Class Work

Your setting paper is due today.  Be sure you include:

• Peer editing notes
• Rough draft
• Final copy  - the final copy goes on top of everything else. This is what I grade.
• Take a last look at your final copy. Do you have in-text citations that give credit to your sources? Do you have the Works Cited page? Did you use MLA formatting?

1.  How did you survive your 12 hours without your favorite gadget? (Share experiences.)
Are you "addicted" to technology?
2. Time travel - would you travel through time if it were possible?  Take a look at "A Sound of Thunder" and decide. (Reader's Theatre)
http://www.lasalle.edu/~didio/courses/hon462/hon462_assets/sound_of_thunder.htm
3.  How is your research coming along? What have you found? The instructions appear below:

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, 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 their 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

                                                               i.      At least three experts/sources.

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

                                                            iii.      An interview with at least one user.

                                                           iv.      A personal anecdote.

                                                             v.      Lines from literature – poem, short story, or novel. Use lines from “A Sound of Thunder,”  “There Will Come Soft Rains,” or other SciFi literature.

                                                           vi.      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

4. Let's conduct some informal research. Conduct a survey of the "users" of your gadget.For example, if I decided to research cell phones I could do the following:
Get numbers from the class.
For example, how many students have cell phones?

• How many are "smart" phones?
• What brands are represented?
• What carriers are used?
• What is the cost of monthly service?
• How do those number add up? . . . Use your creative brains.
• What else could you find out?

Now, let's make those numbers talk. Make the number bigger by considering how much money is spent in a month or year.

4.  We have a company representative coming to help us with MyCompLab and Write Now. Let's take time to get comfortable with the products.
5. How is your gadget represented in art? Let's look.
Example: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.artchive.com/artchive/d/dali/persistence.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.artchive.com/artchive/D/dali.html&h=562&w=771&sz=56&tbnid=QXidzXpJ-RZe6M:&tbnh=95&tbnw=131&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsalvador%2Bdali%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=salvador+dali&docid=0eWaGlzOsBimKM&sa=X&ei=7_aNTrnhFKffsQLH0JiWAQ&ved=0CF0Q9QEwBA
 What does Dali tell us about time/clocks in this painting?
Homework
1. Begin to work on your technology essay. Bring a draft to class. Conduct some more research.
2. Create a visual electronic representation of your gadget. This can be as simple as a PowerPoint page or two. Or, you may use one of the many sites that are out there to help you organize your visuals.
Consider taking pictures of the gadget. Consider taking pictures of users, yourself included. Consider the possibilities.