Pedagogical Resources
Lesson Plans
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The DWRL is pleased to share our depository of innovative technology-based lesson plans and classroom assignments created by DWRL Instructors. Our new online database features a wide assortment of lesson plans and assignments employing a number of technologies.
Here you will find everything from activities using cutting-edge new software such as NovaMind and eComma, to engaging, innovative, and truly novel pedagogical uses of familiar technologies such as Google Maps and Microsoft Word.
The lesson plans address a broad spectrum of pedagogical activities—from initial brainstorming to electronic peer review, from interactive visual rhetoric lessons to collaborative multi-media online publications; the site also features lesson plans suitable for time spans as short as a single class and as lengthy as semester-long projects.
Also, be sure to visit the DWRL's Blogging Pedagogy site which features an ongoing series of weekly interviews with individual instructors about their technology-based assignments, allowing for a more in-depth and personal look at our featured lesson plans.
Blogging 101
Blogging 101: this guide introduces blogging as a potential media assignment for students in RHE 306 and describes strategies for evaluating student blogs and incorporating them into class discussions.
DWRL Guide to Podcasting
The "DWRL Guide to Podcasting" was written and designed by Kevin Bourque and provides a comprehensive overview of the tools and techniques necessary for creating podcasts for learning.
eFiles
The eFiles project allows instructors to search for course descriptions, policy statements, syllabi, assignments, and pedagogic resources designed for use in University of Texas at Austin English Department, Department of Rhetoric and Writing, and Digital Writing and Research Laboratory classes. eFiles provides general information, course goals, documents, assignment resources, and multimedia assignment resources for many of the courses offered in these courses. (Account Required)
Mind Mapping 101
Mind Mapping 101: this guide introduces mind mapping as a potential media assignment for students in rhetoric and writing courses and describes strategies for incorporating mind maps into the class curriculum.
Rhetorical Peaks
Rhetorical Peaks is a video game designed for use in a freshman-level rhetoric and writing class. The game puts its player in the role of an undergraduate student who stumbles upon the mysterious town of Rhetorical Peaks, a town whose best speaker - Lisa Sophist - has died mysteriously. The player has the opportunity to interview three of the town’s citizens to gather evidence. While players can use this information to practice rhetorical analysis and argumentation, they are ultimately tasked with helping the town restore its sense of trust.
Teaching with Technology
This guide to "Teaching with Technology" by Jillian Sayre explores the ways in which new media can be used in the classroom to teach rhetoric and composition. The guide includes projects that emphasize a pedagogy of performance, encouraging students to experiment productively with their own writing by embracing new forms of composition. From typography, to visual and oral delivery, to information design, "Teaching with Technology" aims to help instructors expand the idea of college composition.
