Keywords
Comp-Lab, history, instructional technology, programmed instruction
First Paragraph
As someone who began teaching writing in Silicon Valley, CA, it seemed inevitable that instructional technology would interweave with my career, whether in the writing center or the classroom. My experiences, however, have made me skeptical about the relationship between writing centers and instructional technology, and this skepticism stems from what I have seen as several persistent and misguided ideas: the belief that “fundamentals” of language must be mastered before moving on to “real” writing tasks; the use of drill-and-practice exercises to teach those fundamentals; and the combination of that drill with higher and higher technology, whether that technology is in the form of a stimulus response-reinforcement textbook or a beeping, blinking, if not talking, computer.
Citation Information
Type of Source: Book Article
Author: Neal Lerner
Year of Publication: 1998
Title: “Drill Pads, Teaching Machines, and Programmed Texts: Origins of Instructional Technology in Writing Centers” (available online)
Publication: Wiring the Writing Center (available online)
Page Range: 119-136