Instructions: The main objective of this assignment is twofold: 1) You will practice active reading by analyzing the arguments presented by the four authors we read – Carr, Murphy, La Farge, and Jabr – on how the Internet is changing our ability to read and research. You need to present at least four points from the articles through summary, paraphrase, and/or quotation (with citations) and explain the significance of each in your own words. 2) You will present new knowledge about the subject being explored: a comparison essay should always do more than simply list similarities and differences, it should also incorporate your own opinion and experience. Therefore, based on the comparison you’ve conducted, you should also make an argument about which approach to education in the digital age is best and explain why. Your argument should take precedence over the comparison, so don’t let a lengthy comparison section overwhelm your overall argument.
Audience: For this assignment, your audience is an educator or administrator who is well informed and interested in the relationship between technology and learning. You may choose to imagine your audience as sympathetic to your argument or staunchly against your argument.
Requirements:
- Length: 3-4 pages
- Formatting: Your draft should be in Times New Roman, size 12, double-spaced, one-inch margins, MLA pagination and citation style, use spell-check. Your final will be posted to the course blog with the category “midterm” and the tag “midterm.”
- Organization: Your essay should contain an introduction with a thesis, body paragraphs with strong topic sentences and transitions, and a conclusion.
- Provide a title.
Learning Outcomes:
- Solve a problem whose context and definition have been given.
- Read and interpret texts rhetorically.
- Use sources, differentiating between quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing.
- Write expository and argumentative texts in the academic style and to the basic standards of content, organization, and correctness.
- Communicate orally and nonverbally during class participation, workshops, and/or presentations.
- Negotiate personal values by recognizing the values within a text.