Vintage travel-poster style illustration of a Montana mountain range at night, snow-capped peaks lit gold beneath a sky woven with stars and constellation lines
Portrait of William J. Fassbender

William J. Fassbender

Philosopher of digital practices; thoughts shared multi-modally.

Associate Professor of English Education, Montana State University

I study how digital technologies — from generative AI to social media — reshape literacy, teacher identity, and the classrooms secondary English teachers navigate every day. More about my work →

Current & Recent Work

A running log of published research and projects in progress, newest first. Full list on the Research page.

In progress
In Review

"I Would Prefer Not To": On Radical Refusal of GenAI in Education

Manuscript under review.

In progress
In Review

Teachers Who "Tech": Recognizing the Practices and Identities of Digitally Literate English Teachers

Manuscript under review.

In progress
In Review

Cite This with That: Unsettling Colonial Citational Practices Through Constellating Concepts

With R. L. Shane. Manuscript under review.

In progress
In Review

"I Don't Trust Nobody But the Land": Confronting the Tensions of Pedagogies of Place

With H. L. Hadley & R. L. Shane. Manuscript under review.

2025
Journal Article

Birds Aren't Real: Vigilante Civic Literacies for Classroom Counterpublics

With B. Robinson. Research in the Teaching of English, 60(2), 189–212.

2025
Journal Article

Of Teachers and Centaurs: Exploring the Interactions and Intra-actions of Educators on AI Education Platforms

Learning, Media and Technology, 50(3), 352–364.

2025
Position Statement

ELATE Position Statement: Exploring, Incorporating, and Questioning Generative Artificial Intelligence in English Teacher Education

With B. L. Nash, M. Garcia, C. A. Young, K. H. Turner, M. Rice, A. Piotrowski, et al. English Education, 57(2), 158–165.

2024
Journal Article

"I can almost recognize its voice": AI and Its Impact on Ethical Teacher-Centaur Labor

English Teaching: Practice & Critique, 23(1), 104–117.