Each summer, graduate students from the University of Iowa’s writing center (Virtual Writing University) host a series at the Iowa Writing Festival called the 11th Hour. It’s an hour-long presentation with writers who touch on various topics, including the publishing industry, how to meet deadlines, and stylistic writing choices.
How often do you blog? Will apps like Kindle and Mantano Reader eventually kill the library?
Last summer, Dr. Ned Stuckey-French made an appearance and talked about how the writing world is changing as technology advances. His interests in this movement developed while serving as an Associate Professor of English at the University of Florida, and led to the creation of an e-series course entitled, IFS 2030: Reading, Writing, and Speaking in the Digital Age.
A course designed around the essay, Dr. Stuckey-French assigns his students two main assignments and then a final project. They will first blog about an issue pertaining to new media for four weeks—this could be reality TV, video games, whatever sparks their interest. Next, they study how the essay has adapted to modern technology with the likes of social media and hyperlinks to name a few. The students also worked in groups to present topics, including copywriting in the new media. Finally, students are given the opportunity to create their own digital essay using the technology of their choice.
Dr. Stuckey-French explains the birth of this course and what signs he wanted his students to recognize as they completed their projects. The difference between reading on screen versus paper, how has technology improved writing for the disabled, and even a mention of Edward Snowden and how privacy has changed in the digital world.
I chose this podcast because I believe we are all effected by the devices we use on a regular basis. Cellphones for convenience, twitter accounts to network, and E-Readers to discover stories and articles with the swipe of a finger. The writing world will continue to change as technology grows.
Radio survived video, and I’m sure writing will do the same.
Specializing in the written language, Dr. Ned Stuckey-French has made a name for himself being featured numerous times in the Best American Essay series, as well as serving as co-author to the well-known, Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft which is now in its ninth edition.
University of Iowa’s website.
Dr. Ned Stuckey-French’s website.
