Faigley, Lester. Literacy After the Revolution. February 1997, CCC.
Faigley Brings up and excellent point in identifying that the "modern" student has "access to participate in discussions" (35). Faigley thus is implying that the modern student is now seen as an authority, full of knowledge that existed prior to their college attendance. No longer, then, are students perceived as empty "banks" in which instructors are to fill with knowledge, but as partners in an active attempt by educators to get students to "read and write about significant public issues" and thus coactively create knowledge (35). This has set the stage for instruction in the modern era, and made a pedagogical strategy that educators must take in order to make all students authorities. As educators we must insure that that students not only see that they have access to, but also participate in this on-going, and even global, discussion, and this can be accomplished within the context of the classroom through technology.
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I hadn't thought much about the idea of the web-forum as automatically bestowing "authority" on the student. It's an excellent point, and ties in to the crisis that so many students have when developing a "voice" in their writing - or even an idea! I recently had my 10th graders comment on a blog about A Tale of Two Cities (a.k.a. the hardest novel to teach *evar*), and I couldn't quite put my finger on why their responses seemed more natural and "authentic" - but I think you have it: they feel "authorized" to comment. Kudos!
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