After observing my classmates over the course of this semester, I see that this course can go one of two ways: the student can complete the work but not learn much, or the student can think critically about the course material and the projects assigned and learn a great deal. I believe I chose the latter route. Here is why:
The first text of the semester, Dennis Baron’s “From Pencils to Pixels,” caught my interest right away. I not only enjoyed his dry humor, but I was inspired to research literacy technologies further. In fact, I am interested in creating an Honors Project for English Departmental Honors on the way literacy interacts with technology. I think Baron’s article played a role in the direction my Honors Project is going. I chose to read the text critically rather than just to get it over with because it was assigned reading. I scribbled notes all over the version I printed out, freewrote in my journal about the article, and allowed myself time to mentally digest the sumptuous feast of Baron’s insightful content. Already, I had made an effort to learn everything possible from the class material and experiences.
Now as a general rule, I am a very dedicated student. The fact that I wrote in my journal about assigned reading without being assigned to testifies to my scholarly dedication. However, it was not just my dedication that carried me through this semester. During the second half of the semester, my enthusiasm was fueled by a great group of team members. We worked well together; we bounced ideas off of each other, provided constructive criticism, and gave each other verbal praise. Yet, more than having good team members, I think my position as team leader inspired me to get as much as possible out of the course. I learn best when teaching others, so even though I wasn’t the “teacher” of our group, my position as leader allowed me to explain things to the members of my group without seeming controlling.
One of the things I consciously tried to avoid while working with our group was being a control freak. As a Type A personality (and anyone who has ever met me will agree that I am, indeed, a Type A), I have a tendency to try to take everything into my own hands. Delegating tasks can be difficult for me. I think I did a decent job of sharing the workload with my group members, but since I’m still Renee the Type A (yes, I know that rhymes), I’m sure I could have stepped back and let the other members of my group shine more.
Finally, as I reflect back on the semester I realize that no matter how engaging or prepared a teacher is, what a student learns is up to the student. I believe ENG 314 is an important class that can open new avenues of thought to students, but that belief is tempered by the sobering knowledge that so many of my contemporaries will let opportunities to expand their understanding pass them by. For me, I gained a better understand of how writing and technology affects our world, practiced the art of task delegation, learned to design a website, and so much more. I hope that every future ENG 314 student will learn as much, and enjoy this educational journey as much as I did.
Renee Boettner
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