Unit 1 Draft
TOPIC: What is the most effective writing tool to use when you're studying?
#1: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/21/fashion/a-pencil-shop-for-texting-the-old-fashioned-way.html
The New York Times article, “A Pencil Shop, for Texting the Old-Fashioned Way” by Molly Young captures a quick snap-shot of a humble pencil store located in Lower Manhattan. The purpose of this short article is to recognize the success of this pencil shop. She explains the unexpected success of it. Individuals are buying these pencils because they have unique features to them, such as different shapes, colors, or a low tech highlighter feature - all for very low prices as well. The genre of this piece of writing is an article on the New York Times website. This means that their audience consists of everyone who has access to the Internet; there isn’t a specific group they attain to, like researchers or different professions. which leads to a more casual tone. As a result, Young’s tone and language is kept very simple, which makes this an easy read for just about anyone, and her writing style of using smaller paragraphs only emphasizes this effect. This article succeeds in recognizing the success of the pencil shop, because she provides many different reasons as to why people buy from it. Young states that “Because pencils have a credible use, this single-minded store is able to transcend its novelty status,” meaning that while pencils are very useful, the store owner is able to take the simple concept of selling pencils and innovate with different shapes, colors, functions, and more. Adding on, I will be able to use this article in my research, by representing the fun and different uses for pencils, all in which could make students feel more motivated to study and take notes.
#2: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8222525/
The scientific study, “Advantage of Handwriting Over Typing on Learning Words: Evidence From an N400 Event-Related Potential Index” conducted by authors Aya S. Ihara, Kae Nakajima, Akiyuki Kake, Kizuku Ishimaru, Kiyoyuki Osugi, and Yasushi Naruse, is one that tests the effectiveness of learning based off of handwriting, using a digital pen, and typing. In the experiment, the conductors organized three different groups, where each used a different writing tool to learn a set of words in a foreign language. At the end of the experiment, the researchers found that the group using a digital pen scored more successfully in learning the foreign words compared to the group typing. However, the group who was handwriting scored significantly higher than both of the other groups. Researchers suggested that this could have been due to the much more positive moods they maintained compared to everyone else. Throughout the scientific study, the authors kept a very formal and scientific tone, and this is due to the fact that they are conducting a professional study. For example, the researchers performed an “EEG experiment applying a repetition priming paradigm” on the familiar and unfamiliar groups. Language like this suggests that there is a target audience, like scientists, or doctors that would comprehend this vocabulary. However, maintaining this tone is very critical to understanding this study to the fullest. The authors of this study have succeeded in proving their thesis; they provided clear evidence that suggested handwriting is the most efficient way to learn. They did this with graphs, stating the test results and the statistics. However, this test study was a very critical one for me to analyze because it directly relates to my inquiry question of what writing tool is the most effective in terms of learning; so I will have a lot of evidence to argue my thesis from this study.
#3: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2013/07/16/the-impact-of-digital-tools-on-student-writing-and-how-writing-is-taught-in-schools/
The article “The Impact of Digital Tools on Student Writing and How Writing is Taught in Schools,” written by Kristen Purcell, Judy Buchanan and Linda Friedrich, is one that acknowledges how there are so many benefits of technology for students in the classroom; how they can collaborate, “share their work with a wider and more varied audience and how digital technologies “can encourage student creativity and personal expression.” However, authors Purcell, Buchanan and Friedrich also acknowledge the negative effects of this newly found freedom with technology. They argue that negative effects like informal language, or how some are conditioned to perceive technology as a “toy” rather than a tool, might be hurting their educational experience. The audience for this article are students and educational staff. The writing style is very concise and clear, formal yet understandable for a student reading in any grade level. The genre of this source being an article was an important factor that influenced the writing style, because it was meant to target and relate to individuals who are currently in or working at an educational institution. Finally, I believe that this article did an excellent job at evaluating all aspects of technology in writing. They included the benefits, the drawbacks, and solutions for some of these problems. An example of this would be the problem with students plagiarizing, and the solution would be to incorporate lessons about it and educate them on consequences. With so many different perspectives on this topic, I will be able to incorporate this information into my research. For example, I could have a refuting paragraph and explain how an argument is weak using all of the different points of view offered in this article.
#1: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/21/fashion/a-pencil-shop-for-texting-the-old-fashioned-way.html
The New York Times article, “A Pencil Shop, for Texting the Old-Fashioned Way” by Molly Young captures a quick snap-shot of a humble pencil store located in Lower Manhattan. The purpose of this short article is to recognize the success of this pencil shop. She explains the unexpected success of it. Individuals are buying these pencils because they have unique features to them, such as different shapes, colors, or a low tech highlighter feature - all for very low prices as well. The genre of this piece of writing is an article on the New York Times website. This means that their audience consists of everyone who has access to the Internet; there isn’t a specific group they attain to, like researchers or different professions. which leads to a more casual tone. As a result, Young’s tone and language is kept very simple, which makes this an easy read for just about anyone, and her writing style of using smaller paragraphs only emphasizes this effect. This article succeeds in recognizing the success of the pencil shop, because she provides many different reasons as to why people buy from it. Young states that “Because pencils have a credible use, this single-minded store is able to transcend its novelty status,” meaning that while pencils are very useful, the store owner is able to take the simple concept of selling pencils and innovate with different shapes, colors, functions, and more. Adding on, I will be able to use this article in my research, by representing the fun and different uses for pencils, all in which could make students feel more motivated to study and take notes.
#2: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8222525/
The scientific study, “Advantage of Handwriting Over Typing on Learning Words: Evidence From an N400 Event-Related Potential Index” conducted by authors Aya S. Ihara, Kae Nakajima, Akiyuki Kake, Kizuku Ishimaru, Kiyoyuki Osugi, and Yasushi Naruse, is one that tests the effectiveness of learning based off of handwriting, using a digital pen, and typing. In the experiment, the conductors organized three different groups, where each used a different writing tool to learn a set of words in a foreign language. At the end of the experiment, the researchers found that the group using a digital pen scored more successfully in learning the foreign words compared to the group typing. However, the group who was handwriting scored significantly higher than both of the other groups. Researchers suggested that this could have been due to the much more positive moods they maintained compared to everyone else. Throughout the scientific study, the authors kept a very formal and scientific tone, and this is due to the fact that they are conducting a professional study. For example, the researchers performed an “EEG experiment applying a repetition priming paradigm” on the familiar and unfamiliar groups. Language like this suggests that there is a target audience, like scientists, or doctors that would comprehend this vocabulary. However, maintaining this tone is very critical to understanding this study to the fullest. The authors of this study have succeeded in proving their thesis; they provided clear evidence that suggested handwriting is the most efficient way to learn. They did this with graphs, stating the test results and the statistics. However, this test study was a very critical one for me to analyze because it directly relates to my inquiry question of what writing tool is the most effective in terms of learning; so I will have a lot of evidence to argue my thesis from this study.
#3: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2013/07/16/the-impact-of-digital-tools-on-student-writing-and-how-writing-is-taught-in-schools/
The article “The Impact of Digital Tools on Student Writing and How Writing is Taught in Schools,” written by Kristen Purcell, Judy Buchanan and Linda Friedrich, is one that acknowledges how there are so many benefits of technology for students in the classroom; how they can collaborate, “share their work with a wider and more varied audience and how digital technologies “can encourage student creativity and personal expression.” However, authors Purcell, Buchanan and Friedrich also acknowledge the negative effects of this newly found freedom with technology. They argue that negative effects like informal language, or how some are conditioned to perceive technology as a “toy” rather than a tool, might be hurting their educational experience. The audience for this article are students and educational staff. The writing style is very concise and clear, formal yet understandable for a student reading in any grade level. The genre of this source being an article was an important factor that influenced the writing style, because it was meant to target and relate to individuals who are currently in or working at an educational institution. Finally, I believe that this article did an excellent job at evaluating all aspects of technology in writing. They included the benefits, the drawbacks, and solutions for some of these problems. An example of this would be the problem with students plagiarizing, and the solution would be to incorporate lessons about it and educate them on consequences. With so many different perspectives on this topic, I will be able to incorporate this information into my research. For example, I could have a refuting paragraph and explain how an argument is weak using all of the different points of view offered in this article.
I like your use of analysis and linking back to your own work. Maybe give a deeper example next time as a way to show the reader how exactly you plan on incorporating it into your own work?
ReplyDeleteLuka Natsvlishvili
I took this suggestion found it to be super helpful! I wasn't aware of how much that part of my analysis was lacking, and it felt very broad, so I added specifics onto it. Thank you!
DeleteReally good analysis and I think you picked very interesting sources! In the future I would dive a little deeper into why the author wrote this, its effects and purpose, etc.
ReplyDelete-Emma Ziff