Re: FW: Computer Standards (fwd)

[Eric Crump <wleric@showme.missouri.edu>]

Sorry to have got sidetracked from the OWL-at-Cs project, but the note
from Bill Lantry to ACW-L below got me back on task. 

Marcy & Beckster have mentioned recently that we might ought to get OWLers
together in one electronic place to figure out how we're going to manage a
CCCC Online OWL, taking our cue form Joan's idea of creating a mobile
writing center for NCTE next. 

How about we use the list we created for the OWL symposium that didn't
quite happen last fall? Patty Ericsson & Co. got started planning an
online symposium about OWLs but everyone pretty much got sidetracked
(seems to be going around).

We could simultaneously resurrect that project & associate it with 4Cs
and create the 4Cs OWL.

Anyone who's interested can subscribe by sending email to
macjordomo@dewey.lc.missouri.edu with the msg: subscribe owl-symposium
firstname lastname

Or go to the machine's homepage  (http://dewey.lc.missouri.edu/) and use
the web subscription form there.

--Eric Crump

 ---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 6 Feb 1997 08:13:57 -0600
From: Bill Lantry <wlantry@owl.engl.sru.edu>
Reply-To: acw-l@ttacs6.ttu.edu
To: Multiple recipients of list <acw-l@ttacs6.ttu.edu>
Subject: Re: FW: Computer Standards (fwd)

[stuff clipped]

and there's a tiny little article, saying Oracle's finally going to start
shipping its thin clients in april. Is anyone thinking of moving to these?
Here, we've got major problems of access, no matter how many labs
are added, demand growth is so high we just can't keep up. All the dorms
are wired, but most students can't afford 2000 bucks for a machine. They
*could* afford $500 though, and the U would probably spring for the
expensive servers.

I think there's a big issue for OWLs here. If (and that's a big if) people
move to thin clients, are we ready for the kind of tutoring that will come
about, in which many students will want online help, instead of physically
coming in to a writing center? If universal access is economically feasible,
and everybody does things online, what will a writing center look like?
And how will tutor training change? Given the high turnover rate, and
the steep learning curve, will we be able to afford tutor training?

I wish I had some answers to this one. I'm both excited and worried
about the next couple years...   ;)

Thanks,

Bill