks gives way to comparisons of recipes and kitchen secrets. Virtual gatherings are no different than the best dinner parties. There are thousands of places on the Web to obtain and share recipes. The publishers of famous magazines, cookbooks, or even television networks own many of these sites. Of the commercial Web sites, I suggest All Recipes (http://allrecipes.com/) as one of the best. The “Recipe Exchange” forums are among the most active you’ll find. Members share recipes, which are ...