Unit 2 Reflection

        The effects of technology in our youth is a very controversial and pertinent topic currently. People are often wondering which side to take or what is best for either themselves, their family members, their friends, their children or their students. I didn’t want to make my research paper solely for just one of those categories. With that being said I made my audience anyone who is struggling with deciding whether or not technology is beneficial to the lives of children or overall a hindrance to their development or futures. I made the rhetorical choice to just come out and say who my audience is right off the bat in my paper. In paragraph one I wrote, “With this, there is a constant debate of whether or not technology is hindering children or helping them. This is a space to educate all of the people that are not sure of the effects of technology on our youth because it is such a prominent issue.” This allows the reader right away to know if this is something that speaks to them and if they want to continue reading right away, playing no games. Supporting this I brought my audience back around in the end of my last paragraph to remind them why they started reading in the first place followed by a powerful call to action. I wrote, “For those who were reading this seeking information and guidance on the effects of technology in our youth, it has clearly been illustrated that our children are going to be okay when they grow up and enter the real world. It is essential that we realize this and come to accept it sooner than later so that we can give Generation Z and all the future generations the best possible skills to succeed. In the end there will always be a technology battle, but it is clear that those who prepare themselves best will have the tools to win the battle."  I feel it may have been a bit of a risk to come out and say it in this way, which is something I have never done before, but I wanted it to be powerful, straight forward and thought provoking.

            My topic in unit one was the effects of technology in students in the classroom. I continued with this idea but expanded by creating a discussion about where young children would be affected in the future by this technology use being implemented (ultimately in the workforce). My whole paper is a discussion about the ways in which technology is being used and how kids will turn out and function in the workforce as a result of this usage. I covered effects in classroom performance, ability to adjust to the rapidly changing technological advances, texting and communication skills allowing for alternate arguments and points of view throughout but ultimately proving my side of how technology is beneficial to young children. Further research needs to be done once Generation Z has graduated college and entered the workforce. Once this happens there will be concrete evidence on job and employment and success statistics that will further support my case or even prove me wrong. My sources all varied from videos, articles and blogs. I found them all to be credible during my research. I feel my source repertoire could be expanded by potentially adding an interview with someone. This could be either a parent, a student from Generation Z, a teacher or a hiring company representative. Looking back I feel it could have added a bit more to the paper making it even more credible and even relatable.

            For my pitch homework I posted on Facebook. I wanted to pose some sort of lingering question for people to think about and reflect on as a way to catch attention. I got three likes on this post and no comments. I feel there was a possibility that it did not get much engagement because some people may have thought I was hacked. I rarely post on Facebook and people know that. It is common when abnormal activity occurs on social media most people just ignore it. I don’t mind that I didn’t get engagement. I hope however that people did read it and think about it because I do believe that it is an interesting topic that should be explored.

I could apply my research methods from this project to my other classes quite easily and happily. This assignment has shown me the value of varying the types of sources I use. No one wants to read 8 articles and pick through them all to find the best information for an assignment. As I learned in this assignment (adding from unit 1 as well) I really enjoyed watching different videos and reading different blogs to better support my ideas. As I stated before I had the idea to use an interview in an assignment and I will certainly do so in the future whether it be for unit 3 or a different class. Using different types of sources not only is more interesting for the reader but more interesting for me as the writer. I feel as though if the writer is fully evolved and immersed in their topic then the writing is that much stronger.