English Classes

"We have heard the complaint or issued it ourselves one too many times: “They don’t read!”

But can Digital Media provide some simple pedagogical models to promote a more active engagement with that most ancient and passive form of learning: the reading assignment? In this article, I describe the use of Wikis (web pages that people can easily edit as a group) to get students to summarize, ask questions, and comment on a reading before they even meet for class. And while many new—and old—tools can be used to accomplish similar results, what is innovative about this approach is that whereas before reading and writing was something students were supposed to do individually in the isolation of their rooms or the library, now—thanks to Wikis—it is a project they tackle collaboratively as a class. The goals of this critical pedagogy are thus both modest and radical, at the intersection of old and new technologies: to use Digital Media to change the way students interact with texts."

Assignment provided and reflection on it's impact on student learning. A really worthwhile read!