Brendan Stanford: Manual Scripts

• How has your colleague’s experience differed from yours? And how do you know?

Brendan’s manual script for this activity is a written letter to his unborn child. It is very poignant and personal. In his reflection, he mentions how it was difficult to get started as he generally uses a computer to record his thoughts. However, he quickly found it easy to form a stream of consciousness and write from his heart. He writes, “I find that typing is more an effort of muscle memory to recall which mechanical buttons ought to be pressed, than the more mindful process of writing by hand” (Brendan Stanford). He is aware of how more intentional his letter is because he wrote it by hand. Personally, I don’t have any children right now, but I am looking forward to the day when I’m expecting and can relate to the excitement he is feeling. 

• What web authoring tool have they chosen to manifest their work?

Brendan has chosen to post his coursework on a Google Site. Seeing as he is a teacher, he seems to be familiar with this platform as it is frequently used in middle schools. I can tell that he is comfortable with Google Sites because he intentionally chose to use it rather than a UBC Blog.

• How does their tool differ from yours in the ways in which it allows content-authouring and end-user interface?

Brendan seems to find Google sites to be more user friendly. For him, Google sites is easier to navigate when creating pages and inserting content. It links well with the work he has already done with different Google platforms such as google docs, padlet, and inserting pictures from Google photos. The majority of his content is Google based which makes things simpler. 

One difference to highlight between WordPress and Google Sites is the ease at which to leave a comment. On Brendan’s site he has a link to a padlet and there isn’t an opportunity to leave a comment after each individual post. You have to go to the padlet, identify the post, and then comment. 

• What literacies does their site privilege or deny in comparison and contrast to yours?

Brendan’s Google Site does not allow for visitors to leave a comment after each post. Rather the visitor has to navigate away from the original post to leave a comment. As a result of leaving the post, the visitor is denied the opportunity to leave immediate feedback on a specific post.  I feel that user comments might be more authentic and spontaneous if they are made right after reading the original post. It would keep the discourse flowing more smoothly. 

• What theoretical underpinnings are evident in your/your colleague’s textual architecture and how does this affect one’s experience of the work?

Brendan’s blog has a similar textual architecture to my own. He has a home page with a picture of himself and individual tabs to direct visitors to different assignments. He also only has tabs for completed assignments. On the page for his Manual Script, Brendan has a clear picture of his written work. To the right of his picture, his analysis is sign posted with bolded questions and responses underneath. The simplicity and format of the page makes his assignment easy to read (although his actual handwriting is a bit more difficult to decipher at times! 🙂  

• How do the constraints of the course design manifest in your architectural choices? How have you responded to the pedagogical underpinnings of this course design in your own web space?  

My blog is centered around the weekly assignments. I focused on making my homepage easy to navigate to the individual activities. At the bottom of each activity I also made sure there was an opportunity for readers to leave a comment. I felt it was beneficial for the comments to be made directly under each post. Haas writes that computers impact discourse, the discourse itself impacts technology, especially when technology is used in educational settings. I made the intentional choice to keep the discourse close to my posts. I feel this is important for reference, reflection, and growth. 

Reference:

Haas, C. (2013). “The Technology Question.” In Writing technology: Studies on the materiality of literacy Routledge. (pp. 3-23).