Author: pdegregorio-hess

English midterm

Paul Hess

Dr. Licastro

English 151

18 October 2018

The Fall of Technology

Through reading the five articles in a first person point of view, the speakers illustrates that it is relevant on how technology is changing our ability to read and research. The articles thus becomes a comment on the human need to stray from technology so that the brain can process research more efficiently. This idea of technology changing our ability to read and research is especially present in texts that illuminate how the brain is affected from the use of technology. For instance, in The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens, Ferris Jabr illuminates on how the brain reacts to reading off of screens than reading from paper. It is lucid that throughout Jabr research our brains respond differently to screens than they do to paper. It is natural for the brain to read off of paper compared to screens because of how long we have used paper and the way our brain works with it: “How do our brains respond differently to onscreen text than to words on paper”(Jabr, The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens). Here, the speaker suggests that the brain does respond differently towards screen rather than paper. When reading on screens the brain can become distracted from the bright light which can cause headaches or any adds that occur to distract you from one’s research. When reading from paper, it is easier for the brain to process since there is no bright lights or anything popping up on screen that can be distracting. Just as Jabr conveys that our brains respond differently to reading off screens than paper, so too does he delineate that reading of screens can affect younger people. In Jabr article he reveals that this is present in younger people because they are being exposed to this technology more frequently. Reading with technology from a younger age can affect concentration which can lead to not being able to navigate through text: “Volunteers on computers could only scroll or click through the pdfs one section at a time, whereas students reading on paper could hold the text in its entirety in their hands and quickly switch between different pages”(Jabr, The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens). Here, Jabr contends that reading off of paper is more efficient for the brain to process research by being a physical presence thus making paper easier to navigate through. In juxtapositions, these scenes convey that technology is changing our ability to read and research. Ultimately, the texts becomes a comment on the human need to stray from technology so that the brain can process research more efficiently. When the brains distances itself from the use of technology, it is able to function at its full potential to read and research.

In the article The Deep Space of Digital Reading, Paul La Farge challenges that the need for technology is present. This idea of technology changing our ability to read and research is especially present in texts that illuminate how the brain is affected from the use of technology, but La Farge disagrees. Through La Farge research he indicates that the mind wanders off when reading through electronics, but also does this when reading in books. He describes how the human moves down screens just like it would when humans would read off of ancient scrolls:”The Internet may cause our minds to wander off, and yet a quick look at the history of books suggests that we have been wandering off all along”(La Farge, The Deep Space of Digital Reading). Here, the speaker indicates how our ancestors way of reading was through scrolls which made one read consistently down. We are reading the same way as past readers did and now we believe technology is a more upgraded version, but it is different in many ways. Just as La Farge elucidates that the mind wanders the same amount when reading from screens and paper, so too does he assert that the reading brain still has a problem with reading through technology. In the article, the speaker delineates that the brain does not take in the same quantity of information for research as it would when reading on paper:”The quality of digital media poses one kind of problem for the reading brain; the quantity of information available to the wired reader poses a different and more serious problem”(La Farge, The Deep Space of Digital Reading). Here, the speaker implies that the brain still struggles with reading from technology even though screens use the same format as scrolls. Collectively, these scenes describe how the use of technology is present, but still deals with problems with reading and research. Significantly, the text thus becomes a comment on the human need to stray from technology so that the brain can process research more efficiently.

This idea of technology changing our ability to read and research is especially present in texts that illustrate how the brain is affected from the use of technology. For instance, the article Is Google Making Us Stupid by Nicholas Carr, is expressed on how Carr’s brain has been struggling to retain information. He has had an uncomfortable sense that something has been picking in his brain and taking away his memory. Carr feels this mostly when he is reading because when he looks back on what he has read, he has not retained enough information to thoroughly express his thoughts on the reading:” The more they use the Web, the more they have to fight to stay focused on long pieces of writing”(Carr, Is Google Making Us Stupid). Here, the speaker implies that to retain information from technology, one must be consistently focused. Not only does the speaker delineate how the brain struggles to retain information, so too does he reveal that reading text on the internet could change the way we think. In the Nicholas Carr article, he indicates that because technology is so present in our daily life, it has changed the way we think. This is because in our society today, many people use technology constantly which has made it difficult for the brain to process :”Thanks to the ubiquity of text on the Internet, not to mention the popularity of text-messaging on cell phones, we may well be reading more today than we did in the 1970s or 1980s, when television was our medium of choice.”(Carr, Is Google Making US Stupid). Here, Carr illustrates that we did not have the technology in earlier years as we do now. From this, we are now reading more text because of the access to internet and the way we use it. In combination, these scenes reveal that the brain is not able to retain large amounts of information, but is able to change the way we use our brains. Ultimately, the text becomes a comment on the human need to stray from technology so that the brain can process research more efficiently. For the brain to be most productive it needs to distance itself from any form of technology. Although the brain has found ways of making itself better when reading with technology, it will never retain the information needed for reading and research as it would from paper.

 

Misterm essay

Paul Hess

Dr. Licastro

English 151

11 October 2018

The Fall of Technology

Through reading the five articles in a first person point of view, the speakers illustrates that it is relevant on how technology is changing our ability to read and research. The articles thus becomes a comment on the human need to stray from technology so that the brain can process research more efficiently. This idea of technology changing our ability to read and research is especially present in texts that illuminate how the brain is affected from the use of technology. For instance, in The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens, Ferris Jabr illuminates on how the brain reacts to reading off of screens than reading from paper. It is lucid that throughout Jabr research our brains respond differently to screens than they do to paper. It is natural for the brain to read off of paper compared to screens because of how long we have used paper and the way our brain works with it: “How do our brains respond differently to onscreen text than to words on paper”(Jabr, The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens). Here, the speaker suggests that the brain does respond differently towards screen rather than paper. When reading on screens the brain can become distracted from the bright light which can cause headaches or any adds that occur to distract you from one’s research. When reading from paper, it is easier for the brain to process since there is no bright lights or anything popping up on screen that can be distracting. Just as Jabr conveys that our brains respond differently to reading off screens than paper, so too does he delineate that reading of screens can affect younger people. In Jabr article he reveals that this is present in younger people because they are being exposed to this technology more frequently. Reading with technology from a younger age can affect concentration which can lead to not being able to navigate through text: “Volunteers on computers could only scroll or click through the pdfs one section at a time, whereas students reading on paper could hold the text in its entirety in their hands and quickly switch between different pages”(Jabr, The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens). Here, Jabr contends that reading off of paper is more efficient for the brain to process research by being a physical presence thus making paper easier to navigate through. In juxtapositions, these scenes convey that technology is changing our ability to read and research. Ultimately, the texts becomes a comment on the human need to stray from technology so that the brain can process research more efficiently. When the brains distances itself from the use of technology, it is able to function at its full potential to read and research.

In the article The Deep Space of Digital Reading, Paul La Farge challenges that the need for technology is present. This idea of technology changing our ability to read and research is especially present in texts that illuminate how the brain is affected from the use of technology, but La Farge disagrees. Through La Farge research he indicates that the mind wanders off when reading through electronics, but also does this when reading in books. He describes how the human moves down screens just like it would when humans would read off of ancient scrolls:”The Internet may cause our minds to wander off, and yet a quick look at the history of books suggests that we have been wandering off all along”(La Farge, The Deep Space of Digital Reading). Here, the speaker indicates how our ancestors way of reading was through scrolls which made one read consistently down. We are reading the same way as past readers did and now we believe technology is a more upgraded version, but it is different in many ways. Just as La Farge elucidates that the mind wanders the same amount when reading from screens and paper, so too does he assert that the reading brain still has a problem with reading through technology. In the article, the speaker delineates that the brain does not take in the same quantity of information for research as it would when reading on paper:”The quality of digital media poses one kind of problem for the reading brain; the quantity of information available to the wired reader poses a different and more serious problem”(La Farge, The Deep Space of Digital Reading). Here, the speaker implies that the brain still struggles with reading from technology even though screens use the same format as scrolls. Collectively, these scenes describe how the use of technology is present, but still deals with problems with reading and research. Significantly, the text thus becomes a comment on the human need to stray from technology so that the brain can process research more efficiently.

This idea of technology changing our ability to read and research is especially present in texts that illustrate how the brain is affected from the use of technology. For instance, the article Is Google Making Us Stupid by Nicholas Carr, is expressed on how Carr’s brain has been struggling to retain information. He has had an uncomfortable sense that something has been picking in his brain and taking away his memory. Carr feels this mostly when he is reading because when he looks back on what he has read, he has not retained enough information to thoroughly express his thoughts on the reading:” The more they use the Web, the more they have to fight to stay focused on long pieces of writing”(Carr, Is Google Making Us Stupid). Here, the speaker implies that to retain information from technology, one must be consistently focused. Not only does the speaker delineate how the brain struggles to retain information, so too does he reveal that reading text on the internet could change the way we think. In the Nicholas Carr article, he indicates that because technology is so present in our daily life, it has changed the way we think. This is because in our society today, many people use technology constantly which has made it difficult for the brain to process :”Thanks to the ubiquity of text on the Internet, not to mention the popularity of text-messaging on cell phones, we may well be reading more today than we did in the 1970s or 1980s, when television was our medium of choice.”(Carr, Is Google Making US Stupid). Here, Carr illustrates that we did not have the technology in earlier years as we do now. From this, we are now reading more text because of the access to internet and the way we use it. In combination, these scenes reveal that the brain is not able to retain large amounts of information, but is able to change the way we use our brains. Ultimately, the text becomes a comment on the human need to stray from technology so that the brain can process research more efficiently. For the brain to be most productive it needs to distance itself from any form of technology. Although the brain has found ways of making itself better when reading with technology, it will never retain the information needed for reading and research as it would from paper.

 

Rhetorical Analysis on The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens

Paul Hess

Dr. Licastro

English 151

28 September 2018

In the article The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens by Ferris Jabr, The author delineates how the brain has transformed from reading on paper to reading through electronics. Ferris Jabr was able to write this article because he is a psychology and English major who studied a lot of biology and worked in a social psychology lab before writing for the daily newspaper. From a young age Ferris was taught by his father who is a physicist about how the world works with endless amounts of questions which Ferris found entertaining. Once he was in school he realized that English and Biology were his favorite subjects and knew that he needed to pursue these studies. He figured out that he was more intrigued by learning and explaining science, rather than designing experiments. This put him on the path to majoring in Psychology and English in college and having an internship with Psychology Today magazine and the PBS show NOVA. After graduating he applied to multiple science journalism graduate programs because he felt that this was the best way for him to express his interest in both of his majors.

In the beginning of the article Ferris talks about a viral Youtube video from October 2011 about a one year old girl who was using an Ipad and is scrolling through the apps. She then obtains a magazine and starts using the magazine as if it were a Ipad. The little girl begins to swipe at the papers as if it were a screen and when nothing happens she touches herself to see if everything is ok. This story from the article is representing how our brains are using electronics at a young age which could be bad in the future. This article can have a major effect on a audience such as people with children. The audience of the article is targeting parents of children and the effects of having them use electronics from a young age instead of using paper. Since parents are letting kids use these electronics such as tablets, our brains have not been able to obtain as much information on electronics as it would from reading off a piece of paper. Parents are not the only ones being targeted since Ferris states “How reading on screens differs from reading on paper is relevant not just to the youngest among us, but to just about everyone who reads”. Here, Ferris is reaching out to parents so that they can see the difficulties their children may have of attaining knowledge when they are older.

The purpose of this article is to display that reading off of screens as a child is becoming a problem since studies show that more people are able to understand and remember text on paper better than reading it off a screen. Other studies have shown that using electronics such as reading off of tablets is more taxing on the brain than using paper, this is clear when Maryanne Wolf who is a developmental psychologist and cognitive scientist of Tufts University states “There is physicality in reading”. Physicality occurs when scrolling down screens the light can cause a strain on the eyes which then lead to headaches. Researchers such as Jabr also suggest that digital natives are more likely to not recall the summary of a passage because electronics have distractions such as receiving messages from apps or people: “Students who read the texts on computers performed a little worse than students who read on paper”(Jabr, The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens ). Here, the speaker elucidates that  reading off of paper rather than reading off electronics will benefit us so that we can obtain more information from reading. Ultimately, papers greatest power is it simplicity and we as a society should try and distant ourselves from screens so that we are able to receive the most information from reading.

Throughout the article you can understand the timeline of when it was written from the information given. The article was written on April 11, 2013 and this is the time when technology such as E-readers and tablets started to play a major role in our society. In the context of the article Ferris describes how his studies of psychology and English has helped him make these arguments such as reading on paper is better than reading off of screens: “When reading on screens, people seem less inclined to engage in what psychologists call metacognitive learning regulation—strategies such as setting specific goals, rereading difficult sections and checking how much one has understood along the way”(Jabr, The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens). Here, the speaker elucidates how with his studies of psychology and the timeline of when technology started to become more relevant he is able to figure out how reading on screens it can be challenging for people who set specific goals in there reading because when they set these goals they usually are set when reading on paper which is easier for the brain to comprehend, unlike reading on electronics that can become difficult since they are now reading on screens.

The genre of writing this article is the same as every other article on the internet such as “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr. From looking at Carr’s article you can see how they both have the same from beginning to end. At the very top you can see the articles name in big bold letters so that the audience knows that this is the correct article and that they have an understanding of what the article might be. Under the title the author then inputs a picture to give a real perspective of the authors subject. In all the articles they start out with an example of a story or what the author wants to delineate on. After, the author begins to give his argument of the stories given in the begging of the article. Throughout the body the author gives examples of what his argument is and gives details of why his argument is correct. He uses other authors that have the same opinions on the subject to re-enforce his argument. After the author is finished with his evidence he gives his conclusion on why his evidence is correct and ends the article with a eye grabbing sentence that brings everything together.

 

Narrative

Paul Hess

Professor Licastro

English 151

10 September 2018

Narrative

Five learning tools that I used when I was a child was pen, paper, computer, school, and texting. With these five tools I am now able to understand how to write because these helped me be successful. When I started out writing in pencil it was around kindergarten and they had us write on dotted paper so that we were able to write out the letters of the alphabet. The dotted lines would help me write the letters neatly and correct so that I am able to learn how to write. I did not need the dotted paper anymore as I got older because I became independent and could write on my own. I did not need the dotted paper anymore or a pencil at this point. Is I became more advanced in my writing I did not need a pencil or dotted paper anymore so I switched to using a pen. The first time I used a pen was around fourth grade because that is when my school allowed us to use them instead of pencil. Writing in pen would help me write more smoothly which ultimately helped express myself more efficiently from being able to think better. Once I was able to write in pen it made me feel more mature because I felt that I was moving up in the world and I felt cool. To this day I only use pen in all my classes besides math because we are required to write in pencil so that we are able to fix the mistakes me made. As I got older and technology caught up we turned to computers. I took computer class at my school all the way up to eighth grade, but we did not start using them in class until I was in sixth grade. At this time we started to write our essays on the computers and turning them in online. This was a more efficient way of doing work at school. It wasn’t until I reached high school that I realized how valuable using computers were. Doing work on a computer made you be organized because it had the tools to do so. It made writing essays better because you could put down your thoughts from the keyboard helping you write faster. Without computers I would not be the writer I am today because of the benefits of being able to write more fluently and not being afraid to misspell a word because of the the spell check that is installed into every computer.  

 

When I became of age to obtain a phone because my parents had trust in me that I would use it wisely it became clear that texting played a major role to help me become a better writer. Once I got a phone texting became a part of my daily life because I was always on my phone. This helped me in a way because even though I was always on my phone I would always be writing because of the people I would text. Texting made me always be engaged with writing and trying to figure out ways to use my words to be funny or be serious. With texting comes bad habits such as using slang words in your essays, but I believe it is good for writing because it makes you think of a different way to write instead of every average writer. Texting is like using a miniature computer and it is no different than typing on the any computer. One of the better tools used to help me write was school. School is the best tool used for writing because that is where people go to learn how to write and obtain many more skills. School helped delineate how important it is to learn how to write. It taught me how writing can help use express yourself and be able to deal with problems in your life and anything for that matter. My freshman year of high school our teacher had us write an essay about the troublesomes we faced in out lives at the time. All he wanted us to do was find a way to express ourselves in a different way than doing it vocaly like most people do. He knew that it is easier to write things down than to say them. Writing that paper taught me so much about not only writing, but a way to better understand myself and where I stand with things in life. Without school I would not be as accomplished as I am today.

 

Along with writing comes reading. Five tools to help me read are books, parents, glasses, library, and video games. Reading books was a major role in helping me read because it would force me to become a better reader even though I did not like reading. Reading helped me learn to comprehend things such as attention to detail, understanding why certain things are happening, and to become a better speaker. At a young age I began focusing on reading when I was in first grade. First grade is when school actually starts because that is when you start to understand things better. I was given books to read that were suitable for my reading level and they were cartoon books that had the number one on it so that you would know what level reading it is. I remember enjoying these books because they were not that challenging and I loved the pictures in the books of course. I would read these books until I was in the third grade because I was capable to read different books because of the level books i was reading. These books taught me how to read and books will keep teaching how to read with better detail as I get older.

 

The only way for me to read when I was younger was to have my glasses. I could not see when I did not have my glasses on  and to this day I struggle to see as well even when I am just driving. even though they are just glasses they played a big role in helping me be able to read. Most of the time as a kid my parents helped me learn how to read because it was hard for me to see. They would make me read them the books and if I had trouble reading they would then step in and help me. This forced me to become a better reader because I was learning how to pronounce new words and be able to understand them. I was able to overcome obstacles and would not have been able to do so if it wasn’t for my parents. Not only were my parents a tool for me to read, but having mandatory library as a kid was very beneficial for me. It is a tool that most people underestimate nowadays because people just go online for books, but we had to have physical books. We had library once a week every week for the year and we would have to go around and find a book to read for the forty five minute period. At the end of class we would also have to take a book out and return it the next week. Taking advantage of the time given in that period was very beneficial because it helped me learn new words that I can put into my vocabulary and use them in my daily life. The library is a valuable place to be able to learn how to read so that you can be more effective in life.

 

Video games I think played a huge roll in my reading capabilities because most of the time as a kid I was playing a lot of them. On these video games you would have to read what the characters were saying or listen to them speak with subtitles under under the screen so that you can take directions when the game would give you an objective. As a kid video games were much harder than they are today. It’s not because they made games harder it’s that when people get older they become more developed which then helps them understand the game more and are able to read directions and understand them. I did not understand video games that well till I was around the age of 14 because I was more developed. I remember going back to one of my spider man games on my gamecube and I remember how challenging the game was but once I played it again and was able to understand the directions the game was describing to me I easily beat the game. This is because I can understand things From knowing more now because reading has helped me understand the directions better. Video games help you read not only visually but through the sense of sound. Just like when you read to yourself you are basically talking to yourself and when you hear outside sources your brain reacts to it the same way. This I believe helped me become a better reader and help me to understand directions in a different way. It made me think differently and made me find new ways to figure things out. This made me have to develop new thinking patterns which ultimately made me become a better reader.