Richtel, M. (2010). Growing up digital, wired for distraction. In Blau, S, & Burak, K. (eds). Writing In The Works. (349-357). Ebook: Cengage Learning.
In his article Growing up digital, wired for distraction, Matt Richtel uses the anecdotes of a few specific high school students and teachers in order to paint a picture of technology's effect on teenage students' educational capabilities. Richtel focuses heavily on the idea that although a focus on schooling and a focus on technology are mutually exclusive, school have no choice but to incorporate technology into their curriculum in order to appeal to students who are already addicted to technology, thus worsening the learning experience.
Richtel centers his entire article around the story of Vishal, a student who is finding trouble focusing on homework due to his interest in digital film-making. Vishal's story is used as both to make the author's argument convincing and interesting, while also providing a structural framework around which the article can be written. By bringing up Vishal's lowering grades, for example, the author is able to discuss what his teachers think, and what measures his school is taking to include technology while making sure that it does not become a distraction. Through Vishal's struggles with balancing work and school, the author makes generalizations about how other students are being affected by technology. In essence, Vishal becomes a symbol of America's increasingly distracted and technologically-inclined youth.
Since Richtel does not claim to be an expert on the subject of the interaction of youth with technology, he resorts to using Vishal's anecdotal stories as proof of a larger trend among American students. However, this leaves his argument poorly supported. One cannot make a generalization about an entire population based on the stories of a few children, which were hand-picked due to the technology-related issues they were having in school. In addition, the students interviewed live in Silicon Valley, one of the most technology-focused areas in North America. Without any proof that Vishal's story is indicative of the views of his demographic in general, the article comes across as speculative and even alarmist in its claims. This shows that the scope of the author's argument was too broad; while the evidence he collected would be sufficient in describing the technology-induced academic struggles that some Silicon Valley students undergo in daily life, he instead attempts to argue that the grades of students “across the country” are in danger due to their increased use of electronic media, a point which he ultimately cannot support.
While Richtel's article certainly flows nicely and is easy to read – thanks in part to the way it is divided into easily-digested sub-sections, -- it fails to present a strong case for the author's argument that technology is removing students' ability to focus on schoolwork. Vishal's story is interesting and thought-provoking, but it simply cannot be used as proof for such a broad claim, and the secondary sources used to support the author's argument are few and far between. Due to its weak argument and alarmist nature, I would not recommend this article to anyone.
Sunday 23 March 2014
Wednesday 26 February 2014
Critical Analysis of "A Fine Balance" by Thanos Matthai
Matthai, T. (2012). A fine balance: The life of a Muslim teenager. In Blau, S, & Burak, K. (eds). Writing In The Works (197-200). Ebook: Cengage Learning.
In his article A fine balance: The life of a Muslim teenager, Thanos Matthai creates a profile of his acquaintance and fellow college student Mohamed Ahmed. The profile attempts to show the tension between Mohamed's Muslim faith and college culture by describing several situations in which Mohamed's faith is morally at odds with his surroundings. Throughout the paper there is the continuous sense that Mohamed is leading two lives – one in which he is a devout Muslim and one in which he is an ordinary college student, trying to fit in with his peers and maintain a social life – and that these forces pull him in two different directions, creating strain in his relationships and confusing his sense of self. The overall aim of the paper seems to be to help readers sympathize with Muslim students who act differently from their peers due to their religious beliefs.
By writing his entire paper in an anecdotal style, Matthai keep readers interested while also giving examples from Mohamed's life that help reinforce the theme of his article. The scenarios Matthai chose to include are typical college student experiences that his audience will likely relate with; however, he is able to show these experiences from a different angle by describing Mohamed's thoughts in each scenario. The juxtaposition between a familiar setting and an unfamiliar point of view highlights the way Mohamed stands out from his peers due to his religious beliefs, and the feeling he describes of not fully belonging to either his conservative Muslim family or his irreligious friends.
While Matthai is not necessarily an expert on the topic on which he writes, he refers constantly to quotes from Mohamed and his friends, which serve the purpose of describing Mohamed's behaviour from both points of view. These quotes also reveal that Mohamed's friends do not fully understand what motivates him to act the way he does, and help reinforce the theme that Muslims are often misunderstood in our society.
In general, this article is well written. However, it sometimes feels too fast-paced, jumping from one scene to the next with too little explanation in between. This makes it too easy to quickly skim Mohamed's story and go on to read something else without actually thinking about the issues Matthai brings up. This article will likely be helpful to those who wish to learn about the struggles that devoted Muslims undergo in North American society, but only if they have little knowledge of Islam or religion in general before reading.
In his article A fine balance: The life of a Muslim teenager, Thanos Matthai creates a profile of his acquaintance and fellow college student Mohamed Ahmed. The profile attempts to show the tension between Mohamed's Muslim faith and college culture by describing several situations in which Mohamed's faith is morally at odds with his surroundings. Throughout the paper there is the continuous sense that Mohamed is leading two lives – one in which he is a devout Muslim and one in which he is an ordinary college student, trying to fit in with his peers and maintain a social life – and that these forces pull him in two different directions, creating strain in his relationships and confusing his sense of self. The overall aim of the paper seems to be to help readers sympathize with Muslim students who act differently from their peers due to their religious beliefs.
By writing his entire paper in an anecdotal style, Matthai keep readers interested while also giving examples from Mohamed's life that help reinforce the theme of his article. The scenarios Matthai chose to include are typical college student experiences that his audience will likely relate with; however, he is able to show these experiences from a different angle by describing Mohamed's thoughts in each scenario. The juxtaposition between a familiar setting and an unfamiliar point of view highlights the way Mohamed stands out from his peers due to his religious beliefs, and the feeling he describes of not fully belonging to either his conservative Muslim family or his irreligious friends.
While Matthai is not necessarily an expert on the topic on which he writes, he refers constantly to quotes from Mohamed and his friends, which serve the purpose of describing Mohamed's behaviour from both points of view. These quotes also reveal that Mohamed's friends do not fully understand what motivates him to act the way he does, and help reinforce the theme that Muslims are often misunderstood in our society.
In general, this article is well written. However, it sometimes feels too fast-paced, jumping from one scene to the next with too little explanation in between. This makes it too easy to quickly skim Mohamed's story and go on to read something else without actually thinking about the issues Matthai brings up. This article will likely be helpful to those who wish to learn about the struggles that devoted Muslims undergo in North American society, but only if they have little knowledge of Islam or religion in general before reading.
Monday 10 February 2014
Click, Click, Boom! Episode 3 [Podcast + Show Notes]
SHOW NOTES:
Michael Peto
CCT 110: The
Rhetoric of Digital And Interactive Media Environments.
T0108, Alex
Cybulski
Podcast Assignment
Click, Click, Boom! Podcast: Episode
3 - Steam Music and Google Glass
In Episode 3 of Click, Click, Boom! we look at the latest gaming news this week:
0:28 - Tom Francis announces new stealth game Heat Signature.
www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/13…ampaign=news
0:50 - Interceptor Entertainment teases new Duke Nukem Game.
www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-02…eased-for-pc-ps4
1:12 - The Wolf Among Us Episode 2 Released on Steam.
www.gamespot.com/articles/the-wol…ry/1100-6417130/
1:34 - Airtight announces Murdered: Soul Suspect for Xbox One.
www.polygon.com/2014/2/3/5374242/…-suspect-xbox-one
1:58 - Valve opens Steam Music Beta.
www.polygon.com/2014/2/3/5374660/…c-announced-valve
2:25 - Google releases video showing off Glass minigames.
www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-01…-game-prototypes
________________________________________
MUSIC/SFX (in order of appearance):
Ozzed. (2008). Seductive Space. On Lesser Than Three. Self-released. Used under Creative Commons.
Retrieved from:
ozzed.net/
Conor. (2011). Flyby Sound. (Sound effect). Used under Creative Commons.
Retrieved from:
soundbible.com/1891-Flyby.html
Retrieved from:
freemusicarchive.org/music/BoxCat_G…PG_Soundtrack/
REFERENCES:
Epstein, M. (February 4, 2014). Gunpoint creator Tom Francis' next is stealth game Heat Signature.
Retrieved from:
Gaston, M. (January 15, 2014). The Wolf Among Us Episode 2 is finally arriving in February. Retrieved from:
Matulef, J. (January 29, 2014). See the first Google Glass game prototypes. Retrieved from:
Phillips, T. (February 3, 2014). Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction teased for PC, PS4. Retrieved from:
Sarkar, S. (February 3, 2014). Steam Music will let you listen to your music library while gaming. Retrieved from:
Tach, D. (February 3, 2014). Murdered:
Soul Suspect is headed to Xbox One.
Retrieved from:
Saturday 1 February 2014
Malcolm Gladwell's "Small Change" - A Critical Analysis
Gladwell,
M. (2010, October 4). Small Change:
Why the revolution will not be tweeted. The New Yorker.
Retrieved
from
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/04/101004fa_fact_gladwell?currentPage=all
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/04/101004fa_fact_gladwell?currentPage=all
In
his article Small Change: Why the revolution will not be
tweeted, Malcolm Gladwell,
author of several bestselling psychology books, discusses the impact
of social media on protest movements. He suggests that social media's
focus on weak social ties keeps it from being an effective tool for
organizing high-risk political protests, as these type of movements
require very strong social ties in order to give the protesters a
feeling of solidarity and purpose. Gladwell continually refers
throughout his paper to the story of the Greensboro Four, a group of
black protesters who protested against racial inequality in North
Carolina.
By
starting the paper off with a detailed account of the Greensboro
protests, Gladwell is able to draw the reader in before introducing
his main topic. The Greensboro tale is woven in throughout his paper,
alternating with sections discussing the impact of social media in
modern protest culture. By juxtaposing a successful protest which
took place before the creation of social media with current examples
of protests involving social media, he is able to draw comparisons
between the organizational methods developed in both cases and their
effectiveness in creating a strong protest. The different sections of
the text are marked by a large drop capital which allows the reader
to transition smoothly from one topic to the next while creating
structure in the paper. Gladwell takes an informal tone throughout
this article, using contractions like “can't”, and “they'd”.
This tone was likely chosen to appeal to his desired audience, as a
simpler, less formal tone lends itself well to newspapers, making
articles much easier to read when in a hurry, and the satirical tone
he takes at the end is memorable enough to keep the reader thinking
about the topic after they finish reading.
Gladwell
is not an expert on the topic on which he writes, so he refers
constantly to the work of other, well-known researchers to back up
his points. This lends his ideas authority without having to rely on
his own Ethos, and creates a very convincing paper.
This
article is extremely well written. It flows nicely from one topic to
the next and presents a strong argument pulled from a wide variety of
credible sources. Gladwell's writing style makes his ideas accessible
to a wide audience while remaining both interesting and intelligent.
I would recommend this article to anyone who wishes to learn about
the impact of social media on society, or anyone interested in the
logistics of modern activism.
Thursday 23 January 2014
A Critical Analysis of George Orwell's "Politics and the English Language"
Orwell,
G. (1946). Politics and the English
Language. Horizon (April
Issue), 1-8.
In
his essay Politics and the English Language,
George Orwell, author of the famous novel Nineteen
Eighty-Four, argues that
political speech and writing have corrupted the English language by
introducing several “bad habits” (Orwell, 1). The paper states
that politicians intentionally use vague language in order to veil
the true meaning of their words and that this trend has carried over
into academia and writing in general, where people emulate the style
of speech used by politicians in order to seem intelligent (Orwell,
5-6). While the majority of the paper is unstructured, Orwell
designates specific sections for each of the “bad habits” he
discusses in his critique of modern writing, namely the use of dying
metaphors, the tendency to “pad out” sentences with extra
syllables, the use of pretentious diction, and the use of meaningless
or vague terms (Orwell, 2-3), helping them to stand out from the rest
of the paper. Examples from various sample texts are provided for
each of these habits. By framing his writing tips between the two
halves of his main argument, Orwell encourages the reader to learn
about good writing while keeping the emphasis of the paper firmly on
his thesis. Near the end of the paper, Orwell also includes a
numbered list of rules for writing well, providing an easy checklist
for the reader to follow when writing their own material.
Orwell's
formal tone lends him an air of authority which suits the intended
audience, namely fellow writers who may be looking to learn from him.
His style throughout the text follows his own guidelines of brevity,
lack of jargon, and use of the active voice.
While
Orwell does not back up his main argument with facts, his opinions
may prove interesting to those studying the interplay between
politics and language. Moreover, the writing tips offered in the
paper could be very useful for any writer looking to improve their
style, especially in situations where concise, formal writing is
required.
Tuesday 14 January 2014
A Critical Analysis of Stephen King's "On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft"
Have
you ever considered a career in professional writing but didn't know
where to start? How does one become successful as an author?
In
his book On
Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft, Stephen King, the author of several best-selling horror
novels, tells the story of his first paid work as a writer. Through
personal anecdotes he also touches upon key principles of successful
professional writing, such as being aware of one's audience and
learning from existing works to help develop one's own voice. King's
personal style occasionally comes through in snatches of dark humour
and he uses his attention to detail to keep the reader enthralled
with his tale. While this memoir may be aimed mostly at his existing
fans, King provides some useful advice for any aspiring writer,
drawing from his own experience of several decades in the field.
King's
style throughout this piece has been carefully chosen to fit his
audience; knowing that the majority of people who read the book
likely enjoyed his other works, he eschews the formal, textbook-like
style that might be best suited for teaching people how to write in
favour of an informal, narrative-based memoir format. This style is
more likely to please fans of his previous work while still allowing
him to develop themes around the importance of knowing one's audience
and various other writing tips. By striking a balance between a
tutorial and a novel, King is able to keep both fans and budding
authors happy.
Though
Stephen King's experience makes him a good choice to write a memoir
dealing with professional writing, his choice of format, namely that
of a memoir, makes it more difficult to learn about how to be a
successful author than if the same material was presented in a more conventional textbook or manual. While the material is certainly interesting and
helpful, those looking solely for a manual on how to write
professionally may want to look elsewhere.
Sources:
King, S. (2000). On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft. New York: Scribner.
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