Page 153 - Composition in Convergence The Impact of the New Media on Writing Assessment

120 CHAPTER 5

position, ludic writing becomes a supple, circular, and polyvalent
method of communication. In turn, the coolness of computer tech-
nology presses the writer to initiate and continue communication
with others in an effort to keep in contact; thus, e-mail messages,
fragmented chat discussions, blogs, and hypertextually linked sto-
ries end the concept of totality prevalent in hot technology. The frag-
mentation of online writing creates a greater desire for writers to
establish and maintain discussion, to be seduced by the instanta-
neous exchanges of information and talk on the screens in front of
them, instead of conforming to the standards and conventions of
something like academic writing.
As one of my College Composition II Honors students discovered
during her spring 1999 research paper project, the seduction of in-
stantaneous, continual communication can overwhelm a writer. This
student, whom I will call Jane, found herself captivated by Instant
Messenger, a "finger" program installed on the campus-wide com-
puter system. On completing her paper and a corresponding web site,
Jane described her dissatisfaction with both projects in her self-assess-
ment letter. She explained her temptation to spend hours on Instant
Messenger (IM) instead of on her writing assignments. Jane was se-
duced by IM's lure of continual communication with others, and she
forgot her responsibilities to her work. Jane knew her finished assign-
ments were not of good quality because of this distraction, and she
now warns other students how easy it is for their attention to be di-
verted by a constant flow of messages. As a graduating senior, Jane
now advises most of her peers to turn off this feature whenever they
are working on an important assignment.
Student writers are not alone in succumbing to cool technology's
enticement, though. Writing instructors also are tempted into teach-
ing with computers through a number of avenues, from profes-
sional journals whose articles praise the rise of students' skills to
university administrations that promise grants, release time, and
even publicity of the professor's efforts. It seems as though every-
thing connected to computers and composition appears interesting,
reinspires students' and teachers' passions toward writing, and im-
plies that the computer is the destiny of writing instruction. That is,
however, until it is time to evaluate the students' work. At that
point, as with most seductions, reality emerges: There are no or-
dered, established, or recognized ways to measure students' prog-
ress in cyberspace. What I found regarding the merging of hot and