Technology in the Classroom 2010 - Student Essay

Question 1

understand the prompt

Answer 1

factor essays do not need to be argumentative, but they can be. if the essay prompt directs you to “consider the factors,” make sure to focus on them as you are taking a position

Question 2

choose a position

Answer 2

consider the issue before you read the sources. feel free to go with defaults like: economics, emotional impact, job preparation, etc.

Question 3

developing your position

Answer 3

to make your essay more effective, remember to consider counterarguments and address them. rhetorical questions can be used for emphasis. overall, make sure your essay is clear, concise, and consistent

Question 4

implementing the sources

Answer 4

as you add sources, you may need to add words or change the case of a letter to fit the grammar of your essay. for example: we view “every minute not used productively [as] an opportunity lost”

Question 5

sample essay

Answer 5

a student wrote this essay in a timed session. there were 15 for reading the prompt and sources and planning the essay. there the student took 40 to write the essay. it’s not perfect, but it is a good example of how to write a consider the factors essay.

Question 6

sample introduction

Answer 6

start out introducing the topic. you can’t just jump right in to your thesis. it’s kind of like breaking up the soil before planting. then the writer introduces the controversy. the introduction ends with the thesis statement

Question 7

sample thesis

Answer 7

Because technology is so prominent in jobs and because of its economic benefits, schools should implement technology into students’ learning, with limits on spending

Question 8

samples claims, data, and warrants

Answer 8

the writer presents a debatable claim: schools should be teaching students how to properly use technology because it will be such a prominent part of their jobs. then the writer puts in a source to support the claim. the writer smoothly transitions between claims, data, and warrants, nicely weaving them all together

Question 9

sample conclusion

Answer 9

this conclusion is shorter than we’d expect. the writer was probably running out of time. it does sum up the ideas and works well enough. if you have already demonstrated that you can control sources and that you have original ideas, they won’t punish you for writing a single sentence conclusion.

Question 10

which source quote would best help strengthen this paragraph in response to the sample prompt?

Answer 10

• according to source E, “There is no quality control on the internet”
• Gelernter, in Source C, picks apart Clinton’s argument that unlimited access to information is good
• According to Dyson, in source C, children sit around playing video games instead of learning skills
• Author Steven Johnson embodies
• Source F, is a cartoon of a ‘jailed’ child
• source g shows the ‘traditional’ classroom model was ineffective
• with their new laptops, empire high
• ‘being fed so much processed information”
• the cartoon in source f focuses on technology benefits
• Gelerneter warns, “there is no quality control on the internet”
• source g indicates that technology can “enhance imaginations”
• 96% of students with online access
• source c indicates that children need
• source c says that children in computerized environments lack
• gelernter also claims that “the web is a propaganda…”
• 81% of college students take some or all of their courses online
• children have access to enough information; they need to learn how to think
• 29% increase in enrollment