Jake and Bobby's Blog A Vision of Students Today

Summary Response Outline

Summary:

• Topic sentence: title, author, strong verb, main idea “A Vision of Students Today” by Michael Wesh confronts the problems students are having with technology and other school issues.
• Supporting ideas and explanations to prove main ideas Students are overwhelmed with all of the work they have to do, and even their technology.  Most of the students said that technology is distracting them from their school work.  When they are on their computers they use it for fun activities such as Facebook instead of doing their work.  Students have a schedule that takes them 26.5 hours a day, this means that they have to multi-task.
• Concluding sentence: restate main idea This video shows how students are having troubles with getting distracted by their technology and their school work.

Response:

• Topic sentence: title, author, strong verb, agree/disagree (correctly portrays/ incorrectly portrays) because ___________ .  : “A Vision of Students Today” by Michael Wesh asserts that technology distracts students from their school work.  Technology has it’s pros but it also has it’s cons.  
• Claim 1: Many people in the video wrote on their paper that they spend the class time on Facebook and they spend several hours each day on technology.  The time students said they are on technology is more than the time they are in class or studying.  One of the papers held up said “I bring my laptop but i’m not working on class stuff”.  This shows how big of a distraction technology can be.    
•   
• Set-up  
• Evidence: Lead-in  “ quotation” (       )
• Explanation of quotation to prove claim
• Counterclaim 1: However, ....
• Set-up
• Evidence: Lead-in  “ quotation” (       )
• Explanation of quotation to prove counterclaim

However, technology can also be useful for learning. For example one of the students in the video said that there are online textbooks which saves money and is a more efficient way of learning.  It is less expensive to have one computer with all your books than multiple textbooks.  A student stated “I buy hundred dollar textbooks that I never open”.  In “Technology in the Classroom” by Brian Braiker stated "The iPad gives them more opportunities to be better communicators, to be better learners,(Shane)”  This shows how technology is helpful in learning.    

• What are the strengths/ flaws of this argument? (use rebuttal progression language)  A common view is that technology is useful in learning.  This viewpoint seems reasonable because in almost every classroom technology is used by the teachers and even the students.  However it’s more complicated than that, technology is becoming more distracting because of social media and everything that you can look up on the web.  Games and new sites are frequently being made and improved which causes students to be even more distracted.  These reasons show how technology is a detriment to the learning of students.  

Concluding sentence: restate main idea  In summary technology distracts students more than it helps them learn.

read,write,think

What does Reading mean to you? 

My definition of reading is gathering information and coming up with possible outcomes. I believe we read to gain knowledge and get better understandings of a subject. I also believe we read for entertainment. When I read I try to enjoy it and take in as much information as I can so I can try to use it in my daily life. When I get confused while reading I either look up the information or go to a teacher for help. When it comes to reading it is hard for me to get started. I takes me awhile to get interested in the book. You know you are successful when you have met your goals for your reading assignment. My role as a reader is to understand the context and get familiar with characters in the book.

My definition of writing is constructing a sentence, story, book, or any type of summary. I believe we write as a form of communication. We need writing not only to send emails or texts but also in professional documents. When I am writing I make sure to spell words correctly and put together sentences properly. When I am confused while writing I try to think it through and think of the best way to write that sentence. When it comes to writing it is hard for me to think of creative words. You know you are successful when you meet the goals that you specifically set for writing. My role as a writer is to entertain my audience.

 My definition of thinking is the process of using your mind to determine something. I believe we think because it is a human quality. We are always thinking about the future.When I am thinking, I am thinking about past events that recently happened in my head. I usually don't get confused on a piece of thinking because it is my own thoughts and own opinions. When it comes to thinking there is nothing hard about it. I enjoy pondering my thoughts. My role as a thinker is to come to conclusions about what I am thinking.

Bobby's Goals

My goal for this language arts class is to get good grades and try my best in every assignment. To keep from failing I am going to try to see Smith during my off periods.