Week #4

Week #4

Week #4 - Assignment #1- Readings

You are now an expert on persuasive techniques in advertising and speaking. The same techniques are used when writing to convince others of your point of view or to convince others to do or change or support something.

We live in a world of technology. For some, the inventions are wonderful. Others warn that humanity is being lost because of machines. This week, you are going to explore technology and decide if it is our friend or our foe.

A.  "The Whole World Is Watching" by Thomas L. Friedman http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/opinion/27friedman.html?_r=0
  Answer the following questions.
1. Friedman claims that we are all "more transparent" now in this "transparent world." What aspects of transparency are positive? What aspects are negative? 
2. Friedman mentions a book by Dov Seidman. In the book, Seidman talks about a digital fingerprint. To what extent are our digital fingerprints impacting work and socializing? Should future employers be able to use your Facebook, Twitter, or other posts when deciding to offer a position to a new employee or  fire a current employee? Explain.
 

 B.  “I Can’t Think” by  Sharon Begley’s February 27, 2011, in Newsweek. http://www.sharonlbegley.com/the-science-of-making-decisions)
As you read the article, look for the and define these  terms. They are in order. 

1.        Information Overload

2.        Info-paralysis

3.        Information fatigue

4.        Addicted to incoming texts and tweets

5.        Decision science

6.        Torrent of data

7.        Total failure to decide

8.        Many diminishing returns

9.        False god if immediacy

10.     “Recency” Trumps Quality

11.     The neglected unconscious

12.     Info-glut

13.     Experience based decision making. . .

14.     Sufficers  vs. maximizers

  
Write two or three paragraphs where you agree or disagree with Beagly. Consider these questions. What do you think, or can you?. Is our culture Twitterized? Are our brains frozen? Do we have trouble making decisions? Support what you think with examples from life and from this article. 
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Week #4 - Assignment #2  - Literature (50 points possible)
"There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury - as you read the 1950s story, keep track of the" futuristic inventions" that are just the norm today. 

For example, In the living room the voice-clock sang, Tick-tock, seven o'clock, time to get up, time to get up, seven o'clock! Do we have clocks that talk?  Later in the story you will read, The gentle sprinkler rain filled the garden with falling light.  Do we have anything that automatically waters the lawn or garden?
As you read, you will find many "inventions" that are similar to the gadgets in our current homes. Make a list of those "future" inventions that are reality today. 

(10 points)

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzbtlcAsIeTnTlNmSnhOV010bHM/edit?pli=1 (Story)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzhlU8rXgHc Story read by Leonard Nimoy

After reading and listing, make a new list of all of the technology you use in a 24 hour period. Your list might include items as simple as a hair dryer or as complicated as the electronic wonders on your phone or in your car.  (10 points)

After creating the list of technology used in 24 hours, react to this prompt in a Quick Write of 15 minutes.

Prompt: For 24 hours, electricity no longer works in any form - no current comes into your home, there are no working batteries, and generators are frozen. Describe how life would be different. Would it be better or would it cause chaos? (30 points)

Week #4 - Assignment #3 - Health and Technology

What about your health? Is technology helpful or invasive? Read one person's opinion. 
"When the Patient Is a Googler" by Scott Haig http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1681838,00.html

Questions:
1. What reasons does Haig give to explain why he does not want googlers as patients?

2. I a paragraph or two, agree or disagree with Haig. Should patients research their symptoms on the Internet before seeking medical advice? What are the dangers? What are the advantages?

3. Make a list of all of the health related technology you can think of or that you use. For example, do you wear a "FitBit" or other health-tracking device? Do you or does someone you know regularly check blood pressure at home? Do you own a treadmill or other fitness equipment? Do you or does someone you know have a gym membership? 

4. Does technology make us healthier? Explain in a one page response essay. (30 points)

Week #4 - Assignment #4 – Technology Persuasive Research

(100 possible points) 

This is the full assignment so that you can see where you are headed. 

The instructions for this week follow the overview.

Technology – Friend or Foe?

For this essay, you are writing to convince the opposition. Consider the dangers and advantages of technology. For this essay, you must pick a side. Think of this essay as a debate on paper. You must know what the opposition thinks, but you do not support that point of view.

I.                    Introduction –

a.       Identify the specific technology you will be discussing – cell phone, computer, automobile, dishwasher, microwave, GPS, video games, etc.

b.      Capture the attention of the audience in the normal way with startling statistics, an interesting anecdote, a quotation from an expert, lines from a song or poem, a thought provoking question, etc. In short, make sure that what you say makes the reader want to know more.

c.       In addition, state your thesis – make your point of view clear! (Some of you may be taking a creative approach. See me if this is the case.)

II.                  The body of the paper will do several things –

a.       Convince the reader that they either need or do not need the technology.

b.      Provide a brief history of the specific technology you plan to discuss. What was life like before its invention? When was it invented? How has it evolved? What is its story?

c.       Provide clear evidence to support your point of view. You must have proof from at least four of the following:

·         At least three experts/sources. You may use the articles studied in class and articles that specifically relate to your chosen technology.

·         A current news source such as a newspaper or magazine article or news cast.

·         An interview with at least one user.

·         A personal anecdote.

·         Lines from literature – poem, short story, or novel. “There Will Come Soft Rains”  was assigned. You may use other SciFi literature or movies.

·         A work of art

·         Strong statistics from an expert source.

The body of the paper will be several paragraphs in length.

III.                Conclusion –

Wrap it up for the readers. Leave them with a call to action to either give up or get the gadget you are supporting. Be sure they know why they need or do not need one. Consider:

a.       Convenience

b.      Cost

c.       Safety

d.      Environmental impact

e.      Impact on society

f.        Ethical concerns

Your assignment this week is to identify the technology you will be using as the focus of your study and to conduct research to get ready to write.

A. Consult two sources and find out the history of the item. Summarize the information. Post your summary and the sources consulted. Do not simply copy/paste from a site. Use your own words. (25 points)

B. Locate a work of art that features your item. Answer these questions: 

Looking at Art

· What is the title of the work? How does the title help you to understand the message? What is the message?

· How does this work relate to your topic? Discuss.

· What is the most obvious image in the work. To where is your eye drawn?

· Look at the colors. Are they symbolic? Would the message be different if the colors were different? Explain.

· Study the shading and shadowing. How do these elements impact the overall message?

· How do the lines and angles impact your eye as you study the work?

· Who is the artist? When was the work created? Is the artist's message about a specific event in history? What was going on in the world when the work was created? Is the art universal - speaks to people of all times and in all places, or is it limited to the audience for whom it was created.

· How does the work relate to us in 21st century America? (40 points)

C. Interview someone who owns and/or uses the item. Create five questions and record the responses. (You conducted an interview on body art a couple of weeks ago. Use the same techniques.) 25 points

D. Take 10 minutes to jot down your initial thoughts about the item. Is is your friend or is it a foe? 10 points.  

Week #4 - Assignment #5 - Discussion Board 

Talk about technology. What do you like about technology? What is negative? What is your favorite item? Could you survive without your cell phone? Are you old enough to have lived without the Internet or without a cell phone? Do you know anyone who lived in a time or place without television? 

These are some of the many ideas you could discuss about technology.

Your first post should be complete by midnight on Thursday, June 22, 2017. At least three response posts need to be completed by 6:00 am on Monday, June 26.