Electronic+Literacy+Narrative

We have all had our own experiences with reading and writing. Reading and writing can be inspiring and extraordinary at times, but it can also be frustrating and daunting at others. Reading can introduce us to new ideas, concepts, and perspectives, while writing allows us to interpret, analyze, and express ourselves. Literacy also allows us to participate in communities of discourse.

Technology and our lives are undoubtedly intertwined. Some of you may have had extensive experience with modern technology since an early age, while some of you are still learning to navigate such technology. We often do not think of our experience reading and writing on a computer screen to be the same as reading from a printed text. Some, for example, view reading and writing through computers, cell phones, and tablets to be less valuable than reading and writing through traditional means. Others have argued that reading and writing on computer screen is a notably different experience, one that changes the way in which we understand and compose text.

For your first major writing assignment, focus on //one// particular experience you had while reading or writing through a computer, cell phone, tablet, or other device that allows us to communicate through digital means. What, for example, was your first experience reading and writing with a computer? While reading and writing on the Internet, did you discover something that changed your life, or did you learn something about yourself or the world around you? Conversely, did this experience intimidate or discourage you? How has that experience changed the course of your life and the way in which you read and write today? Has it changed the way in which you compose and interpret text?

Refer to our course syllabus for a detailed outline of your expectations for assignments in this course. In particular to this assignment, the following criteria will also be emphasized:
 * Evaluation Criteria **

1. //Description// – Does your writing help the reader imagine your experience? Does it help the reader see, feel, hear, smell, and taste the experience? Recall our discussion on “showing” instead of “telling.”

2. //Coherence// – Is the essay thoughtfully organized? Do the ideas flow into one another?

3. //Grammar/mechanics// – Does the essay represent well-edited work? Are there errors in grammar and spelling?


 * Basic Requirements **

1.//Length// – At least three typed pages. While you are not required to cite any sources for this assignment, you are expected to follow MLA formatting, which includes using double-spaced 12 pt Times New Roman font.

2. //Audience// – This assignment encourages you to be reflective and exploratory. I expect you to write this paper not to your fellow classmates, or solely your instructor. Instead, I would like you to strive to write for an audience that lies somewhere between your classmates and your instructor.


 * Desired Outcomes **

1. Reflection of one specific experience

2. A consideration of how that development influenced your development in literacy

3. How this experience has/has not changed the way in which you read and write today

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