English 250
In-Class Literacy Autoethnography (300 words)
Spring 2013
Description of Your Communicative Development
Our experiences with literacy vary greatly. For some, like Frederick Douglass, the development of
literacy is reserved for the more privileged members of a culture, whereas others are given access
to the tools without question. A literacy autoethnography is a retelling of the most memorable or
formative encounters one has had with written, oral, visual, and since the
explosion of the Internet, electronic communication. The stories you decide to
share can be positive or negative, so long as you explain how a particular
communication event impacted your communicative development and
continues to manifest itself in your abilities as a communicator.
Please describe two or three literacy experiences in sufficient detail so that I
can understand what each entailed, explaining how each experience was important to you and how
it affected your attitude toward the written, oral, visual, and electronic communication you do now.
Planning and Drafting
1. To examine your literacy development, brainstorm and write down a few of the most
memorable encounters with literacy (e.g. Bed time stories, influential English teachers,
supportive parents, etc.).
2. Next, consider how these events affected you; for example, did they make you like or
dislike writing and reading? Why?
3. Then, consider how these early experiences with learning molded you into the
communicator you are today. Are you considered a successful communicator by others?
How might your relationship with literacy continue on after this class?
4. Most importantly, what does your identity as a literate, educated individual influence how
you communicate? What does your literate identity communicate to others?
Besides reading and writing, there are non-traditional types of communication that
influence literacy. Here are a few:
Facebook
Twitter
Texting
Online chatting
Skyping
Podcasts
Regular blogging
Personal websites
Television
Art museums
Acting
Delivering speeches, and much more.
1
Drafting Your Piece
Saving Drafts—You have the entire class period to work on this assignment, but you will not be
able to continue working on it after class has ended. So, save frequently. When finished, you will
submit each draft and any notes to Moodle.
Focus—Your instructor realizes that the limited amount of time you are given is not enough to put
your best work forward, however, you will still want to make sure that your writing is well-organized
and coherent, not stream-of-consciousness or disorganized to the
point that it becomes unreadable.
Concluding—When only ten minutes remain, your instructor will give
you a time check, at which point you should consider wrapping up
your writing with a conclusion paragraph. You will also want to allow a
few minutes to submit your assignment to Moodle.
Evaluation (Ungraded)
Although this assignment will not be factored into your overall grade
for the course, it is imperative that you submit the best piece of
writing. Your instructor will review your work, take notes on your
current writing skills and strengths, and use these notes to track your
development through the semester.
When reading your assignment, your instructor will evaluate based on the following diagnostic
criteria:





Context: Clearly states the writer’s attitude toward various literacy purposes, contexts, and
technologies
Substance: Provides specific and relevant examples or experiences that support attitude
Organization: Is appropriately organized into paragraphs
Style: Contains few errors in mechanics
Delivery: Uses conventional MLA formatting standards, and if applicable, credits sources
2