Hello, Class, WRTG 291 is designed to allow students an opportunity to focus on a particular technological transformation theme throughout the semester. Therefore, you are required to select one theme to serve as the basis of the writing and research projects that you will complete over the next eight weeks. The themes are in the course textbook, Research Writing, and they deal with the way that technology has transformed society, humanity, and education. The themes are as follows: a) How are online technologies changing the way we live? b) How is technology changing our definition of what it means to be human? c) What role should technology play in education? Take some time to think about which technological theme you will want to focus on and write about throughout the semester. Remember, the chosen theme will need to hold your interest for the next eight weeks! Assignment: 1. After you have chosen a theme of interest to you, please read the article listed below under that theme. 2. Then, respond to the questions listed for the article that you have chosen. When you respond, please place either "way we live," "humanity," or "education," in the subject line of your response so that your peers will know what technological transformation theme you've chosen. 3. Finally, provide generous feedback to the responses posted by at least two of your classmates. To help you understand how you are expected to respond to your classmates, please read the handout (under Course Content) that is titled "On Giving Feedback." 1) How Are Online Technologies Changing the Way We Live? Article: Nicholas Carr: "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" (pp. 92-94) Prompt: What is the main point of the article? Is the author successful in his argument? Why or why not? What evidence does the author present to make his point? (2) How Is Technology Changing Our Definition of What it Means to be Human? Article: Ray Kurzwiel: "Our Bodies, Our Technologies" (pp. 103-06) Prompt: What is the main point of the article? Is the author successful in his argument? Why or why not? What evidence does the author present to make his point? (3) What Role Should Technology play in Education? Article: Zach Miners: "Twitter Goes to College" (pp. 113-15) Prompt: What is the main point of the article? Is the author successful in his argument? Why or why not? What evidence does the author present to make his point? WEEK 2 HW Class: This week we will continue our discussion of the various technological transformation themes. Please complete the following assignment: Assignment: 1. After you have chosen a theme of interest to you, please read the article listed below under that theme. 2. Then, respond to the questions listed for the article that you have chosen. When you respond, please place either "way we live," "humanity," or "education," in the subject line of your response so that your peers will know what technological transformation theme you've chosen. 3. Provide generous feedback to at least two of your peers. To help you understand how you are expected to respond to your classmates, please read the handout titled "On Giving Feedback" under Course Content. (1) How Are Online Technologies Changing the Way We Live? Article: Andrew Keen: "Introduction, The Cult of the Amateur" (pp. 95-96) Prompt: Explain the main point of the article; then, develop a paragraph in which you refute the main point. Be sure to support your short argument with specific examples from the article and/or another credible source. (2) How Is Technology Changing Our Definition of What it Means to be Human? Article: Peggy Orenstein: "Your Gamete, Myself" (pp. 106-110) Prompt: Explain the main point of the article; then, develop a paragraph in which you refute the main point. Be sure to support your short argument with specific examples from the article and/or another credible source. (3) What Role Should Technology play in Education? Article: Sarah Perez: "Social Profile Network Costs Woman College Degree" (pp. 115-16) Prompt: Explain the main point of the article; then, develop a paragraph in which you refute the main point. Be sure to support your short argument with specific examples from the article and/or another credible source. ESSAY DOWN HERE! Class: Please make sure that you understand the objective of your first writing assignment - the response essay. Listed below are the instructions for quick reference (the instructions are also under Course Content). I want to point out that your first draft of WA1 should be acompleted draft. In other words, your first draft should be one that you would be comfortable submitting for a grade. Therefore, your first draft must be formatted according to APA guidelines and include a title page and a references page. Writer's Help provides examples of what your draft should look like. In addition, I want to remind you that your response essay should not include a discussion of sources other than those from your textbook. In other words, you are not being asked to include any articles that you have already started retrieving from the library databases (you will do that in WA2). I have attached some audio comments with more details. Feel free to respond to this note with any questions or concerns about the response essay. WRTG 291 – Writing Assignment #1: The Response Essay Courses that fulfill the General Education Requirements (GERs) at UMUC all have a common theme—technological transformations. In following this theme this semester in WRTG291, we are reading about the impacts of technology on various parts of society. You will use some of these readings to help you to complete this essay. The response essay asks you to examine a source or a group of sources and discuss your reactions to it. The essay will incorporate source material summary into its discussion but will also integrate your reactions to the source material. According to your textbook, Research Writing, a response essay asks a writer to “examine, explain, and often defend” a response to a particular piece of writing. Response essays require close reading of the article (p. 1). Often, it is a good idea to read with questions already in mind. In your response essay, you will write a response to a set of essays on pages 89-120 from your textbook, Research Writing. The essays are divided into three themes: a) b) c) How are online technologies changing the way we live? (pp. 89-102) How is technology changing our definition of what it means to be human? (pp. 103-113) What role should technology play in education? (pp. 113-120) You will pick one theme among the three themes listed above. You will write your response essay to the set of essays that represent that theme. Your essay will incorporate source material summary into its discussion and your reactions to the source material. In other words, you will use paraphrases and direct quotations in your essay. In addition, please note that you need to use beginning and ending quotation marks and page numbers (in parentheses) following the direct quotations. Organizing your Response Essay: You can find suggestions for organizing response essays on the following pages: Cahill, Kathleen. Writing a Reaction or Response Essay. LEO: Literacy Education Online. April 6, 1999. http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/reaction.html Writing@CSU. Writing Effective Summary and Response Essays. Colorado State University, 1993-2012.http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/teaching/rst/pop5i.cfm Alberdeston, J. Guidelines for Effective Response Essays. 2009.http://upraenglishhonors.blogspot.com/2009/09/guidelines-for-effectiveresponse.html Samples and further explanations of response essays: McGee, Chris. Sample Response Essays. Longwood University, Virginia. July 3, 2012. http://www.longwood.edu/staff/mcgeecw/sampleresponsepapers.htm Avila, Melissa Marie. Trapped in the Middle: A Close Reading and Response to Gloria Anzaldua’s The Homeland.Tammi Bob’s Faculty Page. College of Du Page. July 12, 2012 http://www.cod.edu/people/faculty/bobtam/website/sample_personal_response_essay.htm DUE DATE The first draft is due by 11:59 P.M. on June 16 and should be submitted in your Study Group folder. Please note: only your final draft of WA1 will be submitted in your Assignments folder. After you have submitted the first draft of WA1, your instructor will then provide feedback and suggestions for revising the final draft that you will submit for grading. While you are encouraged to revise and submit your final draft once you have received feedback from your instructor, you will have until July 21 to submit the final draft for grading. Please note: twenty (20) penalty points will be imposed on the final graded draft if a student fails to submit the required first draft. LENGTH The final draft should be approximately 500-800 words and should follow standard APA guidelines in citing the sources, which includes a “References” page at the end of the essay to list the sources. You can review general APA guidelines and essay examples in Writer’s Help.