Bobby's summary outline "Footprints in the Digital Age"

Summary Response Outline

Summary:  “Footprints in the Digital Age” by Will Richardson illustrates the idea that teachers, mentors, and parents need to help students reach their full potential by adapting to what students use now for information.  Technology is increasingly getting smarter and students can now look up what they need to know instead of going to a class and actually trying to learn.  Richardson supports this idea by saying that students are teaching themselves on online websites and then tuning out in classes.  Furthermore, Richardson supports his idea by comparing students to driving a bus without instruction or guidance and trying to learn how to navigate as they go.  Parents, mentors, and teachers need to be there for students and help them with hands on learning.  Throughout these examples Richardson shows that students are learning more from technology rather than going to classes and learning from a professor/teacher/mentor.  

• Topic sentence: title, author, strong verb, main idea
• Supporting ideas and explanations to prove main ideas
• Concluding sentence: restate main idea

Response:  “Footprints in the Digital Age” by Will Rachard correctly portrays that students are learning differently than before and adults need to adapt and help students reach their full potential by giving them first hand experiences.  In the article RIchardson demonstrates his point by showing how students use social media to talk about classroom things.  Richardson proclaims, “Whether we like it or not, social Web technologies are having a huge influence on students who are lucky enough to be connected, even the youngest ones.”  20 years ago people would have never imagined how powerful technology could have become.  Even 10 years ago people wouldn't have guessed how greatly technology would affect education.  However, technology does have it’s pros and it’s cons. “Top Hat Blog” by Gene Montano states, “Creating expectations and guidelines for the students, and sticking to them, will be important for them in respecting your boundaries.”  Teachers will have to trust that their students are doing what they are supposed to be doing on their computer, phone, and tablet.  It is a trust issue just as much as it is an integrity issue.  

• Topic sentence: title, author,,correctly portrays/ incorrectly portrays___(Main Idea)________ because ___________ .
• Claim 1:
• Set-up
• Evidence: Lead-in  “ quotation” (Shakespeare 1.2.13-17).
• Explanation of quotation to prove claim: explain quote, connect to claim
• Counterclaim 1: However, ....
• Set-up
• Evidence: Lead-in  “ quotation” (       )
• Explanation of quotation to prove counterclaim: explain quote, connect to claim
• What are the strengths/ flaws of this argument? (use rebuttal progression language)
• Concluding sentence: restate main idea