843 Matching Annotations
  1. Dec 2018
    1. presented with the same opportunities to learn technology, but their needs to be a new established prioritization of teaching youth for future success.

      Go back to text (and handouts). This isn't really her overall argument.

    2. weather

      sp

    3. digital immigrants, are not equipped to teach the younger generations the right approach

      Are you sure she says this? Go back to text.

    4. r have been taught the proper skill set of appropriate technology use.

      Good.

    5. today’s youth technologically literate, also known as Digital Natives

      Not the same thing - need to clarify

    6. without technology

      Digital technology (humans have experienced technology for millenia).

    1. ts to hijack your brain. They hire the best designers and engineers to crack the code and use brain hacking techniques to make their users check their phones constantly. They come up with features in the forms of likes, heart-shaped icons, streaks, and followers. The only purpose of these apps — thriving in the attention economy market — is to trigger our brains into the instant gratification lifestyle, ultimately exploiting our mind’s weaknesses.”

      Good - but needs far more development and more detailed connections back to Mcnamee, Tufecki etc.

    2. , the effectiveness of which depends on gaining and maintaining consumer attention.

      not sure I follow - need fuller explanation

    3. he primary objective for all social media companies is to make money through advertisements, meaning that they are careless when it comes down to our mental health.

      Explain more fully

    4. Social media

      He claims that...

    5. t investors at Facebook. Golumbia, who is a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, teaches digital studies and theories. In this paper I will identify the problems that these authors have made evident with social media and I will evaluate several solutions presented by other authors as well.

      Good - but do more to intro problem, what is entailed. why we should care.

    6. any more are reshaping the media, but they potentially cause risks towards their daily users.

      How? Can you explain.

    7. About 40% of the Earth’s population has become familiarized with and uses online social media.

      Source?

    1. extends Boyd’s argument that their generation does not determine level of knowledge on technology. Nigel Coutts and Danah Boyd both claim that digital natives can be out of touch with technology, and digital immigrants can actually adapt and learn about technology if they wish to

      This seems more like simple agreement. I wonder if you need a text that gives you more to work with. See the list from class.

    2. termines one’s level of engagement with technology but one’s disposition towards it” (Coutts).

      Good

    3. ds Boyd’s claims by arguing that digital natives may not be universally tech-savvy in terms of work, but most of them do know a thing or two about video games. If they used this knowledge in a work setting, they would be much more useful and be respected by older people. 

      This needs a lot of development. Need to find more connections and explain in more detail.

    4. oint that technology does not always mean in a classroom or work setting, but many “digital natives” are in fact digitally intelligent on things like video games. He claims that digital natives

      So he accepts the term? Doesn't that mean he disagrees with Boyd?

    5. Danah Boyd a

      Background - who is Boyd, where is the text from, etc.

    6. disagrees with the idea that digital natives are automatically well-equipped and tech-savvy, because many millennials and young people must in fact learn the ropes to technology. She also combats the idea that digital immigrants are so out of touch with technology that they can never be natives, they will always be one step behind the natives because they didn’t grow up using technology. Although this may be true for some, many adults and older people are actually better adapted to technology than younger people

      Good. Could say more about why this all matters, what is at stake, and the positions taken (optimists, pessimists, thosre in middle such as Boyd).

    7. With the implementation of technology

      Almsot everything is technology. Try to be more precise.

    1. o the pizza place in search of these children. As a result of this man not being educated on how to tell whether a website was fake or real, he got arrested. Thankfully in this case nobody was hurt, but if people don’t get the right education on digital literacy then occurrences like this one will continue to happen. This just shows that with all the fake websites out there, everyone needs to be educated on digital literacy. Society shouldn’t assume that one group of people automatically know more about the internet than the other because realistically everyone needs to learn more about the internet. If we want to make a change, then everyone need to ditch the terms digital native and digital immigrant and assume that everyone has the same understanding of the internet and then go on to learn from there.

      Interesting and promising. Try to revise, polish, and connect back to Boyd (or the other texts) in more detail.

    2. “[w]ikipedia isn’t simply a product of knowledge; it’s also a record of the process by which people share and demonstrate knowledge.” and “[w]ikipedia can be a phenomenal educational tool, but few educators I met knew how to use it constructively.” (Boyd 188-189)

      Good - but connect back to Caulfield. search his book.

    3.  “difference between a web browser and the internet”

      OK - but this is unrelated to the your discussion of Caulfield. Find better connections.

    4. extends Boyds argument by providing education and tips about how to navigate websites

      How to evaluate unfamiliar sites

    5. Simple skills like knowing when something is biased or fake, understanding algorithms, and knowing how to fact check are important things that most teenagers have no idea how to do.

      Good - develop this. Explain in more detail what she thinks young people need to know.

    6. Being born into a society where technology surrounds you can lead to many assumptions that the youth has all the skills and knowledge about it.

      Revise - too broad and vague.

    7. nk children know everything about technology because she “often found that teens must fend for themselves to make sense of how technologies work and how information spreads.” This shows why society should not place the youth and the elders in different categories when it comes to social media because in reality, children don’t know much about technology at all according to some studies Boyd created that will be talked about in the next paragraph. Overall Boyd disagrees with the terms digital native and digital immigrants whereas Zur and Walker think digital immigrants and digital natives are supposed to be divided into separate categories.

      Promising, but need to refine and make more precise account of differences.

    8. virtue of their being born around technology, others do not have a knack for technology and computers, or even an interest or inclination to learn more.” This shows that they expanded on these two terms

      I don't follow - seems to support Boyd?

    9. by showing all the elements to digital natives and digital immigrants

      Make account of claim more precise

    10. Therapy in the Digital Era

      Italics

    11. I will also look at Boyds claim that the youth needs to develop digital literacy skills and expand on that with an outside source that explains in detail the skills that all y

      Mabe make this part of intro - as an issue. She wants us to think abotu how we talk about digital literacy as it impacts how we teach it and organize policy.

    12. atives decreases equality among the people because we assume that young people know everything about technology that we disinclude them from all learning opportunities.

      Refine account of her argument

    13. Danah

      Boyd

    14. “ It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens”

      MLA

    15. Were you born in a time where technology always existed or in a time where you lived without it?

      Too broad. Technology has been wth us for milennia.

    1. Bennett begins by mirroring Boyd’s argument and then branches off in order to extend on the same argument. Bennett’s comparison of the term, “digital literacy,” to other biases and how they affect our thinking qualifies Boyd’s idea of the danger of the term.

      Atreong work - good connections. Develop, refine, make more precise.

    2. s where technical wherewithal is neither valued nor normative, teens are far less likely to become digitally savvy.” This quote highlights Boyd’s central claim about the digital divid

      Nice account of boyd on digital inequality

    3. In the same chapter from her book, “It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens,” Boyd
    4. y skills necessary, Wikipedia would be a valuable flow of information for their research.

      This source as currently presented seems too thin. Isn't there other research on the educaiton uses and values of wikipedia? I suggest you look to this and try to connect to more of B's points on wikipedia.

    5. The information from the university happened to be opinion statements a professor posted while Wikipedia had the facts.

      Need a fuller, more precise explanation. This is hard to follow.

    6. This paper will discuss Danah Boyd’s argument in her chapter on “Are today’s youth digital natives?” and connect her idea to two other articles in order to extend or complicate her main claims

      Need to refine and make more precise

    7. perspective on the topic that is neither pessimistic nor optimistic but a healthy space in between.

      Good - this may be a better angle and way of setting up your paper. Perhaps lead with this.

    8. of the other articles

      Reframe - talk the other writers ou there discussing thiese important topics

    9. children who grew up around technology and need technology to live their everyday lives.

      Fragment

    10. whether today’s youths are “digital natives.”

      Not quite what the chapter is about.

    11. , “It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens,

      See MLA for book titles.

  2. Oct 2018
    1. This chapter is also filled with different types of evidence and reasoning as to why his side of the argument is the correct one. It gets the readers thinking about things they might not have ever thought of before reading this.

      Need A) situate text and explain the controversy, B) give better overview of argument, C) revise metadiscourse section.

    2. Because he has three main claims, rebuttals are to be expected for nearly each one however, he does leaves them out or makes them so small that readers may not even notice that there was a rebuttal.

      Focus on a specific strengths or weakess and discuss this in depth.

    3. Personally I agree with Thompson because I have experienced that when I put my thoughts out there and read others work it helps me have a better understanding of different writing techniques that I can use later in my writing pieces.

      Try to avoid the claim-response pattern. Focus on analysis and T's claim instead.

    4. essay perfectly in one go? This is why we write things down because the thoughts and ideas can become jumbled in our brains if we don’t. Thompson often uses media discourse for hs man claims so that his readers know exactly what is going on throughout the essay. This claim is also backed up by evidence which is an effective way to prove the point trying to me made. He uses a poet to back up this argument to establish credibility for the audience. The famous poet, Cecil Day-Lewis, says “We do not write in order to be understood; we write in order to understand” (Thompson 51). This quote is coming from someone who writes poems for a living and it shows that writing things down plays a huge role in clarifying your mind and is a big part of what writers do for their work.

      Promising, but again, need a more precise, fully developed account of this claim, more analysis if evidence and more work lining up quotations.

    5. than 500 million tweets on Twitter, and over 1 million blog posts and 1.3 million blog comments on WordPress alone” (Thompson 46-47). This shows people the bigger picture about how often and how much we use the internet for writing every single day. The use of the large numbers grasps the reader’s attention because it gets them thinking about the real statistics and to realize that Thompson may be right about what he is arguing

      On right track, but need a more precise, developed account of this claim. You also need to provide background for the evidence and quotations your present. Lastly, talk about evidence types and how used to persuade (see evidence section in textbook).

    6. gues that the internet has become an outlet for our writing skills and that we are writing more now than we ever have before.

      Needs to be more precisely articulated.

    7. more clear and cognitive,

      Unclear/awkward

    1. using many other people’s experiences, expert quotes, facts, and studies to support his argument. The author uses all four of these to support his claim about the audience effect. Thompson s

      Too generic. Focus on an element and how it strnghtens his case.

    2. A rebuttal that was addressed by Thompson was that college students are worse at writing now compared to people in the past. Thompson used a study from a Stanford English Professor as supporting evidence that people now write more than ever before. The findings were that the error rate stayed mostly consistent throughout the years, but what was interesting was that es

      Good. But develop and tighten this paragraph, and explain how the rebuttal advances T's putpose and persuades his audience.

    3. “hand waving” to prove that, if you were to write a controversial blog post with the concept of hand waving

      Need to first expain the audience effect in more detail.

    4. your need to please people.

      Not quite what he says.

    5. e that letter writing was a common event in the past, so people don’t realise how much they are writing in comparison to people in the past.  The author uses a Historian’s work to prove just how little people wrote letters. In 1845, the United States lowered prices on the cost of sending personal letters a

      Unpack and explain the claim before getting into the weeds.

    6. blic writing made possible by the internet has important effects on thought, knowledge-sharing, culture, and politics

      Nice

    7. in his book The Shallows that, “We (people who go on the internet) become mindless consumers of data.” which is similar to what you hear most people say when talking about the internet.  

      Good, but refine and revise this. It is a little abrupt and could do more to connect to T.

    1. ague and not relatable to his audience. Thompson recalls an observation he made when visiting young bloggers from China. He reflects on his surprise that many of the bloggers wer

      Interesting!

    2. that the most intellectual experts “[knew] how to debate, marshal evidence, listen to others, and [able] to concede points”(67). Thompson relates the Greek culture to today’s era to persuade the reader that today’s literacy includes a high standard of knowledge and proficiency. Thompson’s strong evidence is able to effectively persuade the reader on the increase of literacy.

      Agin - on right track, but need a more precise, developed account of this rebuttal, and background for the evidence and quotations your present.

    3. Thompson proves that with a society full of criticism, writers have to constantly reevaluate their own thoughts in a more precise and intellectual way to persuade the audience.

      On right track, but need a more precise, developed account of this claim. You also need to provide background for the evidence and quotations your present.

    4. The Internet has enlarged the impact of the audience effect

      Need to explain what the audience effect is first.

    5. but also improves one’s memory. For example, Thompson includes early evidence known as the “generation effect” tested by two psychologists. They found that individuals were more able to be recall words they had “written down compared to words merely read” (57). What he means by this is that writing is not only for developing thoughts but a process that allows individuals to improve intellectually.

      Good - but you start very broad and then work to a more specific claim. Explain that claim from the start, and develop your explanation of it, as well the evidence used.

    6. hat the Internet forms a new wave of public thinking constantly improving the way we live, th

      Overstates his argument. Try to capture the overall argument more accurately and precisely.

    7. ly improves ones writing abilities but also improves our society and culture as a whole.

      Perhaps mention writers like Nicholas Carr and Jean Twenge.

    8. New discoveries of the benefits of the Internet are evolving constantly, making it one of the most beneficial platforms in today’s era.

      This seems at odds with most of the recent news, which is negative (Russian hacks, invasions of privacy, trolling, etc.)

  3. riyathakur35.wordpress.com riyathakur35.wordpress.com
    1. people perform better in front of an audience

      writing for an audience improves the quality of both thought and expression.

    2. pson’s main claims, analyze how effective his claims are, evaluate his strengths and weaknesses and discuss rebutt

      Nice!

    3. writing in general is so important and the many benefits it contai

      Try to capture his argument more precisely.

    4. hese advancements have lead to many positive benefits including; clarity of thoughts, connecting and sharing information, knowledge, bettering our quality of writing and the expression of feelings. I

      Good - just need to rework this a little for clarity.

    5. a of writing in general there have been many advances with public writing, with the help of the internet.

      Imprecise - need to clarify.

    6. impact of writing on the internet has drastically changes and increases everyday.

      Think you have it backwards.

    7. expressed the many benefits it has

      Far too general. His argument is much more specific than this.

    8. , making us do whatever is convenient and not encouraging us to put forth our full effort.

      Great - nice reference to Carr. Try to make this a bit more precise (not sure "convenient" is his focus). Google his work - wikipedia might help.

    1. it has been proven

      Focus on Thompson's claims. Make Thompson the focus. (It has been proven by whom?)

    2. Educational development has radically transformed since the integration of technology.

      Avoid these huge generalizations at the start of paragraphs. Focus on a claim.

    3. e best that they can. He concludes that when you know no one else will be reading what you wrote, you will not care if it is well developed; however, if you know that many others will have access to what you wrote, you will have more motivation to try your best to create a well written piece.

      Rework this so that you focus on the claim about the "audience effect." Explain that claim in detail, and examine the types of evidence used to support it.

    4. they are no longer the only one who will be reading the material, a greater amount of pressure was put on to them to write something of higher value

      Reframe this in terms of what Thompson claims. Introduce a major claim and explain it clearly and precisely.

    5. within writing pieces

      not sure what that means

    6. acknowledging

      Use langauge of argument and analysis

    7. technology has had a positive impact on society.

      Too broad - this is far more general than T's claim.

    8. observe

      analyze and evaluate (watch for accuracy and precision).

    9. both sides in his writing

      He comes down firmly on one side. Need to rework the introduction and how you situate T's argument.

    10. public media

      I think you mean social media

    11. Between the various forms of social media and an increase in internet access, technology continues to influence the progression of society as a whole.

      Seems overly general and a little bit of a cliche.

    12. majorly transformed

      awkward

    1. ) When challenged to write for an audience, the students wrote more efficiently and even presented their argument better. Having an audience gives the writer a purpose and makes them want to create a piece that is legible to all audiences and all types of readers. The fear of criticism should not scare the author into not writing the way they feel most comfortable. Social media and blogging opens up the forum for discussion and gives us the opportunity to share our thoughts with others who are reading the same conte

      This section is good. Keep working on it and refining it.

    2. roviding the statistics and research persuading the reader to view the argument from his standpoint. Showing the proof behind his claims is a powerful tool when persuadin

      OK - but that is rather generic. Serious writers who write long texts usually use data and statistics. It doesn't seem a particular strentgth. It is a bit like saying it is a strength to use words when writing an argument.

    3. proves the point that our online posts are giving us a reason to write, and even though many of us think we can’t influence the thoughts and spark conversation all throughout the wor

      Suggest you focus on some of his more central claims, e.g. the importance of the audience effect.

    4. n age of limited ways of communication, people were still rarely using their writing skills to communicate. While people may disagree, think of it like this, why would the telephone have been invented if the form of communication that was already being used

      This seems to lead away from his claim.

    5. Research suggests that even in the United Kingdoms peak letter writing years- the late nineteenth century, before the telephone became common- the average citizen received barely one letter every two weeks, and thats even if we generously include a lot of distinctly unliterary business missives of the ‘hey you owe me money’ type.”

      Avoid what G and B call drive by quotations.

    6. Another claim presented in Thompson’s chapter, states that before the internet, people were not writing frequently

      Need to do more to frame as a claim.

    7. Thompson claims that people who use different messaging platforms rarely make grammatical errors in their essays and in their schoolwork

      Not a major claim.This element is really part of a rebuttal (he opposes the idea that social media is making writing worse).

    8. persuade the reader to understand his argument.

      He doesn't persuade in order to get us to understand. He wants us to agree.

    9. ur new generation writes. Thompson argues that the internet has given us a platform to write like never before. No other generation has had the tools to write so freely and easily

      Need to capture his overall argument more accurately and fully.

    10. The time has come when writing out our ideas with pencil and paper is no longer popular.

      Bit of an overstatement. A lot of people still use pen and paper to write many things.

    1. Thompson made the decision to include this experiment because his audience would know the esteemed reputation that Vanderbilt has and be more inclined to trust these results.

      OK, but this is rather broad and doesn't tell us anything very interesting. Studies from reputable universities are commonly used. Try to explore in more detail the way a choice or an elements works to persuade the audience or has an effect on the audience.

    2. ant decrease in the quality of papers that students produce. Thompson’s use of rebuttals function to strengthen his claims and counter any opposing viewpoints that his readers may have. 

      Good work in this section. Keep working on this and improving the analysis. Consider the strategic and persuasive dimensions of T's rebuttals.

    3. son directly challenged his opposer’s view and used evidence to persuade his audience that the counterclaim is invali

      Good

    4. lic Wikipedia entries. She found that “when the students first tried inputting badly sourced articles, the Wikipedians simply deleted them. So the students were forced to go back, work harder, find better evidence, and write more persuasively,” (56). Thompson i

      Need to discuss audience effect claim in sep paragraph, line up examples and evidence, and examine in much more detail. This is his central claim, so you need to explore it much more fully.

    5. Social media has given rise to a phenomenon known as the audience effect

      OK, but you seem to have moved to another claim.

    6. s argument because it was spoken by a well-known poet, someone who’s very job is to write

      Good -can you push this insight further? What is it about poets that make them useful to use to illustrate this point?

    7. ck up his claims. 

      Need metadiscourse section

    8. g, and culture.

      Good overview, but could capture his overall argument a little more accurately and completely

    9. cognitive thought,

      seems a little circular

    10. become more of a personal passion t

      On right track - but only captures part of what T is getting at when talking of the great shift.

    11. One of Thompson’s main claims is that writing on the Internet allows people to improve their cognitive behavior by clearing their thoughts

      Make more precise?

  4. sarahsblog376309888.wordpress.com sarahsblog376309888.wordpress.com
    1. “Indeed, one of the unspoken cardinal rules of online expression is be more interesting” (Thompson, pg. 54).

      Try not to start paragraphs with stand alone quotations. This is what G and B call a 'hit and run" quotation."

    2. . This example is the reason teachers oftentimes make students annotate a piece of literature that they are assigned, even so knowing that the student dreads i

      Not sure I see the connection.

    3. With this said, Thompson claims that online writing tools help broaden our way of thinking and in general provide more thorough thoughts and ideas.

      Try to connect more directly to previous sentences and idea of writing as helping individuals with discovery, externalization of thought, and clarity.

    4. support his main argument concerning the pros of public speaking through online methods.

      Intro could do more to situate Thompson, perhaps by exploring the controversy. Also need to tighten up langauge and make more precise.

    5. literary

      Don't say "literary" (he isn't a novelist) but rather rhetorical or argumentative, or just persuasive srtategies.

    6. delving

      analyzing (use language of argument)

    7. humans formulate deeper clarity/in-depth thoughts, superior effort and improved writing skills

      make more precise - how is it letting superior effort?

  5. Mar 2018
    1. stillconflictabouthowusefultheseclassroomskillswillbeintheworkplace.

      like waw and post process, debate over transfer.

    2. Suchamovemightallowusto(1)connecttheclassroomwithwhatstudentsarealreadydoingintheirownlives;(2)accountforourcurrenteconomicandtechnologicalinfluences;and(3)diffusetheconflictbetweenacademicandworkplaceinterests,buildingbridgesbetweenthesetwointerestedparties

      excellent goals

    3. nwhatfollows,IargueforamovefromattentiontotheconceptofsituatedlearningtowardwhatIwouldcallnetworkedlearning,andIdelineatenetworkedlearningaccordingtofourdescriptors:horizontal,peripheral,nomadic,andindependent

      main claim

    4. Studentsarelearninginnetworkedwaysmuchmorethantheyarelearningfromtraditionalpedagogicalapproaches

      seems a very bold claim

    5. ehavemovedintoanera

      technology is magic

    6. Thisessayproposesthatinlightofwhathasbeencalledthe"neweconomy,"weneedtorethinksomeofthepedagogicalapproachesandtheoriesweusetoprofessionalizeourstudents.

      Main claim. Do we really need this based on such thin reasons?

    7. Takentogether,thesetwotopicsindicatealargerseismicshiftinthewaysthatindividualsworkandliveinthetwenty-firstcentury,ashiftthatisalsoreflectedinhowprofessionalwritingstudentsarelearninghowtobecomeprofessionalsinthefield

      The main claim. Seems based on thin data - two speciall issues.

  6. Oct 2017
    1. seems so silly, obviously no one wants mass shootings to happen, but this is where the demagoguery comes in. In today’s society, it seems as though each political party views the other as a group of terrible, evil people with bad ideas. Although I don’t know much about politics, I do read many twitter arguments and shake my head at how these parties go against each other so aggressively.

      OK, these are examples of weak arguments, but you need to show how they fit the definition of demagoguery.

    2. things. For example, Hitler was a demagogue who got away with killing so many people because he taught his followers that his way was the only one that mattered. One could even argue that Donald Trump is a demagogue in power now. His insensitive way of speaking about the opposite party is demagoguery. He places adjectives in front of everything, like “crooked” Hillary. This could be seen as a tactic to make her seem less credible just by being associated with that word.

      Good, but you need to unpack RM's main claims in more detail before going to analysis of a target text.

    1. critical digital literacy” in her writing. I think by this she means she believes young people should be able to understand computers and other digital medias we use daily.

      That is rather general - I believe her definition goes beyond this. Try to provide more precision and specificity when giving an account of claims.

    1. because each day we use our computers and our smartphones and most of us have no clue what goes into that.

      Interesting response to Boyd. Could capture her claims more fully and precisely.

    2. In my opinion, the most important claim is “teens will not become critical contributors to this ecosystem simply because they were born in an age when these technologies were pervasive.” Throughout the entire reading, Boyd is trying to explain that just because teens and young adults were born in the digital age does not mean they know anything about how a computer works. She explains that the youth must learn how to become media literate, it does not come naturally.

      This is indeed a key claim. Try to capture some of the other main claims when discussing texts.

    3. The most provocative point in the chapter was made by John Perry Barrow,

      OK, but frame in terms of he primary author - Boyd draws on the words of John Perry Barlow to argue...

    1. The very last line of Roberts-Miller’s “Rhetoric ad Demogoguery” text sums up everything I felt after reading 100+ comments: “What most prevents demagoguery is a culture in which we believe that you should ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ And that’s what we should teach” (Roberts-Miller). In a marriage, politics, with family and friends, we could all take a cue from watching the hateful ways humans communicate with each other. It starts with us. The more aware we are, the less likely we are to support that kind of hate in others.

      You demonstrate a good understanding of RM's concepts and apply them to a very interesting set of examples. Nice work.

    2. Each side claims to be the “in-group” and the other as the “out-group”, which ends up isolating them both from each other, effectively creating a dynamic similar to that seen in our current political discourse.

      Yes, a fairly common, predictable pattern in internet comment sections.

    3. already see elements of demagoguery as defined by Roberts-Miller in “Characteristics of Demagoguery”. One of her key claims is that demagoguery takes on “god and devil terms.” Driscoll used these terms directly (“demons”), which “evoke strong emotions” (Roberts-Miller). It is clear to me, as someone who has fielded many questions about how I can teach yoga and believe in Jesus, that evangelicals are generally very scared of what they do not know. If it slightly wreaks of something “new age”, it is cast aside as bad. People engaged in yoga are flawed, misguided and need to be “saved.” Someone like Mr. Driscoll serves as a catalyst for more fear-mongering and anxiety. It gives folks in his congregation permission to call others evil without even considering that they may be quite normal and spiritual. He disapproves of any attempt at questions why, and lays down a blanket statement to refute any legitimacy that yoga may have. And people listen because somewhere inside of themselves, they are already harboring a judgment or fear that they may not have vocalized.

      Fascinating - what an interesting way of exploring demagogic discourse.

    4. Rather than it be solely dependent on the evil of one person, it is subtly built off of preexisting beliefs that pervade a group of people that are not in power.

      Yes, a key element of her argument.

    1. he McDonalds?” (31), to try and relate the personal freedom of smoking to the personal freedom of eating. If people can eat what they want and it hurts them, why can’t they smoke? But, this gets circular since his argument at the beginning essentially says that smoking isn’t so bad. If it’s not bad, perhaps he shouldn’t try to liken it to something else that’s bad. And, all people have to eat; not all people need to smoke to survive.

      Strong, thoughtful analysis and evaluation.I particularly appreciate the way you investigate Miller’s use of sources.

    2. n fact, I am quite sure he didn’t read the entire study because the quote he pulls is from the very last line of the conclusion, which is at the beginning of the lengthy text. He is working under the assumption that many people will think of the BMJ as a credible source, thus he is credible, but leaves out huge bits of information that can shift the meaning entirely.

      I think you nailed it. He distorts the research pretty badly.

    3. The symbol of a fascist regime

      It's worth noting that the author equates liberal politics with fascism. This is a rhetorical strategy (cf Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism, which is a popular book that makes this case) that has gained a lot of traction in the last 10 years.

    4. We were faced with a teaching moment we weren’t prepared for, but should’ve been, where we had to explain why that was inappropriate. While these conversations are uncomfortable, they are necessary. Technology can be a great thing, and a terrible thing. We need to teach kids, at a younger age, what to look out for.

      Yes, this has to be a key element of digital literacy. It does seem to be one of the few things schools are starting to work on wrt digital literacy.

    5. teach youth how to navigate media and technology in the same way that we are learning about rhetoric and writing: through a more thoughtful, analytical lens. I see this as teaching youth to ask questions like:

      Yes, and I'd argue that rhetorical knowledge ought to be central to her project.

    1. mportant one, so, hopefully people will catch on, add to the rhetoric, and produce more knowledge to help bridge the digital divide.

      I enjoyed reading this discussion of Boyd. You capture her claims precisely, make excellent use of textual evidence and raise interesting critical questions.

    2. Teaching people how to be critical about their information sources, while useful, will not help anyone get a job

      Perhaps, but there are other reasons it could be important.

    3. She only mentions Wikipedia, and goes on for pages about its greatness.

      A number of other scholars do the same. My concern is they represent Wikipedia as a key paradigm for thinking about digital literacy. But I suspect it may be more unusual than they assume. Many have tried to replicate the wikipedia model (wikicourses, wikitextbooks, etc.) and have failed. Encyclopedia articles are small enough, the genre well understood, and they integrate nicely with wikis.

    4. I think Boyd’s ideas about giving more education opportunities for young people is great, but she doesn’t outline the specifics of what that looks like.

      Yes, also my complaint. Her account of critical digital literacy is interesting but also lacks detail.

    5. which we are unfamiliar with who wrote it, and also subject to whatever biases they bring into the writing of said book. We will never see or hear the process of how they chose to include, or exclude certain information.

      Nice job distilling three of Boyd's key claims.

    6. that the basic foundation that children and teens have with technology gives them more confidence as they begin using it.

      I think there is research supporting the idea that younger people are more likely to jump in and play around with technology in a way older people are not (could also be they have more time). This may just be a matter of emphasis. Boyd would agree young people are generally more comfortable and may use digital tech more, but she argues this is often consumption-oriented and does not necessarily support the kinds of literacy she believes are important.

    1. All in all, President Trump’s speech to the U.N. Assembly utilized many demagogic strategies that Miller identifies within her articles. It is concerning that our current President is using such extreme tactic in his rhetoric. I hope the ability within America to freely criticise through open discourse will prevent President Trump’s persuasion towards polarization. However, I have already noticed polarization caused by Trump’s rhetoric within the United States. Thus, it is a fear of mine that this speech will create polarization on a national level as well.

      You do a nice job discussing potential connections between this speech and RM's concepts. Some work, others seem a little strained (e.g. the North Korea examples). If you choose to develop this you may wish to look at other speeches by Trump - for example his speech accepting the nomination, and his inauguration day speech ("American carnage").

    2. Miller illustrates a few examples of strategies used within demagoguery that can cause such polarization. For instance, the use of god and devil terms causing slipperiness, the use of victimization, motivisism, apocalyptic metanarrative, and in-group/out-group rhetoric, are a few of these strategies that Miller argues demagogues use towards their goal of polarization.

      Nice distillation of RM's definition of the characteristics of demagoguery.

    3. he

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    1. redible media source should not have any of these simple mistakes, as media professionals understand that editing and presentation before publishing is vital to their credibility as a whole and audience respect.

      Promising evaluation of the two texts.You pose some useful critical questions. I think analysis of sources may have been derailed (not sure you found the original sources).

    2. FORCES International, who wrote this article, are a biased organization in favor of r

      I think this group may have re-published the piece. The original is published on the CATO site.

    3. In other words, although Miller’s rhetorical strategy can heighten the support of readers who agree with his values, it can also heighten the anger and motivation of the disagreeing audience as well

      Yes - this may even be his aim.

    1. Therefore, by helping each other create tools that enable understanding within the media, along with empowering each other to use the existing tools necessary for media literacy, we engage in active learning. As a result of this, the the development of “digital wisdom” is a relevant and useful solution.

      Thoughtful discussion that includes some strong analysis of Boyd.

    2. evaluate information independently” (Boyd, p. 181).  Otherwise, youth will continue to “look for new intermediaries” to help them determine what’s valuable amongst the internet, instead of being able to critically assess the credibility and quality of information they access themselves. (Boyd, p. 186).

      You capture two of B's key claims well - nice work.

    3. It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens, Boyd discusses this assumption, illustrating how it is dangerous to our future as a society that lies ahead.

      Nice overview of Boyd's argument!

    1. It is very clear that infowars.com takes part in demagoguery. They use multiple tactics that Roberts Miller categorized.

      Thoughtful analysis. There is a lot of great material in this post. Some of it appears to need some revision and refinement.

    2. It was extremely hard not watch Alex Jones. I feel guilty for giving his website traffic and his video one more view.  

      I sympathize!

    3. Alex Jones demonizes the left throughout his video. He claims that the left is hurting families. The value of the family is a core american idea. Hurting the family appeals to (if not all) most americans. Jones is drawing on an assumption he believes most people will identify with. Families = American. America = good. Therefore anyone hurting the family is bad and is hurting america.

      Fascinating. Try to include the specifics of textual evidence to illustrate and support your analysis.

    4. Throughout both articles she makes statements that allow the reader to understand that sometime YOU are in fact the bad guy. In the case of demagoguery your point of view takes a strong hold on who gets to carry the label.

      Indeed, this was one of the big take-aways for me also.

    1. One problem with Miller’s arguments is that he does not cite all of his sources. He uses these extreme facts to try to persuade people but he does not use correct citations which does not allow you to check and see the information for yourself. There are only two articles that are referenced with the title and the source of the article. Both of these articles come from the same place the Cato Institute. The author of the article “Lies, Damned Lies..” works for the Cato Institute. He is a professor for lawyers. Because of that it makes his argument less reliable to me. I know that lawyers are able to be very persuasive and are able to use data to point in the direction that they desire. Not just that but he also uses the same kind of strong language as Miller does. For Miller to be more persuasive he would have to find more data and cite it correctly. It would be helpful for him to find articles and data that are from medical sources.

      This post contains interesting insights and shows potential. But it also seems as if it is still taking shape and could do with revision. Discussion of Boyd is brief. You show good evaluative instincts when examining Miler and Shieh. Try to include close textual analysis of their arguments.

    1. This can be seen in contrast to the first version of the story. The first version is the story in a written text. This version includes information on the characters, their home and the kind of work they do. The story is composed of paragraphs, in a traditional written style. These two versions show the contrast in oral and written communities.

      This post provides an interesting, thoughtful and rather general discussion of concepts in Ong. But it does not analyze the specifics of the Sundiata text. Try to include close textual analysis in future homework.

    2. Without the use of written language we are not able to hold these complex ideas into our working memory.  

      Yes, this insight is central to both Ong's argument and Young and Sullivan's.

    3. . Just as in academic writing, professional writing and narrative writing have a set of rules, so do oral cultures.

      Interesting comparison.

    1. rhetor gets what he (usually) wants, then he might abandon the rhetoric” (pg. 6). This is exactly what Donald Trump did during the campaigning for president making ambitious promises to the public in order to secure the election only for him to do a complete 180 and started to drastically change the infrastructure that has kept this country in stability.

      This is interesting and shows some promise. You need to examine the specifics of the language in the target text (Trump) and relate it back to RM's concepts. This could perhaps make an intriguing project. .

    2. What the author meant is that demagogic rhetoric has caused not just writers and scholars but politicians as well to establish a mentality that debates, issues, policies and so on are being settled through questions of identity instead of rational reasoning.

      Yes, this is a central element of RM's position

  7. ottocolomsblog.wordpress.com ottocolomsblog.wordpress.com
    1. some these techniques in Sunadita’s second version of “ Two versions of an Oral Tale”. Starting in the 3rd stanza, we see the rhythmic repetition of verses like “King of Nyani, King of Nyani”, and “Will you Rise” that extends in the next stanza. By telling the story of the King of Nyani through the use of repetitions in a rhythmic poem, the power of the words is not only able to project visual images that paints the poem into a story but also it allows those hearing the poem to remember the story, which is then orally passed down generation to generation.

      Nice post. You provide a thoughtful overview of some of Ong's main claims. You also start to apply Ong's concepts to the Sundiata text in a very interesting way. It does seem that your analysis gets started and then is over - I would like to have seen you explore more of both texts as your work on repetition shows much promise. This is what I would like to you focus on in future homework assignments - fuller exploration of arguments and more detailed textual analysis.

    1. 2. In Miller’s argument, I find multiple strengths and weaknesses. I found that a strength of Miller’s argument, as well as a rhetorical strategy, is his use of statistics. Miller first cites the British Medical Journal in ordr to state that it is even safer for college students to smoke than drive. Additionally, Miller utilizes rhetorical questions to prove his argument. I believe that this is a strength as well. When it comes to Shieh’s op ed, I found multiple strengths and weaknesses. One strength is the fact that Shieh utilizes personal experience to prove his arugment which I believe establishes his credibility. Shieh also utilizes the data of the concentration of nictotine to prove the counter argument wrong that the reason smoking is banned at SDSU is due to secondhand smoke outdoors.  However, I do feel that Shieh should have utilized more statistics for his argument.

      Promising, but I would like to have read much more on the specifics of what you found strong and weak in these texts.

    2. The digital literacy skills that I believe are important for the youth to develop include communication skills, creative skills, and collaborative skills. As a millennial, I witness my peers post on social media quite frequently. Unfortunately, though, I feel that some of my peers are lacking communication skills to effectively prove their points. It could be a misspelled tweet, an Instagram caption full of emojis and no words, or a post on Facebook that just is not coherent. In this day and age where social media is so prevalent, I feel that the youth needs to care more about making sure that they are effectively proving their points while utilizing correct spelling and grammar. Additionally, creativity is obviously needed in order to create posts that stand out due to originality. I also feel that millennials need to be able to effectively collaborate with one another to share ideas.

      Thanks for adding your perspective on ways that B's notion of critical digital literacy could be developed.

    1. Boyd also offers solutions to this issue of unequal digital literacy among youth, which I personally think is a noteworthy issue. When Boyd states, “By not doing work…to help youth develop digital competence, educators reproduce digital inequality…as privileged youth have more opportunities,” (180) I completely agreed with her. It is not right to assume that all teens are digitally literate, as opportunity varies among demographics. The solution that Boyd offers is that educators should take on a role of helping youth navigate the digital world as well as “focus more on skills and knowledge necessary to make sense of the mediated world,” (180). It is entirely true that in this day and age it is completely necessary to become comfortable with technology in order to succeed in higher education and the career force, so educators should work on bridging the gap throughout the youth and avoid assuming that all young people are completely digitally literate.

      Another strong post - you capture Boyd's central claims well and engage in some thoughtful analysis. Well done.

    1. n this link, one can see the before and after of some users reactions to finding out the shooter was a white man. In an effort to alleviate their cognitive dissonance they spread the idea of the shooting is a false flag. I really expect nothing less from this site at this point. I have been in enough chat rooms at this point that my opinion of people on the internet is not high. However, this level of racism and exclusion is soul-crushing compared to what I was taught this country to be growing up. The world is not as sunshine and rainbows as parents would want it to be.

      Very interesting. Try to delve more into the specifics of the language and relate it back to RM. This would make a really intriguing project. Let's talk.

    2. Donald was quick to blame Muslims before the shooter was even identified.

      Wow.

    3. The moderators, however, doubled down on their love of trump and expressed that he was in absolute control over the cabinet with his expert communication skills. Combine the moderation team with The Donald’s love for quasi-journalistic sites like Breitbart and you have a recipe for quick spreading propaganda

      Fascinating stuff. But try to find specific textual examples that fit RM's definitions.

    4. he

      She

    5. I find it fascinating that despite all our access to information and higher education, Miller’s answer to stopping demagoguery came down to the golden rule. Ancient social movements have been saying it for millennia but the more I study the more I see how true it is. Treat people with the respect that you would want to be treated back to you. Obviously, every situation has its o

      I had the same reaction.

    1. In perfect world, however,

      Yes - although in an imperfect world we could still do more.

    2. One way in which students can be groomed for an online world would be mandatory Rhetoric, journalism, or philosophy classes in order to build a healthy skepticism and critical thinking skills. Unfortunately, this kind of growth would require massive amounts of funding and resources.

      Agree on both counts.

    1. ws and ultimately shapes the way we see the world. Now with companies like Google profiting off of this information and incentivizing us to pick sites and information, we agree with we are stuck in our own bubbles. Alien to entire other ways of thinking on the internet. The internet has the power to unite us all. Begin the foundation for a global culture as people from all walks of life share their ideas and opinions. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem all that profitable and by sectioning off the internet into different isolated groups more companies can mine and sell off more and more of our data. Keeping people distracted and divided instead of one big collective conscious. Boyd seems like a smart woman who can help the world a ton by showing it what it is

      Interesting discussion of Boyd. But capture more of the author's key claims before moving to response, and try to do a little more precisely.

    2. he establishes this claims by first explaining a common phrase known as digital literacy.

      It's more a common definition of set of assumptions about digital literacy that she sets out to tackle.

    1. “norm”as harmful, she reinforcesthat a life centered around conservative living will only benefit those who participate. @apurposefulwife is not alone in her endeavor; a growing number of alt-right accounts have mushroomed across social media platforms, beseechingthat the right “unite”to counter the “threats”levied with them. As Millers advises, the best way to negotiate with demagogueryis not to get caught up in sentiment about the rhetor, but to counter rhetoricwith metacognition and deliberation

      Excellent analysis. If you have the stomach for it something like this could make an interesting project.

    2. nreasonable hate for the ideologiesshe helps further.“White’s breeding”is a watered down term for the more radical actions members of the alt right call for; anti-miscegenation, the propagation ofracial purityand the dominance of a white race.

      Another powerful and disturbing example.

    3. n this way, we see @apurposefulwifeplace herselfin the role of avictim, another characteristicof demagogueryMillers identifies.

      This is a nice example of victimization. I always find this the strangest element of demagoguery (and various forms of racial supremicism).

    4. to this in group, those who disagree cast into the outgroup

      OK - but need to give evidence of this

    5. some have called, “militant atheism” and manipulating an ideology to suit hisviews, paying little heed to others.

      Interesting section. Could explain RM in more detail, particularly her ideas about the key characteristics of demagoguery.

    6. Of allRobert-Millersstatements, her assertion that we must move beyond the demagogy’s we disagree with to recognize thepresence of demagogueryor demagogues within our own communities or ideologies

      Yes, one of her most important points

  8. hafsabadsha.wordpress.com hafsabadsha.wordpress.com
    1. While Miller presents research extensively, his use of logos is an attempt to establish his credibility, ethos. However, his abrasive language could leave his audience divided in terms of the pathos invoked. Passionate advocates of smoking would perhaps find this piece resonates deeply with their own sensibilities,

      Indeed. It may even be that Miller was practicing an early form of political trolling that he has developed in his position at the White House.

    2. d throughout the chapter. A causal, informal engagement with the digital world must not be the end to which teenagers strive to, rather a complex understanding of information-processes on the Internet must be understood.

      Nice work. I would like to hear your thoughts on how to operationalize Boyd's notion of critical digital literacy.

    3. We continue to exist in an era where the digital world shapes a significant number of our conversations; it has taught us to interact on a different dimension and brought about a new culture of communication. To associate fluency with age will deter progress rather than encourage it; a progress that will only achieved once we work on effectively bringing down barriers to access and encourage more proactive learning.

      Smart, well-written analysis of Boyd's main arguments. Good work.

    4. Boyd’s use of case studies helps illustrate this argument clearly; teens with restricted access to the Internet curate a limited skillset in contrast to peers with sufficiently more access. While the social aspect of the Internet can be affected, Boyd points out that access to information is greatly hampered. While interviewing a young girl from New York, Boyd discovered that her only means to access digital information was through an inconsistent mobile connection, or to rely on her friends who used “real computers” (194

      This is an eloquent account of Boyd's claim about digital inequalities.

    1. beral and Democrats argued how Republicans defended themselves over the scandal while their candidate was told to be sent behind bars. Both are polarizing characters along with their polarizing crowds. The demagogues are the ones who see only the right within their group and the wrong outside from out-groups. Using this news article, I found Trump’s side to be the demagogues in the situatio

      These seem like good examples of problems in the way political arguments often proceed. They have a family resemblance to demagoguery, and so are related to this, but I'm not sure they fit RM's definition exactly. Remember, for her, it must make debate dangerous and thus threaten to close down democratic deliberation.

    2. Different conservative media platforms, mainly Fox News, have been defending the two main account users, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. To say that the Republicans and conservative media are not hypocrites is absurd.

      Very interesting example. I think this is a good example of hypocrisy, and as you say this entails double standards. I believe you might have to do more to make it fit RM's definition of demagoguery. it is one symptom, bit I think more (in a single text) is needed to fit the bill.

    1. Miller’s article is filled with false hope for smokers and illogical nonsense for non-smokers.

      Nice critique of these texts. There is also some eloquent writing in this response. I think you are a little hard on Shieh who tries to find common ground with his audience.

    2. age 85 or above” (p.1). I found a lot of different websites that contradicted this search stating that sixty percent of smoking deaths occur at age 75 and up. These numbers come fro

      Good - you could cite some.

    3. ecurity. Kids in particular who live in a home where they have access to a computer will most likely use the Internet. They are not aware of all the imminent danger online. Adults should help navigate kids and teens when finding a legitimate, safe website. “Digital natives” and “digital immigrants” should learn to hone these skills together.

      Eloquently expressed.

    1. of the digital world, we’ll quickly find ourselves in a predicament of lost translation. Adults are aware of this digital danger, yet they only pay the most attention to how much time kids are spending on the Internet. If we can work together to resolve these issues, we can educate both the youth and adults about the digital age.

      Solid discussion of Boyd with some thoughtful observations. Remember to introduce quotations and capture claims precisely.

    2. When pertaining to the “rhetoric of digital natives,” Boyd claims that “not only is it fraught, but it obscures the uneven distribution of technological skills and media literacy across the youth population, presenting an inaccurate portrait of young people as uniformly prepared for the digital era and ignoring the assumed level of privilege required to be ‘native’ “(179). Us teens and young adults do not have a wide knowledge of anything and everything digital. If the digital immigrants assume this about us then there can be consequences, online harassment, and other obstacles.

      OK - but first explain Boyd's critique of digital natives.

    3. “misinformed sources.” Boyd explains Wikipedia as being a community of shared ideas, discussions, and thoughts amongst a written debate. You are able to read all of the distinguished viewpoints of people from America as well as other countries in order to create and develop conversations.  Questions can be asked and problems can be solved.

      Good observations. Try to also capture what Boyd says WIkipedia has to teach us about digital literacy.

    4. source. “Wikip

      Sorry to bug you about quotations - but introduce them (;-)

    5. Sometimes I can be a bit naïve when it comes to researching information online. When I was younger, I used to believe everything that I found online because no one explained to me how to research the proper websites.

      Thoughtful, interesting introduction.I like the connections you make to your own experience. Remember to introduce all quotations.

    1. Career wise, I aspire to work for ESPN and entertainment platforms.

      Many thanks for sharing this!

    1. exaggerated the threat of crime in the New York City suburbs, lamenting how Long Island’s parks have become ‘bloodstained killing fields’.” Trump even polarizes gang members by suggesting that police officers us an “us against them” mentality. If gang members are equal to animals, the police officers may believe they are above gang members and in turn treat them as so, potentially leading to higher violence and police shootings.

      Promising - the analysis starts to get interesting but finishes too early. Remember homework assignments should be more developed and the analysis more detailed than reading responses.

      Also, when discussing a target text try to analyze that text rather than a secondary reading. You can use a a secondary reading to support your interpretation.

    1. – “It obscures the uneven distribution of technological skills and media literacy across the youth population, presenting an inaccurate portrait of young people as uniformly prepared for the digital era” (179). – “It assumes [the] level of privilege required to be ‘native’ ” (180).

      These are two of her main claims regarding negative impact of the definition.

    2. paragraph then finally say her main claim. I would say the main overarching claim is that learning about technology takes time and effort, no matter who you are. Some quotes I found include…

      Good, but try to distill the main claims rather than list quotes.