Unit 1 Final

Source 1

http://www.english.illinois.edu/-people-/faculty/debaron/essays/pencils.htm

From Pencils to Pixels

Pencils to Pixels is a essay from a University of Illinois professor. Since it was written by a professor it gives the source credibility and allows the reader to be more confident and comfortable with the validity of the content. Baron includes a large works cited list to also further ensure his credibility which even made me more confident in his writing as pictured below.

(Screenshot from the source page)
This source opens with the ever growing idea of technology. Technology is constantly changing and growing. Our growth has been documented by the article as, “We don’t have typewriters in our offices anymore, or pencil sharpeners, or even printers with resolutions less than 300 dpi. We scour MacUser and PC World for the next software upgrade, cheaper RAM, faster chips, and the latest in connectivity,” (Baron 1). It is suggested that inner school children try to switch over their learning to a laptop computer. My thoughts soon fired that inner school children and these districts can’t afford the privilege of technology unless donated. I feel this is definitely something that needs to be attended to because the use of these donations would be multifarious to these children. Humanists are also mentioned in the article. The humanist perspective is compared to the thoughts that those have had on technology and the emergence of typewriters and then computers. It is explained how humanists “resisted” writing because they felt it was “unnatural and untrustworthy.” Plato felt it would “weaken our memories.” Since computers made such an impact, futurists are now predicting another “technical threshold” which is going to be huge for writing and technology. The article also uses the telephone as a form of communication alongside the pencil and computer. Thoreau felt that it wouldn’t, “provide any permanent record of a conversation” however it was far from the truth. The telephone skyrocketed and became another form of technological communication. It is sometimes hard to accept new forms of communication however the article assures us that they are beneficial.

Source 2

http://www.pewinternet.org/2008/04/24/writing-technology-and-teens/

Writing, Technology and Teens

This article looks at the writing habits of teens in todays technological society. Right off the bat the statistic that 93% of teens write for pleasure. However the article illustrates all the different forms of writing that sometimes you wouldn’t expect to be a form that contributes to this percentage. It is quoted that, “Most notably, the vast majority of teens have eagerly embraced written communication with their peers as they share messages on their social network pages, in emails and instant messages online, and through fast-paced thumb choreography on their cell phones,” (Lenhart, Arafeh, Macgill 1). Since all of these modes count as writing, parents are now speculating that their teens write more than they did themselves as teens. This is suggested due to the rapidly increasing use of technology across the board. However it is an impending question that since teens are writing these short bursts of text on platforms, email and text, we don’t know if it is affecting their formal writing skills. 


Screenshot from webpage (Lenhart, Arafeh, Macgill 1).
Above shows a bolded solitary line in within the article to emphasize importance. Teens do not realize that all of the "writing" they do through text and other means of communication is writing. However, this article plays on the idea and greater emphasizes how texting is in fact writing,

With teens having strong opinions on writing, they have been able to provide feedback on writing in the classroom to make it more innovative and interesting to students trapped in a technology bubble. A main problem is that stedents don’t feel that communication on the internet is considered writing. However, it is the opposite. Students need to take what they are good at (internet and text message) and capitalize on their skills and use it to learn in the classroom and accept that this form of communication is in fact writing. Once they do this the doors will quickly open.

Source 3

http://www.gpb.org/blogs/education-matters/2018/02/05/writing-the-digital-age

Writing in the Digital Age
This source is an video about technology in the classroom by a k-5 educator in Georgia. It is also supported with a supplemental blurb about what this teacher is bringing to the classroom. Stephanie Gauthia is teaching a digital writing lab which encourages students to create in a technological world. Alongside toys, crayons, markers and crafting paper, these young elementary school students have full access to ipads, Mac computers and a promethean board in the classroom. This class was implemented by the principal when he saw the opportunity to excel his students in classrooms. The blogging teacher writes, “This technology allows students to create, collaborate, and communicate in different ways,” (Gauthia 1). The video clip for this source is very powerful. The clip shows young students working in labs and highlights words such as, “create,” “design,” “explore,” “imagine,” “explain,” and “investigate.” Lastly the most important word that is dramatically emphasized is “write.”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=14&v=YBswhf0dxbo) This is the video linked on the website with the emphasized last word of "write". 

I feel that this word is extremely important because that is what the purpose of what Stephanie Gauthias’ lab is all about. It’s encouraging students write in a new and innovative through technology, way which is where the world is going. The author/ creator of the video chose "write" to be the last word because she wants it to be what sticks in our heads and leaves the last impression. It is so critical because this is all about getting students to write in a more technological way.

Teachers are preparing students young for the innovative world in technology. Pictures of smiling faces with technology in hand flash on and off the screen. This school realizes the importance of using this technology for a strictly learning and creative purpose. 

Source 4

https://siliconangle.com/blog/2018/02/06/facebooks-parent-conversations-experts-weigh-kids-social-media/

Facebook’s ‘Parent Conversations’ has experts weigh in on kids and social media

            The blog that I chose for my fourth source is introducing a new feature on Facebooks parent portal. This new section is called ‘Parent  Conversations.’ This is a place where academic experts, doctors and others can write and give their two sense about the impact that social media and todays technology is having on children. I thought it was interesting because it is a place for these professionals to essentially blog about these issues. Facebooks global head of safety, Antigone Davis, explains that, “Facebook believes that the best way to keep kids safe online is to give parents more information and control,” (David 1). I think that this will be a valuble tool to lots of parents wanting to gain better perspective on technology in the lives of their children. Some parents use technology as a crutch to give to children to keep them occupied but often times forget some of the backlash and consequences that come with doing that. This new place will be a great place to get trusted information on these issues. Facebook is a great platform to grow this conversation on because it has “enormous reach and marketing prowess,” (Davis 1) as explained in a letter published by the campaign for commercial –free childhood.  Parents often times don’t realize that the excessive use of social medial and technology can turn out to be quite harmful to growing children and adolescence. This platform serves to end the silence and shed light on the reality we are facing as kids get older and begin to enter the real world.
(Davis 1).
I really like this photo that was used in the blog because it shows parents interacting with their children using technology. The blog is all about parents learning about the use of technology and their children so this photo is very supportive of the two generations working together through the issue.