Laptops in School Cartoon

                     In the cartoon above in the background it shows a professor or teacher in the

giving a lecture and the students located in the middle are following along and paying attention to 

the teacher on their laptops whereas the two boys in the back are playing games. The students that 

are following along are juxtaposed with the students who aren't to call to action that technology

like tablets and laptops may help learning but in reality they are going to be a distraction for

students. The cartoonist clearly ridiculed the idea of technology in classrooms and shows his

position that they are in fact distractions. Also, in the cartoon the point of view is split between 

supporters and critics because supporters claim it is helping which in the cartoon some students

are using the laptops as a tool while the critics point of view is shown in the two students

in the back playing games rather than learning. It is ironic because usually kids in the back

of the classroom dose off behind textbooks and the same is shown here with laptops

the kids in the back who are less supervised are also slacking off this just further strengthen the

cartoonist's argument by saying that tablets aren't going to change the way students behave

in class and the slackers are going to still be dozing off. In addition, the cartoonist displays his  

position through a visual image rather than verbally and uses the logic that laptops have games

and kids are going to play them no matter if it's school time. In conclusion the cartoonist is trying

to persuade his audience that tablet and laptops are somewhat beneficial but in reality 

they are still distractions for students and it won't change their behavior.

Singer, Andy. Computer Games in Class. Digital image. Darly Cagle's The Cagle Post Cartoons and Commentary. 4 Dec. 2013. Web. 6 Mar. 2016. <http://www.cagle.com/2013/12/computer-games-in-class/>

Schools Dump Textbooks for iPods, Laptops

                       In Schools Dump Textbooks for iPods, Laptops, by Rachel Martin & Christine

Brouwer on ABC News, Martin and Brouwer argue that schools need to get rid of textbooks

completely and bring in Laptops and iPads as primary learning tools. Martin and Brouwer first give

examples of schools that are already giving up textbooks and they argue that they are too outdated

and can actually come out to be cheaper because districts won't have to pay for new textbooks

editions each one to two years. However, Martin and Brouwer shed light on the cons of tablets

in schools as they can bring distractions but they counter this by claiming that its going to help

students multitask and that it isn't problem because schools block the social media programs that

distract students.

                       Analysis: So many schools are already making the switch to tablets and claiming that it

isn't causing problem. Also, according to the article tablets are making learning and teaching much

easier resulting in students being able to learn much better and succeed in school. Furthermore, cost

is broken down and the fact of the matter is that tablets can be much cheaper for districts which can

make it more appealing however, the issue is, do school districts actually have the money to buy

these tablets. In addition students are using Twitter to learn but this only causes a distraction and it

can't possibly help multi-tasking if students are just goofing off on Twitter instead of paying attention

to the lesson or the teacher. Then is there is the issue that students need to adapt to these new devices

and according the article some students are struggling which can hurt them in learning and

waste time in order for them to get the hang of the technology. In reality though textbooks are

becoming an old tactic and social media is the new thing that is being put inside the younger

generations head and even though tablets are the new tactic it may not always seem that new is better

therefore textbooks shouldn't be replaced despite its age.

MARTIN, RACHEL, and CHRISTINE BROUWER. "Schools Dump Textbooks for IPods, Laptops." ABC News. ABC, 13 Sept. 2009. Web. 28 Feb. 2016. <http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/ipods-laptops-replacing-school-textbooks/story?id=8563292> 

Thoreau's Ideas Don't Apply to Today (Argument Essay)

          According to Thoreau men are nothing “but a machine,” and that inventions are “pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things.” Thoreau also claims that fashion is just a way to show people’s prestige and where they belong in the social pyramid. Thoreau has a point however today in 2016 this is untrue because workers are not treated like machines, new inventions don’t distract people but instead help them in jobs and at school, and fashion doesn’t mean social ranking today.

          Thoreau’s ideas don’t apply to today because times have changed and most of these issues that Thoreau claimed have ended. Thoreau was correct when he claimed workers as “machines” but that was true during the second industrial revolution when workers had no rights however, times have changed and Progressive presidents like Theodore Roosevelt have improved workers conditions and today in America workers are not mistreated and they have the right to form labor unions to go against abusive companies. Furthermore, inventions aren’t distractions however, some critics may say that social media and iPhone’s are distractions to students. Nevertheless this is false because todays inventions like social media allow people to socialize and create relationships, plus iPhones allow students to look up help for homework and learn about the subject that is taught at school. In addition, other critics say today fashion today still causes division in social status just like Yeezys show people are rich while vans are for people with less money and the same goes for clothing like ones from Pacsun are more expensive than clothing from Ross or Burlington. However, this is also not true because fashion has a positive effect and that it is to show people's style and personality. Therefore, Thoreau’s ideas don’t apply to today because times have changed. 

As More Schools Embrace Tablets, Do Textbooks Have a Fighting Chance?

                        In As More Schools Embrace Tablets, Do Textbooks Have a Fighting Chance?, by 

Brenda Alvarez on neaToday, Alvarez points our the good and bad of tablets in classrooms and even

though she states the cons she still acknowledges the achievements made in classrooms. Alvarez 

sheds light that tablets are useful because they are up to date with latest versions of textbooks and

information and creates a diverse learning environment. However, Alvarez also discusses the cons 

that some school's wi-fi can not handle tablets and they are to expensive for schools to afford.

                        Analyze: Tablets seem to still have pro and cons when it comes to classroom use. 

Furthermore, with the data stated in the article it clearly shows the evolution in technology in 

classrooms is inevitable and what really needs to happen is find ways to fix the issues with tablets. 

In addition, since tablets need to be checked on and updated this requires some teachers to be

tech-wizs which most aren't so it and it also becomes a tough and time consuming job for teachers to 

run and figure out plans with the new various tools at their disposal. On the other hand the variety of 

tools can make their teaching more effective because teachers can create lesson plans for students

with tablets that can be more interesting and effective making tablets great. One big issue is noted

to school districts and schools with less funding than others because since these schools already used 

their money for tablets how can they possibly have money for technical support which can make 

tablets ineffective because they can't be fixed or updated to reach its full potential. In conclusion, 

tablets are on the rise however, I believe they shouldn't replace textbooks because they introduce 

funding and technological issues that result in gap between poor and rich even though their is some 

positive results.

Alvarez, Brenda. "As More Schools Embrace Tablets, Do Textbooks Have a Fighting Chance? - NEA Today." NEA Today. 31 July 2013. Web. 08 Feb. 2016. <http://neatoday.org/2013/07/31/as-more-schools-embrace-tablets-do-textbooks-have-a-fighting-chance-2/>.

Do Tablets Help Learning?

                         In Do Tablets in The Classroom Really Help Children Learn?, by Matthew Lynch on

Gizmodo, Lynch sheds the light on both sides of the argument by giving good examples and bad 

bad examples. Lynch claims tablets shown by statistics increase children performance test wise and

school motivation, as well as introducing newer and more updated textbooks. On the other hand

Lynch also admits that their is problems with tablets in education like it creating a gap from 

privileged students to ones who aren't, application control in tablets especially ones that come 

from home, and privacy issues between "third parties 

                        Analyze: Tablets affecting learning have both pro and con effects and it makes it 

really difficult to pick a side between replacing textbooks over tablets. In addition, tablets have the 

capability to do great things to improve learning which in return can create more successful students. 

However, tablets can also create problems between economic backgrounds which can create even 

more gap between the rich and poor because the rich will have more opportunities with technology 

than underprivileged students. Furthermore, tablets are also harder to control district wise and if they 

aren't checked on students will find a way to put games on them and create distractions during school 

hours which instead of helping education it can make it worse. In conclusion, tablets seem to 

have cons that outweigh the pros so far. 

"Do Tablets in the Classroom Really Help Children Learn?" Gizmodo. 1 Apr. 2015. Web. 31 Jan. 2016. <http://gizmodo.com/do-tablets-in-the-classroom-really-help-children-learn-1694963939>   

Anger: An American History The Rhetorical Precis

                  In Stacy Schiff's article, Anger: An American History published on December 18, 2015

by the New York times she declares that America has had it sense of exceptional-ism since America

has been established and America will continue to believe that idea of being special and superior to

other nations. The author first points out her main thesis by a quote from Paul Ryan and agrees with;

she then supports her claim by using a list of examples of groups that showed the nationalism of

America and the superiority they felt they had over other nations/immigrants; and to conclude she

asserts that this will continue to go on by giving an example of the Mormons still being a target for

around 200 years. Her purpose is to expose the American ideology of its superiority of other nations

in order to bring on change and to be on the look out for it. She seems to have a specific audience

which are the liberals because it is an issue and the conservatives like Trump have pointed out

their opinion.

Just the ticket for the GOP: Cruz and Rubio Precis

                In Jonah Goldberg's op-ed Just the ticket for the GOP: Cruz and Rubio (November 3rd,

2015) he acknowledges that Cruz and Rubio are waiting patiently in their debates to strike at the

right moment. The author first exaggerates the debates by comparing it to a battle for districts, he

then criticizes Trump and Bush by comparing them to "Napoleon" and how they overextend what

they can handle; and to conclude he sheds light on Cruz and Rubios debates by giving exmaples of

what they said and there thought process going into the debates because they outperformed mostly

everyone. His purpose is to show readers the reason why and Cruz and Rubio debate this way and

why it is effective in order for Cruz and Rubio to get votes and popularity. He seems to have the

voters as his audience in mind because they are going to be voting for him.


Goldberg, Jonah. "Just the Ticket for the GOP: Cruz and Rubio." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2015. Web. 10 Nov. 2015