Networking into academic discourse

Examination of the experiences of three instructors in Hawaii who have attempted to integrate online communication into their academic writing courses will emphasize that underlying assumptions of what academic writing constitutes are fundamental in influencing how teachers integrate technology in the classroom.

Abstract

The rapid diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICT) is having an effect on many aspects of modern life, including on how we write. Real-time chatting, electronic mail, and the World Wide Web are all contributing to new forms of written communication in the 21st century. What significance, though, if any, do these new forms have for the academic writing course? Undergraduate and graduate students alike are still expected to master fairly traditional forms of academic writing, including essays, compositions, and, perhaps eventually, theses, dissertations, and scholarly articles. Does written online communication have any relevance to the process of becoming an academic writer? Many college instructors believe that it does. In this paper, I will examine the experiences of three instructors in Hawaii who have attempted to integrate online communication into their academic writing courses. This examination will emphasize that underlying assumptions of what academic writing constitutes are fundamental in influencing how teachers integrate technology in the classroom. As a preface to discussing the experiences of the three instructors, I will first examine the main trends in conceptions of academic writing.