  Woven here in this portfolio are my most interesting writings from the courses I have taken in the Master of Arts in Professional Writing program at Kennesaw State University. In reviewing all of my projects for inclusion in this portfolio, I was surprised at the consistent threads of interest that have been prevalent in each class and each paper. The design that these woven threads tell is a story of the becoming and realization of a professional writer. And even though these threads may reveal disjunctive contrasts and seemingly unrelated interests, I believe that through the tapestry I have woven in this hypertextual portfolio one story, or theme, will be very clear. This theme of hypertext and writing was immediately prevalent and dominated most, if not all, of my work in the program. Over the years, I have sought to refine my ideas about writing and hypertext through my readings and writings about the subject. Each course in this program has allowed me to reshape my ideas about hypertext and its implications for writing. However, other areas of interest have woven their way around and enchanced my ideas on the subject. Further, these other interests in applied writing, composition pedagogy, literacy theory, and historical rhetoric have strengthened the fabric and given cohesion to my ideas of how hypertext could be used effectively to communicate and to teach. In this portfolio, I plan to meld together all of my interests under the umbrella of technology by creating an electronic writing portfolio. Through the use of hypertext, I have created a dynamic writing portfolio that not only shows the skills I have acquired in this program involving creating an effective hypertextual document, but I will also be able to show how my areas of interest work together to enhance my ideas of how writing and technology work well together. I began the professional writing program in the Fall of 1995 hoping to sharpen and increase my skills in writing and document design. My first area of interest was born out of the need to change the direction of my professional path. For many quarters, my concentration was applied writing. At that time, I could not conceptualize the impact that the study of applied writing would have on my writing and work outside of the classroom while going through this program. As I began to study the components of my business and commercial writing, I started to realize that there were theories that supported and defined the practice of document design. I became fascinated by the theories involved in document design and corporate writing and training. At this point, I saw the study of theory as a way to be able to move in and out of many different types of writing situations. During these first quarters, my focus was still on the skills and surface manifestations of these theories. I wanted to create readable and marketable documents; but, the seed of interest into theory was planted in these beginning courses. And today, I still practice these theories through my commercial endeavors with writing and document design. I have established and maintain the website for a commercial company. Playing with the commercial side of hypertext, i.e., a website, has allowed me to explore hypertext in a different way by using it for marketing purposes. This company's web-site also has a unique audience, which mainly consists of senior citizens. I must also keep in mind, when writing and designing for the website, the way this company already designs and writes its print material. I strive to maintain the tone and goals of the company through print media and the website. The next area of interest that has shaped my work in the program is that of composition pedagogy. Examining theory in my applied writing courses made me want to understand more fully how people write. Arming myself with such knowledge made me also want to be able to pass on this information and help people to understand their composing processes, either in a business or an academic setting. I saw in my applied courses that taking on a basic writing task such as penning a mission statement was a powerful tool for shaping a corporate culture. Knowing this concept, I decided that learning how people write and think about writing would prepare me to help shape attitudes about writing. I also believed that this ability to help people understand the importance of writing in a corporate or academic setting would have a positive impact on the writing tasks that they attempted, whether these tasks were mission statements, training manuals or essays for a composition class. Because of this developing interest in theory, I chose to concentrate my studies in the area of composition and rhetoric. My interest became more focused on teaching writing and incorporating my ideas about hypertextual writing and its implications for the classroom. It seems that the computer is such an integral part of everyday life, and because of that fact, computer technologies should be utilized in the classroom. Because of my knowledge of hypertext theory and composition pedagogy, I started making connections between these two arenas. Because of my background in foreign language instruction, I first began to see the impact that hypertext could have on teaching a foreign language, primarily elevating reading proficiency in second language acquisition. I then became fascinated with the notion of using hypertext and possibly, hypermedia, to create a dynamic writing portfolio, primarily because of the types of writing portfolios that I had to produce. Another area of study that began to bring together my ideas on language, culture, and writing was literacy theory. In studying the topics associated with literacy theory, such as culture and language and critical thinking, as put forth by Walter Ong and Paulo Freire, respectively, I began to articulate definite opinions about technology in the writing classroom and how it could be used to enhance our notions of literacy theory. From my readings of Friere and Ong, I decided that a truly literate society and culture was a society of critical thinkers. To develop critical thinking, students need to have access to many different ideas, topics and concepts at one time. When students are confronted with so much information at one time, they need to be taught how to interpret and analyze it. Hypertext provides a unique environment where students have, at the click of a mouse, access to volumes of information on various topics. Thus, delving into the world of literacy theory also allowed me to expand my ideas about teaching writing and professional writing. Literacy theory became, for me, this overarching entity that sought to include culture and language in how we write and teach writing. The cohesive light that the study of literacy theory shed on these ideas of technology and culture was invaluable in looking at the political and cultural ramifications of designing and implementing hypertext theory in the classroom and in the commercial realm. This desire to look closely at the political, linguistic, and cultural aspects of writing led me to another and most recent area of interest, that of historical rhetoric. Because of this desire to understand more fully how language and culture work together to create meaning, an intense interest in rhetoric and, more specifically, historical rhetoric came to the forefront. Because of my understanding of the complicated and problematic notions of hypertext theory and practice, the equally complicated and problematic area of medieval rhetoric piqued my interest. Due to the rampant illiteracy, medieval communication had to be very visual and it was also very centralized, beginning with the church. Because of the central control that the church had to administer and because of the communal tenants it upheld, ownership of text was not an issue at the beginning of the Middle Ages. These same types of literacy issues are resurfacing with the spread of the Internet and the computer technologies associated with it. In my study of ancient rhetoric leading up to the Middle Ages, I began trying to make connections to possible contemporary issues that parallel the phenomenon of rhetoric and the teaching of rhetoric in the turbulent Middle Ages. Through my study of writing and rhetoric in the Middle Ages, I discovered historical notions of writing and a woman's place in it. I also was able to look at the origins of our academic system and how our western culture began the systematic education of our youth. Rhetoric was, of course, part of that education, but the cultural forces of the Christianization of society played an almost over-bearing role in the study of rhetoric during that time. As Anne Ruggles Gere states in her book on writing groups, "Theory expands upon historical context" (55). I believe this historical foundation has allowed me to broaden my notions about rhetoric and writing. Having an understanding of rhetorical constructs is an integral part of using and expanding on the research of hypertext theory. I believe I am moving in future research towards defining a rhetoric for hypertextual writing portfolios used in the college classroom. How can hypertextual writing be used in the college classroom and what is its value, if any, in helping students write effectively across the many disciplines that encompass a well-rounded, liberal education? In this final professional portfolio, I explore how hypertext could be used to enhance the traditional, print portfolio by creating an electronic version of the final portfolio. I believe by creating an electronic writing portfolio I have not only been able to reflect on and justify my work in the program, but I have showcased just how effective hypertext can be in creating a dynamic and professional writing portfolio. Writing portfolios are an accepted tool for assessment in the writing classroom. We know that this method of assessing student work allows the student to see the recursive and regenerative nature of their own writing. Implementing writing portfolios as a means of assessment also allows students to hone their skills of true revision, rather than mere editing. Portfolios also allow students to see themes and progress in their writing. Taking our knowledge of writing portfolios and hypertext theory, I believe that a writing portfolio housed in an electronic writing environment is another effective way to allow students to view their writing positively and differently. Housing a writing portfolio in an electronic environment with the use of hypertextual devices also allows students to explore notions of audience, publication and professionalism. I believe that this type of practice will in turn broaden the student's ideas about writing in different disciplines. This portfolio is divided into three chapters. These chapters are situated somewhat chronologically and reveal the progression I have made throughout the program. The four areas of interest that I stated above are woven throughout each chapter, some more heavily than others. Creating a hypertextual portfolio will allow the reader to see the interconnectivity of my work and interests, more so than the paper, linear version. Chapter One: Choosing the Threads The first chapter is entitled "Choosing the Threads: My Introduction into Professional Writing." The three papers and examples from my work at New Horizons-Holiday Tours reveal my introduction into professional writing. In these first courses, I began to explore what professional writing is to me. The first paper, "Investigative Report: The Master of Arts in Professional Writing Home Page," discusses how my group in the Computers and Communication course created and designed the first MAPW Home Page. This project is where I was first introduced to hypertext in a very practical way. Because I really enjoyed working with hypertext, I wanted to explore it more. I started trying to see connections between hypertext and other aspects of writing. The next paper is a synopsis and response to Dr. Barbara Stevenson's reading of her paper, "The Electronic Manuscript: Implications of Hypertext for Literacy." Hearing Dr. Stevenson's paper broadened my ideas about hypertext, writing and literacy; however, I didn't know much about literacy at that time. The study of literacy theory would become the topic of one of my subsequent courses. In that course, I was able to revisit and explore literacy theory more and build upon my first introduction to it, as represented in this chapter, and upon my growing knowledge of composition and rhetoric. Lastly, I have flyers and the home page from New Horizons-Holiday Tours, Inc., in the first part of this portfolio. I have maintained my job at New Horizons-Holiday Tours throughout my stay in the program. However, because of my advancing abilities in document design and web page design, I have moved from being an office administrative assistant into my current position, webmaster and document designer. Not only has my position at the company changed, but also my location. I mostly work out of my house now, doing mainly contractual type work when projects arise. I use technology as much as possible to make my job work for me. The widening perspective of writing and rhetoric that I have attained throughout this program has helped to shape and enhance the documents that I produce for the company. The perspective was born out of my burgeoning and now, sustaining interest in composition and rhetorical theory and practice. Chapter Two: Weaving the Fabric The next chapter of this portfolio, entitled "Weaving the Fabric: My Pursuit of Composition and Rhetorical Theory and Practice," represents my entrée into composition and rhetorical theory and practice. In this chapter, as in my coursework, I began to look at various aspects of composition and rhetoric studies. The first three pieces represent the types of subjects I was looking at in The Composing Process and Introduction into Literacy Theory. In these classes, I began to think of myself as a teacher of writing, rather than just a professional writer or document designer. The "School Literacy" piece is a very undeveloped piece. There are many avenues I could have and should have taken with this piece, given more time. It was an impromptu response to what "school literacy" is to me and how it could be taught. This piece represents my struggle with these new concepts of promoting literacy through the teaching of writing. The next two pieces, "Long Journeys Begin with Little Steps" and "Hypertext: Help or Hindrance: A Call for Research," represent my attempts at making a connection between hypertext theory and teaching. Finally in this section of composition and rhetoric, I have placed a piece from Government Writing, where I explore the rhetoric of a website. Here, I am taking my existing practical knowledge about creating web pages and my knowledge of hypertext theory to discuss the rhetorical effectiveness of a website. During this course and because of the outside reading I was doing, I began to develop an interest in rhetoric. From my self-directed readings, I became interested in historical rhetoric. This interest manifested itself in a subsequent directed study course in composition and rhetoric of medieval rhetoric. As this chapter of the portfolio concludes, my tapestry's story is taking shape. In the next chapter, I embark on an effort to synthesize all my interests through the last few courses of my program of study. Chapter Three: The Story Revealed The third chapter, entitled "The Story Revealed: Synthesis and the Writing Classroom," contains evidence of all of my areas of interest and my attempts to integrate them into my special research niche of electronic writing portfolios. The first two papers represent an in-depth look at medieval history and rhetoric, an area of intense interest for me and a relevant study when considering how the Internet is impacting our present-day literacies. The first paper that represents this area of interest looks at women and professional writing in the Middle Ages. Not only did I explore historically situated gender issues in professional writing in this paper, but I was able to connect with Christine de Pisan's efforts and success at professional writing in her time. The next paper, "Effective Manifestations of Medieval Rhetoric and Their Implications for Professional Writing," was written during a directed study where I was able to explore medieval rhetoric more intensely. This research has given me much more depth and breadth of knowledge in understanding the possible effects of hypertextual writing and the impact of the Internet. I have included my "Philosophy of Teaching Writing" as a work in progress concerning my ideas about the writing classroom. However, represented in this philosophy are all the areas of interest that I would like to explore while teaching writing. The last paper was presented in April 1998 at the Conference on College Composition and Communication in Chicago, Illinois. It details the integration of all of my areas of interest and how this discovery is shaping me as an academic. Writing this paper and presenting this piece allowed me to validate my progressing ideas about composition and rhetoric studies with regard to teaching writing and technology. A final point to make about the papers collected in this portfolio is the change through which my writing has gone. In many of my classes, we discussed the concept of becoming a part of a discourse community. Literacy theory also encompasses this idea of becoming part of a culture through the use of language. My writing, as evidenced in the first paper concerning the construction of the MAPW Home Page, is less academic representing my lack of membership in any discourse community, except for that of "fledgling graduate student." It is clear that my writing is very underdeveloped and that I have no consideration for my reader; I use slang terms and have many unclear pronoun references. It is a sharp contrast to the "Effective Manifestations of Medieval Rhetoric and Their Implications for Professional Writing" paper where I remember laboring for hours over each word choice so that my point would be as clear as possible. I also began to realize how my writing had molded itself to a certain area of academic writing when I was in one of my final courses with many creative writers. I was amazed at how different my papers were compared to theirs. My writing seemed more formal as compared to the very expressive and creative writing done by my creative writing classmates. This transformation to a much more academic and formal voice happened somewhat by accident and somewhat by intention over the years. I hope to use this practical knowledge of how writing can be shaped and honed in my writing classrooms. When students create an electronic writing portfolio, I believe that they will be able to see these types of changes in their writings and have the added experience of creating links between what may seem disparate subjects or writing assignments. The creation of these links will also help students see, as I have, how the contrasts of different genres of writing provide a unique picture of their writing. It is my hope that any reader and navigator of this portfolio will experience how I have changed personally and professionally through the tapestry I have woven with the links I have created. What is fascinating to me is that each reader will experience his or her own creation through the use of hypertext. |