If you’ve been to the Writing Center this semester, you may have noticed that it looks very different. New furniture, new computers and new tablets have brought new life to the center, drawing in students who need technology. In addition, rather than signing paper forms, tutors now use the online scheduler to input information about sessions directly into the system. This allows for the opportunity to include links used in the session so students can easily access the tools tutors show them after the session is over.
The use of technology in writing is debated in education. There will always be those who advocate for pencil and paper as the best tools. This position even has some credence when it comes to things like note-taking. According to a study in Psychological Science, taking notes by hand instead of on a laptop increased retention because students were forced to synthesize information since they could not simply quote the professor word for word. Teachers also worry that writing on a computer, especially into Internet-based locations (i.e. blogs, email, forums, social media), increases use of “text language.”
In spite of these concerns, technology has become imperative in the writing process. Literacy in word processing is essential for students to provide the papers their instructors want. Furthermore, online resources like the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue, which provides citation and composition assistance; or Grammar Girl, which teaches grammar that sticks in your head; or YouTube videos explaining everything from the writing process to advanced calculus are all too beneficial to be ignored. For writers of research papers, the Internet has made it possible to connect to libraries in ways previously unimagined. Writing today necessitates being connected not just with technology, but with people around the globe.
The Writing Center also offers tutoring sessions online. For those of us who like to go home at night and put on pajamas, this option allows us to upload a paper and chat with a tutor who can work with us on improvements. The online appointment system is unique because the session remains available to the student who participated in it to go back and review again and again. For those looking for connectivity, online tutors are even more amazing at providing links to resources right in the chat.
Both online and on campus tutoring offer the most options for assistive technology for all sorts of students. By offering tutoring experiences across campus — from Templeton to the library to President’s Circle to the comfort of your own home — the Writing Center tries to reach out to every student writing on campus. Through expanding its use of technology, it can offer tools from students with diverse needs — whether one has low vision or a preference to walk while he or she talks. Ultimately, the goal of any center on campus should be to serve all students, and technology and driven employees are getting the Writing Center closer to that goal.
