Welcome to Writing and Digital Media!

Welcome to ENGL 3844: Writing and Digital Media. This website will function as the online headquarters for our class this semester. Each week, I will post an update to the website with details about coming week, deadline reminders, links to helpful resources, etc… I will use Virginia Tech’s Scholar site to record your grades, but otherwise, everything related to this course will be posted here. You should bookmark this site on your laptop, your tablet, your phone, etc. — whatever you use to get online.

A bit about me: This is my second semester at Virginia Tech, and I love it here. My research focuses on how people use rhetoric in online environments, and all of the classes I teach have something to do with technology. I love experimenting with new digital tools, and it blows my mind to think about what we can do with technology that we couldn’t do 20 (or 10, or even 5) years ago. When I’m not staring at a computer screen, I love to cook, read, and spend time with my wife, a brilliant freelance writer, and our two daughters.

Each week (typically no later than Thursday evening), I will add a post to this website that explains what we will be doing in class the following week, and what you need to do to prepare for those class sessions. You’ll see the Week 2 post tomorrow, but in the meantime, here are a few of things you need to do to get started in Writing and Digital Media:

Create a Twitter account, if you don’t have one already. (We’ll talk about using Twitter in the coming weeks, but for now, you just need to create an account, add a photo, and customize your profile.)
Get familiar with your Google Drive account, which is connected to your vt.edu email address. (If you forgot your password for your VT Google Apps account, follow these instructions.)
Buy a copy of Net Smart, by Howard Rheingold, in print or ebook format.

Finally, a quick note about this website. Throughout the semester, we’ll be holding class discussions on this website. To help you get comfortable with that process, please add a comment to this post that introduces yourself, links to your Twitter profile, and answers the following questions: Approximately how much time do you spend online each week? What types of activities do you typically do when you’re online (email, Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, etc.)? Are you happy with the way you spend your time online, or is there something you would like to change (quantity, quality) about your online activities?

Before you post, a couple of warnings: (1) Your classmates will see what you write, so don’t include anything intended just for me. (2) This website is public, so we will stick to using first names only. Also, please be sure to use your vt.edu email address every time you post to the class website. Once I “approve” your first comment on the site, you will be able to post comments for the rest of the semester without waiting for me to approve them.

12 Responses to "Welcome to Writing and Digital Media!"

Beth says:

January 23, 2013 at 5:10 pm

How much time do I spend on the internet? I’d hazard around 20-25 hours a week. Wow, that sounds like an embarrassingly large amount of time. I usually spend my time browsing the net; I spend a fair amount of time on Tumblr. I usually keep a Facebook tab open when I browse, but I’m not actively on it. I also use the internet for catching up on television.
I’m trying to cut down on the amount of time I spend online, because mindlessly browsing through Tumblr and other sites don’t give me much satisfaction. I end up feeling like I wasted time.
1. Beth says:
  
  January 24, 2013 at 7:14 pm
  
  I guess I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Beth. I’m a junior, and this is my second semester as an English major. I’m from Cincinnati. I love theater, singing, and I really enjoy the genre magical realism. My twitter name is inspired by the show ‘Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex’ where people can physically connect themselves to the internet via a Matrix-style (actually it was in Ghost in the Shell first) plug in the back of their heads.
Catherine says:

January 23, 2013 at 5:36 pm

I’m Catherine, a sophomore English major from Roanoke. I spend way too much time online, probably a few hours a day. I spend most of that time blogging and watching YouTube videos or listening to music. I’d like to become better at managing my time spent online.
Brittany says:

January 24, 2013 at 4:35 pm

Hi! My name is Brittany and I am a senior majoring in professional writing and literature. I currently work monitoring athlete study hours in lane stadium. I am from Maryland and hope to travel after graduation before returning home and starting my career. I enjoy running, art, COFFEE, and hanging out with my friends and family.

My twitter account is @britpb6. During the school year I spend about 30 hours a week online. When I’m online I’m typically using email, online shopping, Facebook, Pinterest, VT.edu, YouTube, and Pandora. However, I wish I used the Internet more often to stay updated on current events.
Becca says:

January 24, 2013 at 11:00 pm

My name is Becca Leaf. I am so excited to be typing this from my new iPad. I am no longer the only one in my family without one (for now at least). My hometown is Richmond, VA. I am 21 and a junior here at Tech. My major is Communication: PR and my minor is Professional Writing. I am a member of Kappa Delta Sorority and am the Decorations Chair for the Class of 2014 Leadership Team.

I probably spend roughly 24 hours a week on the Internet. I mostly use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Scholar, Google, Hulu, etc. This semester I hope to learn about more computer programs in order to further my ability for a career in my field of study. My twitter name is Rebecca Leaf @BeccaLeaf!
Sangji says:

January 24, 2013 at 11:33 pm

Hi! My name is Sangji and I’m a sophomore International Studies major and Professional Writing minor. I spend 1-2 hours online daily, so about 15 hours per week. I usually just use my phone to use the internet instead of on my computer. I use it mostly for email, twitter, and facebook but occasionally go on pinterest, stumbleupon, and youtube. I do sometimes waste time on the internet, but I’m generally happy with the time I spend online.

My twitter name is @saanjlee :)
David says:

January 26, 2013 at 1:07 pm

Hello. I my name is David and I am a senior studying professional writing. I work as a tutor in the writing center and for the VT athletics department. I call North Carolina home, but after graduation I plan on pursuing a masters in technical communication from one of the many programs I have applied. My twitter handle is @dkistler1. I spend approximately 25 hours a week online using social media sites like twitter and facebook. I also am an avid sports fan and I spend a lot of time reading sports blogs. I feel very comfortable with how I spend my time online, but I believe that I can improve my time spent online, to be more productive.
Ron Schuetz says:

January 26, 2013 at 2:52 pm

Hi, my name is Ron and I am a Senior Intrrdisciplinary Studies major. I am a staff writer for the collegiate times and my current career goal is to work for ESPN. I just returned from an internship working at Disney World, in Orlando, and will graduate in May. I enjoy reading, playing video games, television, and hanging out with my friends and family.

My twitter account is @VTRon_2013. I currently spend 20-30 hours a week online. Primarily I use the Internet for email, Facebook, Hulu, Netflix, online gaming, and as of recently my creative writing blog. I would like to spend less time on the video games and more time working.
Jonathan says:

January 27, 2013 at 3:44 pm

Hi, my name is Jon and I am a senior Professional Writing / Philosophy double major.

Approximately how much time do you spend online each week?
– I spend anywhere between 2-4 hours online a day. (I’d guess upwards of 30+ hours a week.)

What types of activities do you typically do when you’re online?
– I utilize the internet for any number of purposes including: email, StumbleUpon, Pandora, Scholar (collegiate work in general), browsing gaming sites / wikis, and playing video games online. Generally speaking, I try not to browse the web to simply be doing so, but rather get online for a specific resource or immediate means of information.

Are you happy with the way you spend your time online, or is there something you would like to change (quantity, quality) about your online activities?
– I would like to spend more time utilizing the internet for educational means and furthering my knowledge of topics / skills that interest me–e.g. learning how to create digital / traditional art or furthering my knowledge of HTML / CSS development.

Lastly, my twitter ID is @jtl91
Jordan says:

January 27, 2013 at 4:43 pm

Hi! So I am Jordan Parker and I am a first semester senior majoring in Communications- Public Relations and have a cognate in Non-Profit. I transferred here after spending two years at Mississippi State. I am born and raised in Williamsburg, Virginia so being only 4 hours away is pretty nice. I would say that I spend around 5 hours a day on the Internet each day. When I am waiting for class to begin I am on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. We don’t have cable at my house so I am an avid user of both Hulu and Netflix. I also can’t deny my online shopping, if I’m not browsing for myself I am shopping for up and coming celebrations. I would say I am pretty happy with my time spent on the Internet. I have an app on my computer that can block me from all websites I want for however long I make the timer. Of course I know it’s an issue that I have to go that far to make myself not venture to my Facebook page but it works. I just want to end on saying how excited I am for this class!!!
Curtis Stanford says:

January 28, 2013 at 12:40 pm

Hi. I’m Curtis Stanford. I’m a senior in the professional writing program. I recently completed the creative writing program and then decided that I want to be able to get a job after college. To supplement my educational pursuits, I edit for the Silhouette Literary and Arts Magazine and for the Minnesota Review. To fund my educational pursuits I beg the school for money, but more importantly serve tables at Sharkey’s (so come visit me! I’ll feed you inexpensive alcohol and you can help pay my tuition).

In regards to my internet usage, let me reference something learned in another class. James Collier taught us, in his Living Through Technology capstone course, that our generation generally has a drastically diminished short term memory because of the internet, our increasingly accessible connection with it, and its ability to store our collective thoughts and memories. In short, it has allowed us to externalize a major chunk of our brains. We want to remember something, we simply upload it and download it.

I’m a shining example (or stereotype) of this. I endeavor to have some form of internet access at all moments of the day and in fact become a bit nervous as my connection options dwindle. At the bare minimum, I’m usually streaming Spotify through my headphones or for company. Socially, I tweet and facebook (although I’m currently in the process of transitioning away from Zuckerberg’s creature creation and moving into the wonderful world of hashtagging), and do some online gaming from time to time. My hobbies–movies, books, music, poetry, writing, sports, traveling–generally can be accessed through the internet, or at least supplemented by it. Anything I produce or consume is saved to reading lists or Dropbox. IMDB is my weak spot. Stumbleupon, thought catalog, and nerve are my guilty pleasures. My phone lives in a state of dynamism–constantly changing apps, posting to sites, storing information on the cloud, and exchanging messages (admittedly, my voicemail isn’t set up). I even shop online (Jackthreads) or window shop because I’m a poor college student. My navigational needs are met through Google maps. Actually, most of my needs are met through Google. I’m obsessed with googling vocabulary. The internet is my own personal dictionary. I Skype, facetime, store my photos, exchange my calendars, email, get my weather, stalk forums, look up recipes or take out, stay in touch with friends, youtube, wordpress, kindle, stream movies and television shows, and occasionally do assignments for school all through the internet.

I’d be the first to slam a chip into the back of my head that connected my brain with the internet. A friend recently asked me to come over but then warned me that her internet was out. We didn’t hang out at her apartment. It may be more appropriate to ask me how much time I don’t spend utilizing the internet.

Whew, feels good to get all that off my chest. @curtis_stanford
Kimberly says:

January 30, 2013 at 8:30 am

Hi there everyone! My name is Kimberly and I am a second semester senior majoring in Communication and minoring in Professional Writing. I spend approximately 20+ hours online per week. This is likely a low estimate since I typically leave social media open while I work. I do wish I could spend a little less time on social media because nothing exciting really happens on it — it has just become a habit to be on all the time.
In my spare time I like to re-read my favorite books, learn about nutrition and health, and bake pastries.

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