February 18, 2014 - Tuesday

Class Work

Just for fun . . . https://www.yahoo.com/tech/how-to-get-hacked-5-exciting-steps-77015513634.html

How secure is your life? How secure do you want it to be? Does it bother you that there are cameras watching you? Does it bother you that you can be tracked by the use of your phone or your credit cards? Are you safe when you are "visible?"


1.  Share your anecdote with the others at your table. As a group, select one reader to share with the entire class. Feel free to nominate extra readers!
Was there a point to your story?

2. By now, you should feel ready to write your essay.
Here are the instructions once again:

Technology – Friend or Foe?

For this essay, you are writing to convince the opposition of the merits or dangers of technology or controversial medical advances.  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. Or you may discuss a specific medical advance such as stem cell research or cloning.  

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!
II. The body of the paper will do several things –
a. Convince the readers 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
1) At least two experts.
2) A current news source such as a newspaper or magazine
article or news cast.
3) An interview with at least one user if you select the technology option.
4) A personal anecdote if you select the technology option or have personal experience with the medical option.

5) Lines from literature – poem, short story, or novel. We read “The Veldt” and “There Will Come Soft Rains.”

6) 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 selected or to support or fight against the medical advance you selected. Be sure they know why they need or do not need one. Consider:
a. Convenience
b. Cost
c. Safety
d. Environmental impact

e. Ethical concerns

Here are some tips for writing strong first sentences:

http://itdc.lbcc.edu/oer/esl/esl33xal/presentations/introductoryparagraphs/introductoryparagraphs-notes.html

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/intros.htm

Here are some sample first lines. Which ones do you like?

A. These are from college admission exams. Stanford published 22 opening lines of essays they liked, the writers of which were offered a place in the graduating class of 2012. Here are eight of those 22, chosen for their variety and uniqueness:

1. On a hot Hollywood evening, I sat on a bike, sweltering in a winter coat and furry boots.
2. While traveling through the daily path of life, have you ever stumbled upon a hidden pocket of the universe?
3. Cancer tried to defeat me, and it failed.
4. Flying over enemy territory, I took in Beirut’s beautiful skyline and wondered if under different circumstances I would have hopped on a bus and come here for my vacation. Instead, I saw the city from the window of a helicopter, in military uniform, my face camouflaged, on my way to a special operation deep behind enemy lines.
5. I change my name each time I place an order at Starbucks.
6. I was paralyzed from the waist down. I would try to move my leg or even shift an ankle but I never got a response. This was the first time thoughts of death ever crossed my mind.
7. As an Indian-American, I am forever bound to the hyphen.
8. Unlike many mathematicians, I live in an irrational world; I feel that my life is defined by a certain amount of irrationalities that bloom too frequently, such as my brief foray in front of 400 people without my pants.

B. There are suggestions for first lines to just about anything! http://writersrelief.com/blog/2009/06/how-to-write-a-good-first-line-for-books-novels-short-stories-essays-and-articles/

C. Just in case you want to think some more . . . http://www.alphastudent.com/start-an-essay-opening-sentence/
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We did not get to do this on Friday.

You probably noticed that you could include a quotation from a user of the technological wonder you selected as the focus of your essay. Take the next few minutes to interview at least three other students in our room. First, you need to devise three or four good questions to use as the focus of your interview.
Questions that require either a "yes" or "no" answer do not work well. What can you ask that will elicit extended responses?

Here are some tips: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/559/06/

Take notes. Be sure you have the correct spelling of the names. Add the interview information to your EasyBib collection for this project. www.easybib.com



Now that you know what to do to create a great first impression, it is time to get on with the rough draft of the essay. Look back at the instructions. Follow the instructions.
WRITE THE DRAFT! Write all but the conclusion before Thursday.
Note where the in-text citations will go if you do not know how to do them. Otherwise, be sure to include the in-text citations.
Post in MyCompLab. (50 pts.)

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