As a DRC Fellow this past year, I had the chance to do a lot:
I discovered a community of scholars interested in teaching, technology, and writing–three of my favorite things!
I met people (like The New York Times writer John Branch and teacher-scholars Troy Hicks and Bob Cummings) and learned more about what my friends and mentors (Paulina Bounds and Elizabeth Davis) are up to in their pedagogical projects.
I participated in an academic collaboration that spanned institutions and programs.
I curated resources (see my post on the conversation around “Snow Fall”) and helped create new ones for scholars and teachers in the field, such as The DRC Forum, Hack and Yack Blog Series, and our Webtext of the Month website feature.
I shared reflections on my favorite Kairos webtext (Claire Lauer’s “What’s in a Name?”) and conferences I presented at, like ISSoTL 2013.
I asked a lot of questions–about wikis, histories, genres, writing, and digital publication.
I found inspiration in the multimodal webtexts we featured on the site (check out our March Madness of Webtexts),
I had the chance to consider, participate in, and shape a field. I am honored to have had such a privilege.
I worked with an incredible team of graduate students; Aaron Valdez, Jonathan McGlone, and Jeremy Morse, who turned our ideas into actual elements on the website; and, the DRC’s amazing directors–Anne Ruggles Gere and Naomi Silver. Between our monthly meetings and regular email threads, together we built our own sub-community of the larger Computers and Writing community. We formed a think tank, an online scholars’ lab, a gateway into a field that seems as committed to its scholars, teachers, and students as it does to its knowledge and ways of knowing. I reveled in our lively email exchanges, conversations, and roundtable conference presentation at #cwcon 2014. Being a part of that really was something.
Most importantly, I learned that these experiences were only possible because of the we–the collaboration–that the DRC not only talks about but enacts and encourages. Where there’s a we talking, sharing, supporting, learning, and growing together, creative and critical thinking come together to foster innovation.
I learned that’s exactly where I want to be.
