Argumentative Essay Writing Prompt:, Exams of Information Technology Management

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Name: ____________________________________ Date: _______________________ Period: _________

Argumentative Essay

Directions: Read and annotate the following articles related to

the use of electronic devices. You will writ a five paragraph

essay supporting or rejecting the growing use of electronic

devices. Use the Guideline and Checklist forms to assist you.

Writing Prompt:

Technology creates great opportunities and fun

entertainment, yet some feel people can no longer

function without an electronic device by their sides at all

times. Is society too dependent on technology?

Article # 1

Pros and cons of digital devices in

the hands of young students

by KELLY WALSH on JUNE 20, 2012

Are the benefits outweighing the downsides of potentially

excessive use of these devices by younger and younger

children?

I have three kids and they love their tech tools, but I worry about the possible effects of electromagnetic radiation, and about the way in which time spent with these devices takes away from time they could be spending in more active pursuits. I also see skills and learning coming from their use of these tools. While I am clearly an advocate of technology, I also recognize that there are down sides and trade-offs that come with these advances. This guest post from Daniel Kimball reflects those realities and I look forward to hearing what readers think about this modern day dilemma. – K. Walsh Digital devices are all the rage among young people today, across all ages. Tablets top the youngest student’s wish lists, pre-teens crave smart phones, and high school students would love to have both plus a laptop computer! MP3 players and other electronic devices are also widely used by many of today’s students. Are digital devices plugging our children into experiences that actually fuel their creativity and make them consider the world beyond their neighborhood or are they robbing our children of some of the joys of childhood? A rewarding childhood should include experiences like climbing trees, playing tag, selling lemonade and daydreaming – are these still quintessential experiences for many of today’s youth or are they too glued to their small screens to partake in these types of activities? Let’s consider some of the pros and cons of the digital age as it reflects in the developing hands and minds of today’s young people.

PROS include …

Smartphones Can Give Parents Some Piece of Mind Want to know where your child is at all times? Give them a smart phone. You can call or text your child to confirm their whereabouts. Many smart phones also contain GPS tracking that can be activated to specify the phone’s exact location. Every School Supply List Should Include a Computer The reality is, a computer has become necessary to complete many homework assignments. Students are required to research a topic, and sometimes the most current and accurate data is found online (assuming a student knows how to leverage critical thinking skills to assess the validity of the information – check out “The Importance of Source Evaluation and Content Credibility Skills for Today’s Students” for more on that). School courses in latter grades will require typed reports. And even the beloved shoebox project – illustrating a summer vacation, depicting the Amazon rain forest – is enhanced with color printouts. There’s an Awe-Inspiring Online World to Discover The Information Age is a glorious gift to the curious child in many ways. Learn how to knit – Identify the plants growing in the backyard – Research the family tree – Visit the depths of the ocean or the peak of the world’s tallest mountain without leaving the couch! Your child’s fondness for the search field may lead to real-life adventures later on. Young Music Fans Can Access More Than Just The Top 40 It used to be that kids tuned into radios to listen to the latest releases. Today, the radio may be where they are introduced to an artist or a band. But the next stop is usually online to download their favorite song. Even better, while exploring an online music store, they can sample every imaginable genre, from A Cappella to Zydeco. Socialization & Social Learning While this argument can go both ways (for example, the ‘heads down’ nature of kids walking around staring at their cell phones has a rather unsocial aspect to it), there is surely a strong element of socialization to many of the apps that young people use, such as Facebook and other social networking tools. Another

possible upside to the social nature of some applications is the potential for social learning in the instructional setting.

CONS include …

Health Risks Associated with Digital Device Usage Keeping the kids busy during a long car ride is a cinch thanks to digital devices that will play apps, games, music, movies and TV shows. But children often wear earbuds and headphones, and in doing so, risk irreversible eardrum damage if the volume is too loud. Further, the EPA confirms that computer screens emit low levels of x-ray radiation. While there is no evidence that this radiation results in health problems, the EPA also advises that you limit your child’s time with a computer or tablet in on their laps and in front of their faces. And because enjoying digital devices tends to be a sedentary pastime, children may be more susceptible to weight gain. Exposure to Child Predators and Inappropriate Content Many parents set limits on Internet use, and employ security and privacy features to protect their children. However, children can still find their way into an online chat room with strangers or click on an enticing ad that links to inappropriate content. Monitoring your child’s online activities is time-consuming, but imperative. Once Posted, Always Online Children don’t always understand that their online activities are permanent. Worse, their poor judgment could lead to serious, and sometimes criminal, consequences. Before allowing children online, parents should discuss the cyber dangers of bullying, illegal downloading, and texting. Digital Devices May Be a Mind-Numbing Distraction While plenty of children use their digital devices to download books, most are likely using their electronics to text friends, play apps or watch videos. Some argue that this technology overload is actually disconnecting our children – from nature, play and people.

So, do the pros outweigh the cons? This is still a topic that we understand little about. Surely technology opens up an amazing world of learning and productivity to today’s young students, but there are clearly dangers and legitimate concerns surrounding the use of these tools, and what constitutes too much use. It will probably be years before we start to really understand the impact of some of these drawbacks and potential issues. In the meanwhile, these tools are here to stay for the near term, so we should monitor their use and educate students on how to use them wisely without overusing them.

Article

Digitally Aided Education, Using the

Students’ Own Electronic Gear

By MATT RICHTEL (New York Times) MARCH 22, 2 013 Educators and policy makers continue to debate whether computers are a good teaching tool. But a growing number of schools are adopting a new, even more controversial approach: asking students to bring their own smartphones, tablets, laptops and even their video game players to class. Officials at the schools say the students’ own devices are the simplest way to use a new generation of learning apps that can, for example, teach them math, test them with quizzes and enable them to share and comment on each other’s essays. Advocates of this new trend, called B.Y.O.T. for bring your own technology, say there is another advantage: it saves money for schools short of cash. Some large school districts in Central Florida and near Houston and Atlanta have already signed on, and they are fielding calls and providing tours to administrators from hundreds of other districts that are considering whether to follow their lead. But B.Y.O.T. has many skeptics, even among people who otherwise see benefits of using more technology in classrooms. “The schools are hoping, hoping there’s going to be a for-free solution because they don’t have any money,” said Elliot Soloway, a computer science professor at the University of

Michigan who consults with many school districts about the use of computers to promote learning. “If you look at initiatives in public education, this has the momentum.” But Mr. Soloway also said he was “frightened” by the notion of schools using B.Y.O.T. as a quick budget fix because there was no evidence that a classroom full of students using different personal devices would enhance learning. Roy Pea, a professor of learning sciences at Stanford University, also has doubts. He is the co-author of a White House- backed National Educational Technology Plan published in 2011 that advocates for technology-centric classrooms. But he said the B.Y.O.T. approach could be counterproductive if teachers were forced to build lessons around different devices — in effect, subverting curriculum to technology. “Why are they so happy to have these devices when just a few years ago they didn’t want them in the classroom?” Dr. Pea asked about school administrators. The Volusia County School District in Central Florida, bordering Daytona Beach, is one of the places that used to have signs around its schools that admonished students: no cellphones allowed. But the signs have been replaced over the last two years with new ones that read: B.Y.O.T. Volusia school officials say that they realized they should take advantage of, rather than fight, students’ deep connections with their devices. At the same time, the district found that the cost of providing and maintaining computers for students was becoming prohibitive. Since the change, Volusia officials say, they have not encountered many tech support problems or complaints from teachers. Rather, students are more engaged, they say, and the only problem that regularly crops up is that students forget to charge the batteries in their devices. “It’s almost like bringing your homework,” said Jessica Levene, manager of learning technologies for the Volusia district, where 21 of 70 schools are using B.Y.O.T. “Make sure you have your device and that it’s charged.” She conceded that students could text each other more easily now but said the school was keeping them busy on their devices. And while district administrators worried initially that poorer students would not own devices, they discovered something of “an inverse relationship” between family income and the sophistication of their devices, particularly smartphones, said Don Boulware, the district’s director of technology services. At Woodward Avenue Elementary School in the Volusia district, fifth-grade teacher Dana Zacharko said her students tended to bring in smartphones or iPod Touches. She said she had found apps that allowed her to teach all kinds of subjects.

For instance, a recent assignment entailed learning about fractions by using an app called “Factor Samurai.” A number appears on the screen, and the student is supposed to cut it with a finger — as if slicing with a Samurai sword — so that it gets cut into smaller values. But students lose points if they try to slice through prime numbers. Ms. Zacharko will also start class discussion on a reading assignment by asking students to use their devices to write comments in an online forum. “Their typing is amazing on these devices,” she said. The fact that students in the same classroom can use many different devices is not a handicap because they are all using the same lessons on the Internet, said Lenny Schad, former chief information officer in the Katy Independent School District near Houston, which started a program with a different moniker: B.Y.O.D., for Bring Your Own Device. “The Internet is the great equalizer,” Mr. Schad said. He added that students’ devices were not meant to be a substitute for teachers, but could be used as tools for assignments. He noted that the concept was catching on; he said he had given dozens of presentations to other districts and educators about his district’s initiative. “My message: It shouldn’t be ‘if’ we do it, it should be ‘when’ we do it,’ ” said Mr. Schad, who this year moved to the nearby Houston Independent School District, where he plans to employ a similar strategy. “I don’t know how districts can’t look at this model.” He said that policy makers who opposed B.Y.O.T. were holding on to an unrealistic notion that districts should equip students with computers themselves. “On a smartphone, there are no limitations,” Mr. Schad said. “This is the world they live in and we’re bringing it into the classroom.” Another district that has adopted B.Y.O.T. is Forsyth County in Cumming, Ga., near Atlanta. Because its B.Y.O.T. program started in 2008, more than 300 people have visited in the last year from other districts around the country to learn from the district’s experience. The Forsyth district has a tour planned this spring with 160 spots for visiting educators from around the country that is fully booked. In Forsyth, the most common devices are iPhones, iPod Touches, Android phones and tablets. They are effective for students answering multiple-choice questions on math Web sites or taking a quiz, said Anne Kohler, a special-education teacher at South Forsyth High School. She says that policy makers and others who oppose the idea of using devices in classrooms are behind the curve. “They don’t understand how kids acquire knowledge,” she said. “They’re not the people actually doing it.”

Argumentative Essay Outline

Introductory Paragraph

• Hook: interesting sentence that grabs the reader’s attention
• Give an overview of the argument. Background Information: who,

what, when, how, where, etc

• Close with a thesis statement that reveals the position to be argued.

Thesis what you want your audience to do or believe. This is

what the entire essay will be about. The MOST important part

of your essay!!!

Body Paragraphs

Paragraph 1 –

• Supporting point #
• Evidence - How evidence is persuasive?

Paragraph 2 -

• Supporting point # 2
• Evidence - How evidence is persuasive?

Paragraph 3 -

• Supporting point # 3
• Evidence - How evidence is persuasive?
• Counter- argument: Statement against your thesis to show

understand reasons to oppose it (opposing viewpoint)

• Rebuttal: this is how you make your point again and make the

thesis stronger (counter argument)

Conclusion

• Restate your thesis and supporting points in other

words

• Why is your essay important to readers? Why should

they do/believe what your thesis says?

• Call to action - question or recommendation

Essay Writing: Writer’s Checklist

Introduction: o Is the main idea (i.e., the writer’s opinion of the story title) stated clearly? o Is the introductory paragraph interesting? Does it make the reader want to keep on reading? Body Paragraphs: o Does each body paragraph have a clear topic sentence that is related to the main idea of the essay? o Does each body paragraph include specific information from the text (including quoted evidence from the text, if required by the instructor) that supports the topic sentence? o Is there a clear plan for the order of the body paragraphs (i.e., order of importance, chronology in the story, etc.)? o Does each body paragraph transition smoothly to the next? Conclusion: o Is the main idea of the essay restated in different words? o Are the supporting ideas summarized succinctly and clearly? o Is the concluding paragraph interesting? Does it leave an impression on the reader? Overall Essay: o Is any important material left unsaid? o Is any material repetitious and unnecessary? o Has the writer tried to incorporate “voice” in the essay so that it has his/her distinctive mark? o Are there changes needed in word choice, sentence length and structure, etc.? o Are the quotations (if required) properly cited? o Has the essay been proofread for spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc.? o DOES THE ESSAY HAVE AN INTERESTING AND APPROPRIATE TITLE?

Remember: Create a graphic organizer to sort out your information,

next write your rough draft. Then edit your rough draft using the

attached checklist. Finally, type your publishable final copy.