(Pre-Writing) Discussion Board-They Say, I Say Readings: Making Connections
A. Read & Annotate: All Articles (2-Readings PDF Files) **The annotations will NOT be submitted as they are for your use/reference only!
a. “Has Coronavirus Made the Internet Better” Jenna Wortham p587-592
b. “Social Media: The Screen, the Brain, and Human Nature” Justin Vinh p607-613
B. Assess & Evaluate: The author’s argument(s) finding similarities/differences between the articles to link the information together **This information should come from your notes/annotations!
C. Respond: (Agree/Disagree) To the argument presented using direct quotes and summarized material from the articles given. **Please be sure to cite all quotes using MLA 8 Guidelines as per the LSH!
f.Be sure to consider any potential bias, and tone of the article.
g.Consider the author’s background/personal experience, and how that may influence the writing of the article.
h. Consider whether the author is an expert or a novice in their field.
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- Consider what you learned that you did not know or had not considered before.
- Remember to consider what all authors are contributing to the larger conversation about technology and human behavior.
- It is acceptable for you to agree AND disagree with certain points that each author makes in their argument.
E. Using critical thinking and writing skills, summarize your findings developing a concise and well-organized argument. (I do not want a series of answers to questions!)
i.You MUST use both (2) articles from the unit in the analysis.
j.Minimum of 3-4 complete paragraphs (350-500 words min, 7-11 sentences per paragraph). Make sure that you have a clear thesis which drives your response/argument!
k.Minimum of 4-Direct quotes cited correctly using MLA formatting and Quotation Sandwich Rules!
l.No Works Cited page necessary for this assignment!
m. Things to Consider: Please consider the following when completing this assignment (and other readings-based assignments this semester). The most important thing to remember that the discussion forum is NOT a full essay assignment. (That will come later). This is intended to be practice for assessing, evaluating, and responding to an argument. With regards to the Wortham and Vinh readings, both authors provide differing opinions regarding how technology has influenced human behavior and the way in which people interact with and respond to one another. And you can say just that if you choose to. The act of annotating and note taking is excellent in that it will help you to better understand the readings by placing the content into your own words. This is where you start. Once you have annotated/noted BOTH articles, you consider what the authors have to say. What is their argument? Do they see technology as having a positive or a negative influence on human behavior? Do they provide sufficient evidence to support their argument? Are they believable/credible? After you have evaluated both arguments, who do you support? Who offered the more compelling argument? Who do you agree with and why? Are there points you disagree with? This is all part of critical thinking/reading/writing…being able to disseminate the argument (pick it apart, assess/evaluate the information, then respond…how do you feel about what was stated?) I hope that this helps to clarify a bit more what is expected of the assignment! 🙂 **See sample discussion forums for guidance!