Student Commentary

Life is a journey. A journey that can lead to some surprising places. Some places expected and some unexpected ... very unexpected. Starting in Indiana almost 40 years ago and landing in Huntington, West Virginia was not exactly what I had in mind. But it's been an interesting journey none-the-less. A journey that has taken my life into the music world, sales world, computer world, motivational speaking world, counseling and ministry worlds. A journey that has brought a beautiful wife, two wonderful children and a place in my life that afforded me the opportunity to go for something I was unable to try for earlier in life ... a college degree.

I have enjoyed the class discussions so far and I am truly looking forward to some good e-mail discussions. I would like to wish everyone good luck in the class and to keep an open mind. I know it is going to be hard because I have already been struggling with it.

I am a Christian, and I am anxious to learn more than just the theology behind the story of Jesus. Learning as many angles as possible is conducive to a healthier perspective regarding life, no matter what side of the fence you may stand.

I have enjoyed hearing the different views during class. Personally I don't have a strong religious background and feel that this class might be an enlightening point of my semester.

Collaborative writing helps people work with others, develop an ability to both hear and listen, find out what one really thinks and how much one will defend that thinking or be willing to change it. It develops friendships that transcend class periods and proximity of chairs, benefit from other perspectives, worldviews, interpretations. Participants work out ways to solve problems caused by disagreement or lack of responsibility, learn more about who is doing the learning (oneself), write with precision, and realize that both the mentor and those in the group take one's ideas seriously.

Whether in spontaneous collaborative writing at an opportune moment, or in a formal group project of writing an essay and then presenting, as a group, its content to the class, whether in a traditional classroom setting, or in an online course, collaborative writing has a role that should not be overlooked because of the predictable problems expected. Those problems may have more to do with many students still holding to the professor-centric model, or being afraid or leery of a student-centered one. But, again with the wisdom of paradox, it does seem that the way to overcome a fear of collaborative writing as an inevitable call for chaos is to experiment with collaborative writing even more.

The Process of Collaboration

Assessment and the Big Fade