On Saturday, October 1, 2011, Aaron Kashtan, 1st-year Brittain Fellow in the Writing and Communication Program at Georgia Tech, presented a paper at the 1st Annual Mechademia Conference and 11th Annual Schoolgirls and Mobilesuits Workshop at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Entitled “This Living Claw: Handwriting as Monstrosity… Continue reading
Some nine months from now, the Writing and Communication Program will move into its new home down Bobby Dodd Way. The Stephen C. Hall Building for Writing and Communications Program is scheduled to open its doors in summer 2012, and when it does it will be one of the most progressive design spaces on Georgia Tech’s campus. Continue reading
Brittain Fellows participate in semester-long postdoctoral seminars that address the theory and practice of digital pedagogy as well as the theory and practice of technical communication. Fellows may choose to complete Postdoctoral Certification Programs in Digital Pedagogy and Technical Communication. In the fall, all new Brittain Fellows take part in the D-Ped seminar, in which they discuss theories and methodologies to help them develop innovative teaching and scholarship in communication. Several members of this seminar often voluntarily extend their discussions in the spring.
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The Writing and Communication Program offers the course LCC 3403, Technical Communication Practices, which introduces third and fourth year students to basic skills and strategies necessary for effective communication in technical and scientific fields. Continue reading
This week I’m teaching Francis Beaumont’s The Knight of the Burning Pestle as part of my English 1102 course on London City Comedy. The play is usually identified as a breakthrough Early Modern parody (of other plays like The Shoemaker’s Holiday and The Four Prentises) and one of the first English plays to break the fourth wall. Continue reading
From teleconferencing to YouTube videos, project posters to green-screen presentations, slide design to report writing, the new Communication Center is designed to help Georgia Tech students develop professional competence in 21st century communication. The center has been designed as a leading-edge model for communication education. It uses conventional technology in unconventional ways.
“This is a creative space,” explains Karen Head, who is Director of the Communication Center. “Yes, we are coaching students in processes and strategies and techniques, but we are also providing the space and equipment needed to practice.” Continue reading
Moods on Twitter Follow Biological Rhythms, Study Finds – NYTimes.com. I wonder how this approach to parsing Twitter usage extends to the classroom. I have observed that many students groan when I tell them at the beginning of course that they will be using Twitter for peer feedback and evaluation… Continue reading
We have scheduled two bootcamps for Fall 2011. The subject of the first is “Electronic Publishing” and will cover the following: 1) Accessing your personal/professional server space on the LCC web server; 2) Developing your LCC web profile (template web pages for your bio, course information, blog links, etc.); 3)… Continue reading
Communication Center: Our Space We designed Georgia Tech’s Communication Center to be a leading-edge model for communication education. From its design in the Communication Center Task Force Report in 2007, the Communication Center has presented a strong vision: It not only includes CommLab (with multiple kinds of tutoring and practice… Continue reading
The temperature is hovering around 95 and we are hurrying to put the finishing touches on our course syllabi. Yes, it’s that time again: a new school year at Georgia Tech. And with it comes a new cohort of Brittain Fellows. They may not yet realize it, but they are… Continue reading
We asked Brittain Fellows who will be moving on from the program to reflect upon their experiences. Four Britts rose to the challenge; as you’ll see, the perspectives of Jo Anne Harris, Crystal Lake, Melissa Meeks and Paulette Richards are varied but share an enthusiasm for the time they have… Continue reading
I spend a lot of time trying to simplify how I work on computers. I know I’m not alone in trying to make sense out of how best to utilize and integrate my three computers, iPhone, and iPad for teaching and research. I expect we all have our favorite life… Continue reading
March 17 was Celebrating Teaching Day at Georgia Tech. As part of the festivities, a number of Brittain Fellows presented posters of their successful approaches to improving student learning. Those whose work was displayed included Doris Bremm, Kathryn Crowther, Andrew Famiglietti, Jo Anne Harris, Robert LeBlanc, Jennifer Parrott, Paulette Richards,… Continue reading
Last fall in my English 1101 course on celebrity culture, I had my students analyze the real-time media discourse surrounding the Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear”. Once again I find myself drawn to teaching current events as they unfold. This term I am teaching ENGL 2400:… Continue reading
‘Write a reflection piece on this last term.’ That sounded like a reasonable task and one I would be able to knock out quickly – in the midst of trying to finish marking and prepare to fly home for the holidays (if anyone has any suggestions what I can get… Continue reading
On November 18, the Georgia Tech Writing and Communication Program hosted the Fall Communication Colloquium in which two Brittain Fellows presented on work their students have been doing in class this semester. The presenters did such a wonderful job generating discussion during the sessions (a link to an archive of… Continue reading
