Luke Horton

UWRT 1103

AB #1
In this video made by Clemson University the shift to a digital age of learning has been
set into motion and has not slowed down. The program began in 2014 to allow students to have
spaces in their library to have a place to feel connected with the technology and digital media
available to them on and off campus. These spaces have been put aside for students to use but
that is just the base of the growing ‘technological tower’ on campus. Teachers on campus have
been pushed to integrate some of the resources into their classroom to help students. Danielle
Herro, the co-director of Clemson’s Digital Media and Learning Lab, insists that teachers need
to be guides to help students figure out what helps them the most and that teachers no longer
need to be the experts on everything in the classroom but rather provide the scaffolding for their
students to explore the endless possibilities brought about by technology.
Clemson as a university has opened their academic minds and are pushing students to
help other students and become experts on things that the generation ahead of them may not
be accustomed to. Overall the staff said that they have seen an uproar in student involvement
when it comes to utilizing the technology and digital media offered to them. In many cases
professors are able to be taught something new which they may be able to use in their future
classes to help future students. Clemson is hoping to help their students take the next step in
the ever-changing workforce by being able to understand the new technology. Without a doubt
technology is the future and the more students become comfortable with it the easier the
transition will be.

Flanigan, Robin L. “Teacher Colleges Seek to Shift to Digital Age.” Education Week, 10 Mar.
2017, from, www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/01/29/19el-teachers.h33.html.

● Teachers don’t have to be the experts in the growing age of technology they just need to
provide students with the knowledge they have their expertise in.
● Students are learning how to change the future of a learning environment.
● Students just need a space and connections and they will be able to teach themselves
how to use it.
The video and article were very easy to read and understand. All of the information in both were
backed up by picture of what they were discussing. They talk about technology and digital
learning benefits in many different contexts so the usefulness of this is open to most things
related to technologies effect on students. It does include a biased point of view from professors
who are very proud to be a Tiger. I would say this video gives insight into a population just like
ours, a modern campus with many technological opportunities.

AB #2
In a article on titled “Does Technology Belong in College Classrooms?” on the website
Learn English, which is a forum-like website for teachers to discuss different topics, Pete Musko
talks about the effects technology has on a college classroom. He begins this article by saying,
“technology is shaping almost every part of our day-to-day existence, including education.” Pete
works for the company who runs the website known as VOA Learning English. This company
tries to help teach English with vocabulary, listening and comprehension lessons through news
and interactive activities.
Pete begins his article by talking about Ashok Goel, a professor with the School of
Interactive Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta who recently integrated
an artificial intelligence teaching assistant to help answer questions in his online courses. Goel
explained how students were unaware that they were speaking to an AI and that he was able to
answer everyone's questions more efficiently as well as anytime of the day allowing students to
get back to work more quickly.
A website called Campus Technology surveyed 500 professors at random universities to
see how many use technology in their classroom. The results were that 55% use technology to
provide online study material before students come to class. While 70% of professors said that
they combine technology and face-to-face instruction in their classroom. When asked about the
results of this survey Professor Goel responded that he believed technology is opening the
doors for education availability around the world.

VOA. “Does Technology Belong in College Classrooms?” VOA, VOA, 12 Nov. 2016, from,
learningenglish.voanews.com/a/technology-in-college-classrooms/3589730.html.

● New kinds of technology becoming available will increase the availability of learning all
over the world.
● In fact, technology is shaping almost every part of our day-to-day existence, including
education.
● Technology will make it easier for teachers to create their own programs to use in and
outside the classroom.
Overall this was a very easy read which was accompanied by a monologue of the article. It
provided information across a wide range and even provided a counter argument which I need
not talk about in this because I am going to use the test results separately. This article is very
beneficial because it gives real life examples of college.

AB #3
In 2015 Barbara Means, Linda Shear, Jeremy Roschelle wrote peer reviewed journal
titled Using Technology and Evidence to Promote Cultures of Educational Innovation for SRI
Education. SRI is a nonprofit organization focused on population-based research. Barbara
Means, Ph.D., is director of the Center for Technology in Learning at SRI International. Linda
Shear is the director of international studies for SRI and has her A.B., in sociology from
Princeton University. Jeremy Roschelle is a doctor in psychology from UC Berkeley. In this
article the authors talk about the idea of integrative innovations and how they are seen all
around us and also why teachers should use this principle when using technological learning.
It’s an idea of you must first try something based of facts and manipulate it slightly to try and
improve. Luckily research has been done to test the most effective ways to use technology so it
is just up to the teacher to tweak the system.
One chapter titled How Technology Can Improve Learning discusses the positive and
negative effects of technology use for education and is backed up by case studies. The authors
present the idea that in order for technology to truly improve the classroom you have to
manipulate its strong suits, this being personalization. If teachers just throw all of the information
online and hope students can navigate it and understand the concepts then you are hindering
the class more than assisting it. Technology can be used in so many ways that teachers can
develop their own style and form. In the words of the authors, “True innovations in learning, we
argue, use technologies in ways that exemplify learning science principles and embed
technologies in broader, integrated interventions.”

Means, Barbra, et al. Using Technology and Evidence to Promote Cultures of Educational
Innovation: The Example of Science and Mathematics Education, pp. 1–6.,
www.sri.com/sites/default/files/publications/technology-and-evidence_0.pdf.
 ● “We would like to be sure that a proposed educational application of technology is based
on good science about learning processes”
● “To improve students’ academic learning, we prefer to test integrated interventions that
align these factors, rather than trying to isolate the impact of a new technology alone.”
● “True innovations in learning, we argue, use technologies in ways that exemplify learning
science principles and embed technologies in broader, integrated interventions.”

This is a very informative journal based on many years of research compiled to give a future
plan for education using technology. This is a very good article to find information for a counter
argument for benefits for technology in a classroom.

AB #4
In a peer reviewed journal titled The Effect of Technology on Face-to-Face
Communication Emily Drago, an Elon university graduate looks to explain how, “recent
technological advancements have had a drastic impact on the way individuals communicate.”
Drago graduated Elon with a bachelor’s degree in strategic communications. This article is
relevant to all working class and future working-class individuals because it’s a look into the
future of communication during a technological age.
Drago completed a study where she gathered 100 Elon students who owned a
smartphone and/or tablet in which they use to communicate. She began by observing them in a
group setting and she found that 62% of the participants used technology while in the group
setting in some way. After she was able to sit down and one on one question the participants
where she found that 60% used their phone more than 4 hours a day, while 18% said they used
their phone more than 8 hours a day. Furthermore 97% of the participants said they never leave
the house without their phone while the remaining 3% only leave it when they have forgotten it.
To finalizing the one on one screening the participants were asked if spending time with others
with technology present negatively affect face-to-face communication 92% said yes while only
1% said no. To help broaden the study Drago observed 200 students as she walked around
campus. 69% were using technology in one way or another. The author found that 58% of
students observed alone were either texting or holding their phones and 16% were talking on
the phone or wearing earbuds. Only 26% of students were not using any technology.
Drago, Emily. “The Effect of Technology on Face-to-Face Communication.” The Effect of
Technology on Face-to-Face Communication, www.elon.edu/docs/e-
web/academics/communications/research/vol6no1/02DragoEJSpring15.pdf.

● “Celebrity couple Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard star in a recent Samsung Galaxy Tab S
ad that follows them on a day in their lives repeatedly distracted by technology.”
● “The commercial highlights the couple playing games on their separate devices at
dinner, video chatting each other from different rooms in their house, and missing a
black-tie event to watch a movie on their tablet instead.”
● “Per the U.S. Census, 76% of households reported having a computer in 2011,
compared with only 8% in 1984 (File, 2012).”

This peer review journal was surprisingly easy to read and extremely interesting. This is due to
the fact that the information is very relatable to college students and focused on reaching
younger individuals. I plan to use her group setting research to help show the effects of
technology on students’ everyday life.

AB #5

In this magazine article by Meghan Cortez titled, “5 Ways Technology Can Boost
Campus Security” Cortez dives deep into the effects technology has on campus and student
security. She is an associate web editor for Edtech magazine with a degree in magazine
journalism and political science. Cortez began her journalism career at the age of 16 for her
local newspaper, so her journalism research began at an early age.
In the article Cortez talks about a study by the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus
Safety and Security which shows that criminal offense on college campuses has went down by
35,000 counts annually between 2005 and 2014. Kim Richmond, the director of the National
Center for Public Safety went on to say, “From a communications standpoint, technology has
increased campus safety’s ability to communicate effectively with our communities through the
internet, social media, mass texting, and intercom and public-address systems, particularly
during emergency situations.” Many apps have been developed by campuses to report crime,
contact authorities, and receive updates with extreme quickness. An example of this on most
campuses is the LiveSafe app.
The article headers summarize the information in each paragraph. The first paragraph
talks about apps and gadgets providing personal security. This is followed by improved security
cameras, police body cameras, digital alerts and wireless access control. All of these new
features are integrated into campuses across America in some way to improve the safety of
their students and campus in general.

Cortez, Meghan Bogardus, and Meghan. “5 Ways Technology Can Boost Campus Security.”
Technology Solutions That Drive Education, 21 Sept. 2016,
edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2016/09/5-ways-technology-can-boost-campus-security.

● “It’s been decades since many universities have employed the simple lock-and-key as
building security.”
● “After the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech University, many institutions have rolled out
mass messaging alerts via text and email as enhanced emergency communication.”
● “In EdTech’s Spring 2016 issue, we reported about Kansas State University’s LiveSafe
app, which rolled out in 2015. The app creates a personal safety portal that allows
students to report crimes, access 911 and send friends a location update.”

This magazine article is a very easy and engaging read. Cortez provided quotes from experts as
well as examples from campuses. I will use this source to argue how technology improves the
transition to college by helping you feel safe at all times.

AB #6

In an article published by higheredtoday.org titled, “Access, Accessibility: The Future of

Technology on Campus” Jon Fansmith writes about how technology can change education for
the better for students with disabilities. Fansmith earned a BA in history and an MA in
government from Georgetown University. He now holds a spot on the Executive Committee of
the Committee for Education Funding.
In this article Fansmith talks about the growing number of students with disabilities and
how technology can make education more effective for such students. Nearly 3 million (10%)
postsecondary students suffer from a disability. Fansmith explains that, “there is great interest
among policymakers in seeing what can be done to further enhance, improve and expand the
use of accessible technologies.” Policy makers are trying to merge the approach taken from a
technology and accessibility point of view. With many new technological advancements focused
to help people with disabilities the availability to students and campuses as a whole has
increased tremendously. One of the best examples of this is e-readers and text-to-speech
functionality for those students who are visually impaired. Fansmith ends the article by talking
about how it will take disability groups to convince government officials to help make such
technologies more accessible for the everyday disabled college student.
Fansmith, Jon. “Access, Accessibility: The Future of Technology on Campus.” Higher Education
Today, 9 Nov. 2016, www.higheredtoday.org/2016/11/09/access-accessibility-future-technology-
campus/.

● “often, when institutions select accessible technologies they may not be useful for all
types of disability. As just one example, an e-reader where the text can be magnified
would meet the needs of a person with certain visual impairments, but unless it also
includes a text-to-speech function, it would be useless to someone who was fully blind.”
● “There is a substantial information gap that poses challenges for the information
technology and disability support services staff looking to ensure their campuses are
accessible.”
● “According to the Department of Education, as of 2012, nearly 3 million undergraduate
and graduate students had a disability, which is over 10 percent of all postsecondary
students. That’s a big jump from just over 6 percent of students in 1995, and the current
numbers are surely higher.”

This article was not the most interesting read, but it was very informative about the
advancements that are trying to be made to make college more accessible for the disabled
college students. It’s audience is a very narrow one which can help in a very certain argument
or research project. I plan to use this to help show the broad range of benefits technology can
provide to students.

AB #7

In the article titled, “The impact of social media on student life” by Abhishek Karadkar the
positive as well as the negative effect of social media is discussed in terms of a college student.
Karadkar is a NC State graduate with a master’s degree in communication engineering and
networking. He is able to connect with his audience because he was in college at the beginning
of the social media storm onto campuses.
Karadkar begins by saying, “Today’s world is a global village. Everyone is connected to
one another in this vast network generated by the Internet.” He goes on to talk about the drastic
change in long distance communication and that this can be accredited to the social nature of
humans. Many times, humans just do as they see so social media has taken grasp of the
human mind in a subconscious way. Research was conducted by Pew Research Center finding
that 72 percent of high school and 78 percent of college students spend time on some sort of
social media platform. Karadkar splits his article up into a pro and con comparison. His first pro
is that students are able to be independent on these sites in ways they may be constrained
otherwise and this freedom can drive them to continue to use these sites. Motivation is another
driving force these sites excite. A student may see another excelling and be motivated to reach
that point. Above all the ability to communicate with almost anyone instantly is not only intriguing
to students but also benefits them immensely. One con Karadkar found within the social media
and student relationship is the digital footprint it leaves behind. Not only can mistakes be made
which can hinder a student’s future goals or options, but it can also lead to stolen identities and
‘catfishing’. Another problem he discusses is the lack of personal contact which is a large part of
naturally connecting with someone. Finally, he goes on to talk about the issue of social media
being a distraction to students and how it is up to the user to manage their time and use all the
benefits which can come about by using these sites.

Karadkar, Abhishek. “The Impact of Social Media on Student Life.” Technician, 4 Oct. 2015,
www.technicianonline.com/opinion/article_d1142b70-5a92-11e5-86b4-cb7c98a6e45f.html.

● “Often, students who are not old enough to accurately analyze the world “like” or
comment on social or political issues, and this leads sometimes to serious
controversies.”
● “But still, students should get the choice to spend time socializing in an effective way.”
● “But this virtual way of communicating with each other does not lead to a natural, friendly
experience and hence cannot produce a healthy relationship with those friends.”
● “Getting too involved in social media can lead to an addiction that inculcates bad habits.“

This article is very personal and focused towards college and high school students. It can be
used in a wide variety of ways because it presents pros and cons for the issue. I plan to use it to
strengthen my argument that technology is beneficial as well as provide a counter argument.