I am in the Rhetoric and Composition Ph.D. program at Purdue University, where I serve as a Graduate Lecturer. My primary research area is the intersection of technology and rhetoric; I am also interested in Professional Writing, ludology, and broader issues of rhetoric and popular culture. Additionally, I am the Purdue Professional Writing program Technology Coordinator, responsible for the deployment and administration of approximately 70 websites per semester driven by the open source content management system Drupal. I have also recently been named managing editor of The Writing Instructor, and I continue to serve as an assistant editor for Kairos.
My primary pedagogical focus is to leverage digital technology to foster productive collaboration in writing instruction. Digital network tools offer new ways for students and instructors to engage writing's rich social milieu, and my experience teaching professional writing and introductory composition courses in online environments suggests that digital technology can cultivate interactions that are not possible through other modes. I believe that technology-assisted writing education will accrue greater importance in the future because of the pervasive digital transition in academia and the specific potency of digital technology to complement a rhetoric-driven pedagogy. Rhetoricians and compositionists have a unique opportunity to understand and shape how communication occurs in an increasingly networked world, and I would like to participate in this development.
Outside of the academic environment, I have worked in editing and educational testing. I also have experience in many areas of the technology sector, including Linux server administration, CMS deployment and administration, software production, and web and graphic design. A digest of my academic and professional experience is contained in my Curriculum Vitae; some of my current projects are housed in the Textual Works and Digital Works sections of this site. I reside in Lafayette, Indiana, with my wife Deanna, Greyhound Casey, and cat Maggie.