I’ve seen technology used in classrooms in a few different ways and at different levels, whether it’s the bringing in of game consoles to play games that tie into specific conversations we have in class (lookin’ at you, Sam!), or whether it’s, in the opposite direction, the complete rejection of technology as a result of some sort of belief that computers or screens distract from the work. I feel like the latter happens more often with people working within the field of literature (and I’m speaking anecdotally about what I’ve witnessed not just here but in other departments)–people who are deeply entrenched in, perhaps, earlier forms of literature or pedagogy or who are maybe a bit set in their ways.
So as someone working within this field myself, and as someone who wants to incorporate newer technologies into the way we think about narrative, I occasionally find myself facing some resistance to the idea of including the changing technological landscape into our work. And I’m out of time, so I guess I’ll just leave it there!
I definitely understand that feeling of resistance. It’s not as big of an issue with the Rhet-Compers, but at my MA school it was a huge problem.
With lit (if you end up teaching it!) some possibilities could be talking about how the platform we use to read impacts our impressions, by having students read the same text (messy handwritten, pretty calligraphy, PDF graphic document, web page, wiki, txt file, etc) and then using that for putting scholarship and their own responses in context?
Idk.. like you, I’ve seen more lack-of-tech than tech in lit classrooms, and I haven’t really considered how to change that…but that’s an excellent question and it’d be fun to explore.