When Selfe discusses the story about David, it draws out many of the unfortunate stories of students who have not been able to live to their full potential because of socioeconomic occurrences. But how do we eliminate what we can’t reasonably control? I think that having computers will become inevitable for every family in the future, but at the present time not everyone can afford this technology. Like David, our students do have the opportunity if they strive beyond their circumstances to access the library database and technology. Using the example of David also points out another major concern regarding communication ability when the online communication process has taken control. How do we encourage our students to use the internet, but also gain access to real, face-to-face communication? This face-to-face communication is what enables students to develop academic voice in their writing and speaking. It seems that when there was an overemphasis on internet communication, David lacked the ability to develop his personal and academic voice.
