Clint Smith
CIR 411, Dr. Bishop
Chapter 11 Response
13 April 2011

Chapter 11 Response
I was recently asked how writing has changed over my lifetime and how it impacts how we should teach writing in school. When I was in high school, all writing was pencil and paper based activities. Final products were usually typed on traditional typewriters, and all notes and research was done using notebook paper, not computers. I can still remember seeing my first computer in the school. Rather than word processor classes, we were instructed in the use of typewriters. In saying that, the writing process has changed dramatically in the last twenty-five years.
Technology has had an amazing impact on the process of gathering, composing, editing, and revising any writing activity. The job market has also changed the way teachers should approach instructing students to write. Students entering the workforce will be required to use the writing process, and this process usually includes being able to use technology to produce reports, build resumes, and send information to colleagues just to name a few. I feel that I am years behind my fellow classmates in my ability to write effectively. Alternatively, I feel that I am open to new ways of doing things where some students have only known a single process taught to them in high school. I have been forced to learn how to use technology, and I have enjoyed the process. When I was in high school, we often used paper-based resources to gather information to compose a research paper. This process consumed many hours. With the available technology today, the process of composing any type of written report has been greatly simplified. Although technology has simplified the process of writing, I believe it has reduced the students ability to develop effective research. With the click of a button, students can find the perfect document to use in their research. In previous times, students were required to spend countless hours reading documents until they discovered the material they were searching for. In turn, technology has diminished the amount of time we actually spend reading. I believe this has diminished our ability to recognize opposing viewpoints.
Assuming that new technology will continue to impact us and our students, teachers must be able to recognize new skills that will be required as our students enter the real-world. Teachers must continue to research the new technology that is available and the impacts they are likely to have on our students. Work places are changing, and the requirements for even the entry-level positions are being impacted by these changes. The common labor position is requiring workers to compose many kinds of writing as well. While working as a maintenance person at an area plant, I was often required to develop written records for machinery that would be viewed by upper management. I often felt incapable of developing a document that educated people would be reading. I am thankful that I had a high school English teacher that recognized the need for students to be able to compose documents that were effective in relating our thoughts. Since I began college, I am confortable in my ability to use the new technology to compose written artifacts to express my views and opinions. For teachers to be effective, they must prepare students for all aspects of what the world will expect of its future leaders.