Thursday, Feb. 28th, 2013--8 pm

Hello everyone,

I just found out today that my father is having open heart surgery on Monday morning in Santa Rosa. I really want to be there with my mom and siblings. I apologize for the late notice.

This does mean, of course, that your out of class essay 1 is not due until Wednesday, March 6th.

So--I am canceling class on Monday, the 4th of March. I hope you understand!

See you on the 6th.

Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013--around 5 pm

Hello,

Below are copies of the two handouts we discussed on Monday:
1. Sample essay of out of class essay assignment #1
2. Planning sample for out of class essay assignment #1

Also, a reminder:

Due tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 20th, is an annotated response to "The Twitter Explosion" by Paul Farhi. Please bring your copy that has been clearly annotated (highlighted, underlined and/or margin commentaries, etc.)
********************************

Elton Johanson

Prof. Fraga

English 11, Section 6

3 March 2012

Technology vs. Quality of Life

The following scene is very familiar to most people. Imagine sitting in a restaurant and observing the other patrons. Many diners most likely have their cell phone in hand, busy checking email, sending a text, or playing a game. Few diners are actually conversing with each other. The convenience of owning a cell phone cannot be argued; however, the cell phone also appears to be quite an addictive technological wonder that may be producing a society obsessed with this communicative device. The over-reliance on cell phones is beginning to seriously impact the overall quality and safety of our lives.

Of course, having access to a cell phone in an emergency situation is such a bonus. If one is involved in a car accident or in any situation where help is needed immediately, a cell phone can save a life. Additionally, there is an impressive amount of situations where a cell phone is very useful. Many cell phones today are equipped with a camera, a GPS (Global Positioning System), current weather reports, music, restaurant reviews and so many other devices.  However, are users becoming overly dependent on this handy piece of genius technology?

Since the phone is always with us, it is easy to be distracted. If we are able to read e-mail messages immediately, do we need to? If a text arrives from a friend, do we need to respond right away, even if it is a mundane message such as, “Hi, what are u up to?”  It is too easy to focus on responding to any and all messages instead of setting aside a particular time to catch up on correspondence. Inevitably we find ourselves taking twice as long to get through a homework assignment, or a load of laundry, or a shopping trip, merely because we have stopped numerous times to respond to a phone call, email, or text message on our phones.

I spend a lot of time on a college campus and I have seen first hand how distracting a cell phone can be to students while in the classroom. For some students, a fifty-minute class is just too long to go without checking for new emails or texts or tweets. In their article, “Your Brain on Computers,” computer experts Christopher Chabri and Daniel Simons believe that “the more different ways technology gives us to multitask, the more chances we have to succumb to an illusion of attention” (230). In other words, many students believe they are successfully processing the information from a lecture while checking their email, but realistically it is rare that anyone can multitask successfully or even satisfactorily. 

Besides for the cell phone causing users to be too distracted, communicating via the cell phone—texting, IM (Instant Messaging) and tweeting—allows people to interact indirectly and thus, more impersonally. Specifically, it means that we can communicate without ever talking face to face with someone. Inevitably, there will be misunderstandings between people face to face as well as via technology. However, the chances of information being misinterpreted and misguided is much higher when one cannot observe someone’s facial expressions, body language and tone of voice.  Los Angeles Times reporter, Meghan Daum, wonders if tweeters tweet because they really want to communicate with a very specific group of close friends, or because typing has replaced talking (234).  It is an issue to seriously ponder. From an early age, we begin to develop social skills in order to communicate and live with others in the most enjoyable and appropriate ways. Encountering a wide variety of personalities and sensibilities allows us to mature and deal with a wide berth of situations. When in person, one on one direct exchanges are severely  limited, we begin to naturally lose our abilities to interact comfortably with others.  It is more than unnerving to think that it will be commonplace to propose to a loved one via texting.

Our obsession with cell phones also steals away precious time. Essayist and fiction writer, Anne Lamott, reminds readers in her essay, “Time Lost and Found,” that “time is not free—that’s why it’s so precious and worth fighting for” (241). She is sympathetic to the quandary most of us find ourselves:  we are addicted to being busy. Cell phone users are too often convinced that they do not have enough time to get done what needs to get done. Yet they do not realize how much the phone steals their time. Lamott insists that we must make time for ourselves—quiet time—away from technology.  David Pogue, author of “Twitter? It’s What You Make It,” supports Lamott’s assertion. Pogue writes, “…Twitter. It may be powerful, useful, addictive and fascinating—but in the end, it’s still an Internet time drain” (238).

Even many high schoolers are expressing their irritation at friends’ inability to turn their cell phones off. Recently I was at a pizza parlour with my family and I noticed a group of about twelve teens at the next table. No one was on their cell phone. In fact, all their cell phones were in the middle of the table, as if they had decided to actually spend their time enjoying each others’ company and not constantly referring to their phone every six minutes.

Not only is the cell phone challenging the way we live, socialize and spend our time, but it also involves our safety, particularly while driving. Much research has been conducted about the increased dangers of cell phone use while driving. According to one study, conversing on a cell phone while driving makes one four times more likely to be involved in a crash (Froetscher 214). Of course, those who scoff at much of this research counter that there are many things that can distract a driver and cause an accident. However, talking on a cell phone is a very social kind of interaction and is quite different than the kind of exchange one might do with another passenger. Passengers in the car have the advantage of understanding firsthand, visually, the competing demands of the driver and conversation is often suppressed certain situations such as changing lanes, parallel parking, or avoiding a crash. Not responding during a cell phone conversation, however, can be interpreted as rude.  Even with the nation wide ban on the use of cellphones while driving enacted in 2009, approximately 4 out of 5 cell phone users “Make calls while driving and nearly 1 in 5 sends text messages…” (Levin 210)  These statistics clearly indicate that cell phone use is habitual and even with laws in place, people will find it extremely difficult to stop the habit, driving or not.  In fact, the CTIA (The Wireless Association) believes that driving and cell phone use is not something to be avoided. A senior official at CTIA states that while driving, “A sensible, a responsible and a brief phone call, we think, can be made and sometimes needs to be made, in order for life’s everyday challenges to be met (210).

If I had my choice between living now, in the 21^st century, with all the still emerging technologies at our fingertips, or living without them, there is no question that I would choose residing in the world of today. The positive results of technology far outweigh the negative. The opportunities available to obtain and share information with each other are exciting and in so many ways, bring us closer together as a global community. Yet with most things, there are also risks. The chance to become so reliant and addicted that we end up losing ourselves and risking the safety of others as well as ourselves, is a very real possibility. The warning signs are everywhere. We need only to care enough to pay attention.

******************

English 11

Sample Planning for Out of Class Essay #1

Topic:  Technology—Positive, Negative, Both

Choices: cell phones, texting, Twitter, Internet…(or combination of some or all)

Narrowed Topic:  Cell Phone Usage—mostly negative

Working Thesis:  The over-reliance on cell phones is beginning to seriously impact the overall quality and safety of our lives.

Working Title:  Technology vs. Quality of Life

Positive                                                            Negative

for emergencies                                                distracting (access to e-mail, texting,

directions (GPS, maps, etc.)                                                Twitter, games, music, etc.)

gives sense of security                                    eliminates need to actually talk directly

   (loved ones close)                                                weakens social skills

camera                                                            quality time drain

Introduction: 

open with a scene in a restaurant, diners using cell phones instead of talking to each other.  We are becoming obsessed.

Write about some of the very good, positive elements of owning a cell phone—to lead into how overly dependent we are becoming.

It is creating too much distraction.

--feel we have to answer right away

--tasks (homework, laundry, shopping, etc.)take longer because we are answering texts, etc.

Give a specific example of my observations of students distracted by cell phones in the classroom.

--even 50 minutes is too long to be without

--quote from “Your Brain on Computers” about mulit-tasking

--we think because we have all this access that we can handle it all and get other things done as well

It impacts how we interact with others. It is very impersonal and indirect

--when we do a face to face, less chance of misunderstandings

--Meghan Daum quote about if typing has replace talking

--if we don’t interact one on one, we lose our abilities to communicate comfortably and well and with articulation

It robs us of time. Time for ourselves. Time to think.

--Anne Lamott quote about time is not free and it is worth fighting for

--we think we do not have enough time, but we don’t realize how much time we waste with our tech devices

--quote from David Pogue about how cool Twitter is but how much of a time drain it is as well

Example of seeing high school kids at pizza parlour. Even teens are beginning to recognize that social time WITHOUT a cell phone in their hands is important.

It impacts our safety. Cell phones and driving don’t mix.

--Stats from  Froetscher’s article

--recognize many things can cause distractions for drivers, but cell phone usage is rather unique—different than conversing with a passenger

--Levin stats on how many cell phone users drive and call/talk

--Wireless Association does not want to admit that it is risky

Concluding Remarks:

Technology is a great thing for many many reasons.

But because we are humans, there is always the chance of addiction and overuse.

We need to pay attention to this….life priorities. The value and quality of life.

Sunday, February 17th, 2013--8:45 pm

Hello everyone,

I hope your weekend was an enjoyable one.
Just a quick reminder. Be sure to bring to class a copy of the article that is due to be read tomorrow.
I realize that seems fairly obvious, but I wanted to remind you just in case.
If you want, you can certainly access it in class on your laptop or other electronic device, but be sure you have read the article a few times and are familiar with the contents.

Also, it is best if you bring your textbook to class every class session.

See you tomorrow.

Sunday, Feb. 10th-- 8 pm

Hello,

I hope all of you have had a most enjoyable weekend!

I will make this announcement in class as well, but I felt it was important enough to also post on the blog.

If any work from now on is submitted without being STAPLED I will not accept it. Period. You will receive no credit for the assignment.

You have had PLENTY of time to purchase a stapler. Bring it to class. Every single time.

Your professors are not responsible for providing you with supplies.

Thank you. :)

Wednesday, February 4th, 2013--4:30 pm

Hello,

A note about the textbook.

For those students who do not have the textbook yet, you will need to order it as soon as possible from an online source. 

I did make it very very clear that we were going to be using the text for the entire course, both semesters. That is why the bookstore is not stocking the book anymore. It is a two semester text.

A few of you who found yourselves without a text last week, when the first reading assignments were given, contacted me and I was able to make copies of the readings for you.

It is VERY crucial that you communicate with me. Those students who JUST told me today, the second week  of classes, that they do not have the text, should have contacted me on the first day of class, when it was clear that reading assignments would be due immediately. OR, there are other options. You could have contacted another student in the class and arranged to get copies that way.

This afternoon before leaving campus, I made six copies of the two readings due for Wednesday. I placed all six in an envelope and it is on the bulletin board to the left of my office door, Calaveras 149.
They are on a first come, first serve basis. When they are gone, they are gone.

Bottom line, you need to come prepared to class. If you do not have the textbook, that means you cannot come prepared! And you need to figure out how to obtain the readings.

See you Wednesday.