Teaching in the Cyborg Era

I found Inman’s concept of the “cyborg era” to describe the community of computers and writing especially fitting, as it relates to pedagogy. As Inman defines it, a cyborg is the synergy of individuals, technologies, and contexts they share (14). It requires an active position, foregrounding the individual equally with technology and shared contexts. This is vital if we want to successfully apply the principles discussed in Wysocki and Selfe’s articles on teaching new media literacies and expanding composition studies to include new media texts. We must not do to our students what has been done in the past—that is, ignore or minimize the student in favor of the “really cool!” technology. Individuals are put on equal ground with the technology they use and the context they use it in, requiring students to be actively involved in the technology and never letting it take over (as can happen so often with programs like PowerPoint. It is important for students to realize that they have an equal-standing relationship with technology, that it doesn’t just do things for them while they passively watch—they are a necessary and active member of the relationship. Therefore, the concept of cyborg can help us to understand and remember the important place of the individual in technology use.

--eliz25