Is Google Making Us Stupid?
LEARNING GOALS: By completing this assignment, you will:
· develop a thesis for an argumentative essay
· use claims and evidence to support an argument
· practice entering into a critical conversation
· practice framing ideas and quotations in academic writing
· establish a sense of credibility in academic writing
· use common formats and conventions (e.g., structure, tone, mechanics, citation) for an academic argument
TASK: Your job in this assignment is to enter into the critical conversation about the effects of the internet on learning, knowledge, memory, concentration, and thinking. To do so, write an argumentative essay, between about 1,000 and 1,500 words, that answers the question posed by Nicholas Ca
: Is Google making us stupid? Your essay should make your own position clear, and drawing on your own experiences, your analysis of Ca
's argument, our class discussions, and your research into outside sources in order to make an argument that answers Ca
's question.
One of your goals in this assignment should be to establish a sense of ethos, or character and credibility. Do so by indicating that you share your audience's values, by showing your own experiences with the internet, and by demonstrating that you have done your homework about the subject matter by looking into what others have said about Ca
's claims.
Also, remember this unit's readings and mini-lectures on locating, analyzing, and framing sources. Challenge yourself to use the techniques you read about in order to make the best argument you can.
As always, you may use any of the material from your Writer's Journal or our class discussions as a starting point for this writing assignment.
COVER LETTER: When you submit this assignment, include a
ief cover letter (no more than 300 words) that answers the following questions:
· What is your purpose? What is it you are trying to do or say in this assignment?
· What are you proud of about this piece of writing?
· What challenges did you face while completing this assignment?
· What sorts of feedback do you want from your instructor on this assignment?
Include your cover letter as a comment on your upload -- not as a separate document. Your cover letter will not count for or against your grade, but will help your instructor respond best to your writing.
LENGTH, DESIGN, & FORMATTING: Your assignment should be between 1,000 and 1,500 words (this word count does not include your Works Cited pages). More important than length is quality. Make sure to fully argue your position, using development strategies that help you support, clarify, and extend your argument.
Use MLA guidelines for document design. This includes using 1-inch margins, double-spaced type, a page number in the upper right corner, and a Works Cited page.
Give your work a unique title -- not "Is Google Making Us Stupid?"
A NOTE ABOUT SOURCES: You will almost certainly make use of outside sources in this assignment. Whenever you use sources, cite them using MLA in-text and end-of-text guidelines for citation. This includes placing the quoted material in quotation marks, clearly indicating the author of the work, and providing a page number for the quotation, if applicable.Include a Works Cited page with an entry for each source that you refe
ed to in the main text. Use MLA guidelines to create your Works Cited page. For examples and discussion of how to work with sources in writing, see the Purdue OWL resources on using research: https:
owl.purdue.edu/owl
esearch_and_citation/using_research/index.html
Your assignment will be graded using a ru
ic derived from the ru
ic used to grade your final portfolio. Please note that the ru
ic for this assignment places importance on focus, development, and the use of explicit reasoning and evidence.
Online MWA 4: Is Google Making Us Stupid?
Online MWA 4: Is Google Making Us Stupid?
Criteria
Ratings
Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Focus
A successful essay will stay focused on the controlling idea, message, or thesis it is trying to convey. Without focus, an essay seems disjointed, uncentered, and lacking clarity. Here your instructor will assess how closely your essay focuses on a complex idea or thesis throughout. Do you wander from topic to topic? Is it clear what you are arguing? Do you attend to your central thesis/message throughout the essay?
15 pts
The assignment is focused around a clear central message. The focus is creative, memorable, and particularly insightful, given the assignment instructions. Everything in the assignment contributes to the development of the message.
14 pts
The assignment is focused around a clear central message. Everything in the assignment contributes to the development of the message.
13 pts
At times, the focus of the writing is unclear. At times, it may be difficult for the reader to feel engaged.
10 pts
The message of the writing is unfocused or confusing. The writing may be overly redundant.
0 pts
The writing is seriously unfocused, or was not submitted.
15 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Development
Evidence is key to persuading a reader of your thesis. A successful essay will present enough evidence related to the topic or thesis to support the claims the writer is making. An essay without enough evidence to support claims will seem ungrounded and unconvincing. Do you have evidence and support for each of your claims? Is the evidence related to the claims that are made? Are the details specific or abstract? Is the evidence from relevant and reliable sources? A second—and very critical—evaluative criteria for academic writing is the complexity of the content. This means that the writer moves beyond a surface discussion of a topic or problem to relate a sophisticated perspective, one that will engage the reader in critical thought.
20 pts
The assignment uses a variety of support to develop its focus (anecdotes, quotes, description, examples, etc.). The development strategies are particularly creative or insightful, given the writer's purpose. In general, the assignment seems complete.
19 pts
The assignment uses a variety of support to develop its focus (anecdotes, quotes, descriptions, examples, etc.). The development strategies are appropriate for the writer's purpose. In general, the assignment seems finished, although there may be a few places where the writer could include more details or explain a point further.
17 pts
The assignment develops some of its ideas, but in a way that is overly general, vague, or repetitious. Development strategies could be more effective, or more focused on supporting the claim. In general, the assignment shows room for further development, expansion, or revision.
15 pts
The assignment needs details, explanations, or examples to support and clarify the focus. In key places, the writer has not effectively what he or she means. Many points remain abstract or general. There is little evidence that the writer invested significant time or thought into the assignment.
0 pts
The assignment is seriously underdeveloped, or was not submitted.
20 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Rhetorical Awareness: Sources & the Critical Conversation
Rhetorical awareness means a careful consideration of audience, purpose, genre, and context.
25 pts
The assignment includes evidence that the writer has thought carefully about several perspectives on the subject. The assignment includes explicit reference to other arguments on the subject, and includes explicit analysis of those arguments. The assignment is especially insightful about the larger “conversation” su
ounding the subject.
22 pts
The assignment includes evidence that the writer has thought about other perspectives on the subject. The assignment includes explicit reference to other arguments on the subject.
19 pts
The assignment indicates that the writer is working toward an understanding of other perspectives on the subject. The writer may need to further understand and analyze other arguments on the subject.
16 pts
The assignment has the potential to address other perspectives on the subject, but the writer has not explored those arguments in much depth.
0 pts
The assignment does not attempt to address or illustrate the connections between language, community, and identity.
25 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Conventions
“Conventions” is used
oadly here to encompass everything from word choice, sentence variety, and grammatical co
ectness to documentation and formatting.
15 pts
The assignment appears to have been edited and proofread. The sentences are complex and effective, and the word choice is sophisticated. In general, the writer displays an understanding of common writing conventions, including the use of sentence structure and word choice to establish tone and meaning. One or two minor e
ors may be present. Any
eaks from common writing conventions are intentional and for a clear purpose. All words and ideas from sources external to the writer are accurately documented.
12 pts
The assignment appears to have been edited and proofread. The meaning of each sentence is clear, and sentence structure and word choice supports the overall meaning. E
ors in grammar, syntax, or punctation may be present, but do not impede understanding. Documentation is essentially complete and accurate.
11 pts
In general, the sentences are clear, although patterns in grammatical e
ors interfere with understanding. Word choice is confusing in a few places. Documentation is essentially complete, although there may be e
ors.
9 pts
The assignment appears not to have been edited or proofread. Patterns of grammatical e
ors seriously inhibit understanding, perhaps a pattern of fragments or run-ons throughout. Wording and sentence structure are confused to the point where they interfere with the reader’s understanding. Documentation is inco
ectly applied.
0 pts
Grammatical e
ors make it difficult or impossible to understand the writer's meaning, or no assignment was submitted.
15 pts
Total Points: 75
Is Google Making Us Stupid? (cover story)
Authors:
Ca
, Nicholas
Source:
Atlantic. Jul/Aug2008, Vol. 302 Issue 1, p56-63. 6p.
Document Type:
Article
Subjects:
INTERNET -- Psychological aspects
TECHNOLOGICAL innovations
THOUGHT & thinking
ENGAGED reading
INDUSTRIAL efficiency
Abstract:
The article examines the effect of Internet use on the ways people read and process information. The ability of technology to shape the process of thought is explored. Distinctions are made between decoding text and deep reading. The effect of technological innovations on the writing style of Friedrich Nietsche and on industrial efficiency is discussed.
Lexile:
1200
Full Text Word Count:
4273
ISSN:
XXXXXXXXXX
Accession Number:
XXXXXXXXXX
Database:
MasterFILE Premie
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Goodreads - User Review
Is Google Making Us Stupid?
Full Text
What the Internet is doing to our
ains
Dave, stop. Stop, will you? Stop, Dave. Will you stop, I Dave?" So the supercomputer HAL pleads with the implacable astronaut Dave Bowman in a famous and weirdly poignant scene toward the end of Stanley Ku
ick's 2007: A Space Odyssey. Bowman, having nearly been sent to a deep-space death by the malfunctioning machine, is calmly, coldly disconnecting the memory circuits that control its artificial
ain. "Dave, my mind is