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CU Boulder Program for Writing and Rhetoric (PWR) instructor Michelle Albert believes in preparing students to write, "... in the 21st Century!Ìý...ÌýThis is what I like best about teaching."Ìý Last year, students nominated Albert for an ASSETT Outstanding Teaching with Technology Award for her teaching of Writing 1100.Ìý The class is designed for first year students who could use extra help with extensive writing and is capped at 15 students.ÌýÌý"Good writing needs small group work and one-on-one ..." says Albert.ÌýÌý"[Â鶹ÒùÔº] feel like they can experiment and explore andÌýtry new things and know they'll get support." ÌýInÌýnominating her for the award, one student wrote: "[Albert] introduced me to Google Docs, iMovie, Prezi, Wordpress, and she really made it a successful class and gave me a lot of confidence in my writing abilities."

As sheÌýdesigns her classes, Albert considers, "What does it mean to be literate in the 21st Century?Ìý... What literacy practices do students need to be able to use to communicate effectively now?"Ìý So guides her courses: "The emphasis is ... on composition meant to be read in a multimedia environment," says Albert.Ìý She explains that, "One of the PWR's overall goals is to ...Ìýlearn write for a variety of audiences."Ìý Therefore, AlbertÌýcoaches students in making digital creative presentationÌýchoices.ÌýÌýShe says that she is, "... helping [students] develop useful academic skills that they can use in the rest of their college career ... I think thatÌýit's a crucial skill for students to leave college knowing how to compose inÌývarious digitalÌýenvironments."ÌýÌýAlbert encouragesÌýstudents toÌýcreate their own YouTube videos,ÌýPrezi presentations,ÌýorÌýWordpress websites when appropriate:Ìý"In the intro class [Writing 1100], I introduceÌý[students] to Prezi and web design tools ... and showÌýthem a range of tools and have them choose a tool for their purposes."ÌýÌýWhen students areÌýdeciding whichÌýmedium to useÌýin their own writing,Ìýshe asks them to consider: "'What am I interested in? ... What audience are you appealing to, and why?'" ÌýAlbert tellsÌýstudents that, "A public audience can be real if you choose,"ÌýandÌýstudents often choose toÌýcreate websites or YouTube videosÌýthat they shareÌýpublicly.

Creating Class Websites

Albert also creates her own class websites to communicate assignment guidelines.Ìý "I use Wordpress for my class management tool," says Albert.Ìý "It helps keep the class clear and organized."

Albert's class websites also serve asÌýthe venueÌýfor her studentsÌýto share their writing online.Ìý Albert assigns topics for blog posts, and,Ìý"[Â鶹ÒùÔº] can all write posts and comment on each others' posts."ÌýÌýKeeping in mind the digital environment, she mayÌýset a minimum number of hyperlinks for students to include in their writing.ÌýÌýOn creating a class website,ÌýAlbert explains, "It takes time and saves time;"ÌýclassÌýwebsitesÌýrequire the instructor toÌýspend someÌýtime before the semester to set up, but theyÌýalsoÌýhelp students keep track of what's due when!ÌýÌýShe still uses D2L for confidential correspondence aboutÌýgrades, attendance, and personal feedback.

WhenÌýAlbert is not teaching students, she serves as the PWR Information Literacy Coordinator.Ìý Albert sharesÌýbest practices for teaching with technology with the department.ÌýÌý"I design materials to help professors integrate those digital literacy tools into their classrooms."ÌýÌýShe leads, "... new faculty trainings," andÌýongoing instructional sessionsÌýabout information literacyÌýforÌýinstructors.ÌýÌýAlbert says that she enjoys balancing this coordinatorÌýpositionÌýwhile teaching small writing courses: "I like the combination, and they both inform each other ... I can learn a lot about where students are coming from and what they know and don't know.Ìý I like variety."