How did the presence of the computers alter class activities on non-workshop days?
Sometimes not at all. We had many sessions in which the computers were dormant and discussion was conducted around the table. On other days, however, the computers proved especially valuable, particularly the projector attached to the instructor’s machine at the front of the room. This provided us with an “electronic blackboard” on which I could display (for example) the text of a student essay that exemplified some point that I wanted to make (students were required to bring all their work to class on disk every day). The projector also allowed us to experiment with collaborative writing. After settling on a topic or objective, class members would call out phrases or whole sentences, which I would transcribe onto the computer that was attached to the projector. Not only was this a fun way to break monotony, but by “thinking out loud” as I typed in contributions, I was able to comment on some of the finer points of style and the writing process. What textbooks did you use? The Bedford
