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.)
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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 21st 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.
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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.
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