For this unit, we’ll be examining the impact that new media technology, such as smart phones and social networking technology, has on us—as individuals, as a community, as a global society, as human beings.  Because we are currently living in the midst of these developments, and can perhaps still remember some times when this technology was not available to us, we’re in a unique position to discuss what we’ve observed as far as the effects of these technologies on such things as our attention span, our interactions with others, our level of social engagement, our literacy, our personal and public identities, and so forth.

 

For this project, you will be writing a critical, thesis-driven discussion about some aspect of social technology, and you will develop that discussion by responding to and synthesizing the ideas presented in Sherry Turkle’s “Always On” and Alina Tugend’s “Multitasking Can Make You Lose… Um… Focus”.  In other words, you will use these two articles to help you develop, support, illustrate, and provide evidence for your thesis.  In doing so, you will respond critically, thoughtfully, and analytically to the ideas presented in these texts by

 

 

As you engage the ideas of these authors and develop your particular thesis/perspective, you will be doing a mix of quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing the ideas in these texts, so we can see precisely how you’re interacting with them.  We will look at ways to use each of these strategies effectively.

 

Here are some questions to consider as you begin formulating your thesis:

 

 

Essay Formatting Requirements: Please use the following checklist to make sure that you format your essay correctly and according to proper MLA guidelines.  As you apply each formatting requirement, simply check it off the list.