Considering Types

In this blog post I will be considering the different types of arguments that I could use for my project 3

Screenshot from Sean Bottai's website, taken on October 30th, 2015

After learning about the different arguments, I feel as if a position argument, evaluative argument, or a refutation argument. 

A position argument I believe would be the most effective because this debate has two clear sides. I would take my position on the issue, build the strongest argument for that side, then I would also be prepared to defend my position. There is really only a pro side and an against side so this seems to be the most practical type of argument. 

Another type of argument that would be effective is the evaluative argument. I would use examples of computer science in schools and evaluate how effective it has been in these schools. By doing this it would show that computer science is effective in schools and in turn should be emphasized more in all schools. 

A refutation argument would also work. Since this side is two sided, there is a clear anti-computer science argument. I would simply refute this argument and this would be simultaneously building up my argument. This is something I could do in the positional argument as well. I could combine the two very effectively. 

The casual argument and proposal argument just simply do not fit the issue I have at hand. It is hard to make the topic I am dealing with into a cause and effect type of argument. There also is not any problems with no computer science, it is just something that would be very beneficial to add to schools.

Reflection:
I read and commented on the Considering Types post and My Rhetoric Action Plan post of Grace. I also read and commented on the Considering Types post and My Rhetoric Action Plan post of Olivia. Through reading their posts, I've come to learn that the type of argument that will be used is heavily reliant on what kind of issue is being debated. Some issues have solutions, some are rooted from problems, and some are simply in order to try and enhance a situation that does not need fixing. It seems as if most of us have an understanding on our arguments and what we will need to do in order to maximize our argument, this means we understand who we are trying to reach and what type of argument will do this the most effectively. 

My Rhetorical Action Plan

In this blog post I will be analyzing my plan of action for this project by answering the questions provided that are shown below.

Screenshot from Sean Bottai's website, taken on October 29th, 2015

Audience: 

• The audience may or may not know about computer science. It is hard to say if the whole audience is on one side or the other. I do know that some people are aware of the situation and some do not. Some members know about computer science in school because some schools have some sort of computer science class. I believe the thought that a lot of members of the audience have is that computer science should be in school but as an elective course. 
• The values that I feel that all of the audience have is to do whatever benefits the students the most. They want to have their children and the rest of the students to be the most prepared for the real world and they want their children to be thoroughly educated through the schooling system. 
• I think the way to persuade the audience best is to show them that by implementing computer science in their children's schools, their kids will be gaining invaluable skills and their knowledge will grow as a result of the addition of computer science. I would show them what skills computer science builds problem solving skills which can be used in other classes and areas of knowledge. By implementing computer science not only will the students learn computer science but they will get the skills that are built from learning computer science. 
• I think images of students learning on computers could be beneficial to my arguments. I also think statistical images such as pie charts and graphs that show computer science as a good work field would also help my argument. 
• My audience is listening to my argument because it involves their children. With my argument I will be trying to teach them things they do not know about computer science and if it goes correctly they will join my side of the debate. In turn, they will try to raise awareness so that they can get computer science in schools.  

Genre:

Genre 1 - PowerPoint (Example 1 and Example 2)

• The function of this genre is to be simple but effective. It allows the viewer to not be overwhelmed all at once with a lot of information but rather break up the argument into pieces, making it easier to follow. I chose it to allow readers to educate themselves in a way that is better than reading an essay. 
• The setting of my genre is a slide show so typically an environment in which people are being educated in a group. I could see it being used at an expo of some sort with a large scale presentation.
• I would use pathos, to appeal to the emotional side of the audience. I would so this because since it involves their children it will be easy to appeal to emotion. 
• The visual elements will be the PowerPoint itself along with other images and visual statistics.
• This style is very informal and conservative. There is a possibility of discussion slides that are informal. 

Genre 2 - Persuasive Essay (Example 1 and Example 2)

• The function of this genre is an essay. It is meant to be very informative. I chose it because as a persuasive essay it will be informative and try to persuade readers to take my side on the issue. 
• A setting for this genre would be in schools or magazines/newspapers. It could also be put on a public website. It would go any place that persuasive pieces of writing are usually found. 
• I would use logos in a persuasive essay. It is a very informative piece of writing and by providing very logical information the reader will be more easily persuaded. 
• I could use bar graphs or pie graphs in the essay. Visual understanding could also help the reader be persuaded. Some times ideas are viewed as more logical when they are presented in a visual representation. 
• This genre will be more formal and academic. It is meant to be a solid piece of writing that educates the reader in a way that then leads to the reader being persuaded by the information provided and in turn they join my side of the argument. 

Positive Reactions:

• Readers turn to supporters of the cause and become advocates for the cause and they make movements towards advancing computer science in schools. - I would respond well to this because it is raising awareness for the cause and that is what I want. 
•  Computer science courses increase. - I would also like this reaction because it is starting to implement more computer science courses in schools.
• Legislators speak of changing curriculum in schools to make computer science a top priority. - This is very very unlikely but this would be an interesting effect. I would find this step fast but I would be interested to see how it works.  

Negative Rebuttals:

• No one is persuaded by my argument and no improvement in regards to teaching computer science is made. - I would be slightly sad that no one had a response to my argument. I would attempt to make another attempt at persuading them with a different avenue.
• Everyone hates the idea and thinks that it is a bad idea so they remove what little computer science education they had in schools. - I'd be very upset because it did the opposite of my intended purpose. I would keep trying to raise awareness for my side of the issue to gain support.
• People do not agree with me. - This is very possible, although it is a persuasive essay it does not mean that some people would nit be persuaded. In response I would continue to try and convince them with factual, evidence-based information. 

Analyzing Purpose

In this blog post I will be answering the four questions below in regard to purpose. The questions will be answered in reference to my project three.

Screenshot from Sean Bottai's website, Taken in October 28th, 2015

1. The goal of my public argument is very straight forward, I would like to see computer science become one of public educations main(or at least more main) focuses. I want the readers to try and look at what skills are formed from learning computer science rather than the actual learning of computer science. As a result of my argument I would love to see things get done to start teaching/placing more of an emphasis on computer science in education. Clearly, it will take time but to see some of the necessary steps being taken would be a start. 

2.

Plausible Actions/Reactions	Not Plausible
·         Discussions in schools about computer science ·         Importance of computer science is discussed ·         Studies are done to see what skills computer science creates ·         Some schools place more importance on computer science ·         Baby steps – trial computer science classes ·         Legislative bodies discuss implementing more computer science classes	·         Implement computer science in all schools ·         Make computer science the number one focus in all high schools ·         Every student sprouts immense interest in computer science ·         Every student becomes a programmer ·         Computer science is more recognized naturally ·         Computer science is a mandatory course/credit

3    3. Discussions in schools about computer science -> people start talking -> raises awareness on the issue -> more people feel that computer science should be taught in school -> people pressure schools into changes -> computer science becomes more important in school -> schools find it to be effective -> schools make computer science a main focus. 

d

s    4.The audience that I really need to reach is the parents of the children on the schools that are in question in regards to implementing computer science. If I can sway the parents in favor of my side, they will fight strongly for that side because they want what is best(or what they view as best) for their children. A parent is very concerned with their child's education. If they believe that by teaching computer science in schools their kid will gain invaluable problem solving skills that helps them in all areas of study, they will fight for that side. The only catch is convincing the parents that my side is the right side. The parents would try to get legislators and the school to implement computer science if they feel that it is needed in schools. If enough parents were to do this is could actually lead to changes being made. This is why parents are the audience that are the most important to target in regards to my argument. 

Analyzing Context

In this blog post I will be answering the questions regarding context from Writing Public Lives

Screenshot from Sean Bottai's website, taken on October 27th, 2015

• There are two key perspectives in the debate that I am studying. The two perspectives are those who would like to see computer science taught in schools and those who do not want computer science to be taught in schools. It is simply a two sided debate and there is not much lee way when it comes to opinions. 
• The main point of disagreement is whether computer science should taught in schools or not. Your opinion on this will basically put you in whichever side of the debate you belong with(based off of your opinion). 
• Possible points of agreement could be a way to implement the teaching of computer science but not at the level that some people want to see it implemented at. It would have to be a compromise between the two sides. 
• The basis for the opinion that each side is based off of is coming from the person's ideology. Some people see computer science in education as a platform for much greater knowledge. Other people's ideology is that by placing an emphasis on computer science will make it to other core areas of knowledge such as English, writing, and math will not receive a substantial amount of attention in schools. 
• The actions that they want to be taken are to either implement computer science or not depending what side of the debate they are on. Legislators have the final say when it comes to who decides what is taught in school so this is who they have to persuade. 
• The perspectives of those who want computer science to be implemented is the perspective that backs up my argument the most. I chose these because I felt that I aligned with the side that wants to teach computer science in high schools more. For this reasons, I share the same perspective with most people on that side of the debate and I can use their arguments to help form my argument. 
• I think that the perspective of computer science taking valuable time away from other core topics is a valid argument that goes against my argument. I think it is a valid point but can the teaching of computer science can be manipulated to make sure that the core topics do not lose any valuable time. 

Reflection: I read the blog posts of Joki and Jon. Joki and I had very similar approaches when analyzing the context. We both have a very two-sided debate and understand both sides of the debates. With that said, we also have a side of the debate that we side with more and will have to use our side's perspectives to try and disprove valid points made by the other side of the debate. After reading Jon's blog post, it seemed like he understood all sides of his debate but did not fully have a grasp on which side of the debate he stands with.

Audience and Genre

In this blog post I will be exploring the types of audiences that I am trying to reach with my paper.I will also be looking into what publication platforms and genres would be the most practical with my topic and audience.

thinkmedialabs, "Audience" taken on September 24th, 2011 via Flickr Attribution Generic 2.0

1. The primary audience that I need to address is the parents of the children. The children are merely subjected to the decisions made in regards to whether computer science should be taught or not. Even though the children are the subjects of the topic they have little to no say about whether computer science should be taught or not. A lot of the time, both sides try to appeal to the parents as they have a lot of say about what goes on in the schools that their children attend. The publication platforms could be a weekly school news letter or a schools website. The genres are computer science and education. Links to these can be seen here, here, here, and here.

2. Another audience that I will be specifically targeting is the government officials who make the decision to either implement or not implement computer science. The idea is that if the government officials will either be swayed by an argument such as mine and will then feel it is a good idea to implement computer science in schools. That is why it is necessary to target these government officials as a primary audience. The publication platforms to this would be a major news source and a newspaper. This is because it will be put out to the public and if the public is in support of the argument they will call for action from the government. The genre of this would be government action and the public calling for reform. The other genre would once again be computer science as the argument is based heavily off of factual evidence. Links to these can be seen here, here, here, and here.

Extended Annotated Bibliography

In this post I will be linking my extended annotated bibliography that I created for project three.

Alexandre Duret-Lutz "Bibliography" taken on December 11th, 2006 via Flickr Attribution Generic 2.0

Click HERE to visit my extended annotated bibliography for project three!

Narrowing My Focus

In this blog post I will be picking two of the questions from my previous blog post and I will be explaining their importance. 

Mathias Erhart, "Kittens", taken on June 8, 2008 via Flickr Attribution Generic 2.0

First question: "What is being fought for on both sides of the controversies?"

This question is very important to the debate. It is crucial to understand both sides of the debate and what they are advocating for. Both sides will have certain ways that they are feeling for certain reasons and it is important to find out what these reasons are. If I am capable of finding out the reasons it will allow me to justify what they are doing an analyze both sides without my own biases. 

Second question: "Are there geographic relations to who is for and against computer science in schools?"

This question is very interesting because it could demonstrate why there are people on both sides of the debate. People being raised a certain way in specific geographic areas could lead to a certain mindset on an issue like this. This is part of human nature, people have a reality that is formed off of how they are raised or what they are accustomed to. This might be applicable with people's views on computer science being taught in schools.

Questions About Controversy

For project three I will be focusing on the same topic of that in project two. I will be making the topic bigger to the topic of computer science in the education system. 

Lisa L Wiedmeier, "Puppy", taken on November 6th, 2012 via Flickr Attribution Generic 2.0

5 questions to identify who is involved:

• Who wants computer science in schools?
• Who does not want computer science in schools?
• Who would fund computer science in schools?
• Who would teach computer science in schools?
• Who would be learning the computer science in schools?

5 questions to learn about what is up for debate:

• What is being fought for on both sides of the controversies
• Why do people feel the way they do on each side?
• Does each side have evidence to back up their claims?
• Does teaching computer science take importance off of other subjects?
• Why is there a lack of computer science education in schools?

5 questions to learn about when the debate unfolded:

• When was the idea of teaching computer science in schools formed?
• When did computer science as a job begin?
• When were computers available to the general public?
• When was coding let out for the general public to experiment with?
• At what age(average) do kids have a growing interest in computer science?

5 questions to learn about where the debate unfolded:

• Where were computers formed?
• Where is coding and computer science very prominent/located?
• Which schools can afford to provide courses on computer science?
• Are there geographic relations to who is for and against computer science in schools?
• Are certain states more involved in the sphere of computer science?

5 questions to learn about how the debate unfolded in the media:

• Are there interviews debate regarding this topic?
• Are there any scholarly articles regarding this debate?
• Which groups of people advocate for what side of the debate?
• Is this debate heavily discussed on social media?
• Which organizations cover this topic/debate?

Reflection on Project 2

In this blog post I will be reflecting on my project 2 by answering questions provided by Writing Public Lives.

Swaminathan, "Reflections" taken on October 20th, 2007 via Flickr Attribution Generic 2.0

1. When revising my essay I really changed up my intro and conclusion, I changed my focus slightly and took the publisher into perspective which led to me revising my intro and conclusion.

2. When I revised my thesis, I focused on addressing the author's argument and the strategies used in the argument. The thesis exercises in class really helped me and I used what I learned about pathos, ethos, logic, authority, and audience to form a strong thesis.

3. What led to these changes was a change in perspective, I looked closer at the publisher (ISTE) and thought about what their purpose was for publishing this article on their website. I viewed them alongside with the two authors.

4. These changes strengthened my credibility because it demonstrated how I could view the significance of all aspects of an article and their purpose and reasoning. It demonstrated that I have good analytical skills.

5. These changes did not change how I addressed the audience. They were already heavily analyzed in my first draft and I maintained that throughout the revision and into the final draft.

6. I utilized what I learned in the "Punctuation" blog posts to correct grammatical and punctuation errors. I made some sentences shorter and combined or broke down certain sentences.

7. These changes will make the essay easier to read which will lead to the reader understanding the essay more since they can read it smoothly.

8. I originally wrote this essay like a QRG, I quickly found out it was written completely different and was written as an essay. After I learned that I had to reconsider the conventions of the project.

9. The process of reflection helps me learn a lot about myself. The identity I learned i have is that I tend to give an essay my all in the first rough draft so that there is less to revise, that being said, I revise and make changes by re reading my piece of work and using help from my classmates peer reviews.

Reflection: I was only able to read the blog post of Grace because no one else has done the reflection yet. Grace really emphasized focusing on her audience in the revision stage. She investigated who her audience was and how she can write her essay in order to appeal to the intended audience the most. She also edited to limit wordiness which was something I also did. 

Project 2

View my Project 2 by clicking HERE!!!!!!


Enjoy!

Punctuation, Part 2

In this blog post I will be selecting three more topics of the "Punctuation" section in Rules for Writers. I will be briefly discussing what I learned from the chapters.

Horlan Varlan, "Punctuation Puzzle Pieces", taken on October 23rd, 2008 via Flickr Attribution Generic 2.0

The comma: One thing that really interested me about commas that I never really knew what that they are used for the purpose of helping the reader. It breaks up sentences so they are more readable and comprehend-able to readers. This will be helpful for me when I can't decide whether to use a comma or not. I've also always had confusion on if the second to last item in a series(the one before the word "and") needed a comma and this section cleared that confusion up(you do need to put on in).

Quotations: I have been pretty familiar with quotations but the only thing I was not familiar with was when to place punctuation in the quotations and when to place it on the outside. What I learned was that periods and commas go inside the quotation marks. Colons and Semi colons go on the outside of the quotation marks, question marks and exclamation points go inside the exclamation points. This is important information I will use as I often use quotations.

End punctuation: I have always been certain of what end punctuation to use when ending a sentence. What I did learn from this section was end punctuation in abbreviations. When ending a sentence with an abbreviation, it is important to only use the same period in the abbreviation to end the sentence. One thing I also found interesting was that if a "polite request" is written in the form of a question that it can be ended with a period.

Reflection: While revising my essay in regards to these three topics I realized that I did a fairly good job in regards to punctuation. An example in which I correctly quoted was < “I agree that learning how to use many productivity, editing, collaborating, communicating and coding tools would be valuable across the curriculum. But early elementary students’ primary needs are literacy and numeracy.” said Schwartze. > I correctly placed the period in the quotation. A place where I could use a comma and didn't was <and comprehension schools would find it nearly impossible to add in computer science. Especially when the objective is to make computer science extremely important in the curriculum>. I should place a comma before "especially." This exercise helped me realize that when writing an essay you are bound to make punctuation mistakes and should make sure to correct them in the revision stage.

Paragraph Analysis 2

In this blog post I will link my paragraph analysis and will also be reflecting on the paragraph analysis exercise.

Kate Ter Haar, "Examining Clouds" taken on April 12, 2012 via Flickr Attribution Generic 2.0

From performing the paragraph analysis on my rough draft, I learned about what my paragraphs are strong in and what they lack. Generally, I do a really good job focusing on and developing the main point of the paragraph. What I need to work on is linking ideas and transitioning from one idea to the next in a paragraph. I have difficulties transitioning, making my paragraphs come across as somewhat choppy when they are being read by the reader. To view my paragraph analysis click HEREEEE!!

Revised Conclusion

In this blog post I will be creating a new conclusion from scratch. 

Michael, "Finish Line" taken on May 1st, 2011 via Flickr Attribution Generic 2.0

I feel that my new conclusion is better because it puts the article in context in reference to the publisher. It also evaluates why the website would put an article like this on their website. This conclusion also focuses on answering the "so what?" question and putting the whole article and it's arguments in context. 

New: 
Through the well rounded arguments of Pat Yongpradit and Beth Schwartze, ISTE successfully manages to display an issue regarding the field of computer science from both sides of the issue. ISTE provides the reader with two knowledgeable authors who disagree on whether computer science should be taught in elementary schools or not. Both authors use pathos to make the topic more personal to the reader. They also pair logic with authority to make their argument click with the thought process of the readers. ISTE provided two arguments opposing each other in order to allow the reader to pick the side that aligns with their feelings on the issue. By providing both sides of the argument, the reader is learning about all aspects of the issue rather than just one side. ISTE published this article to demonstrate how to properly educate someone on a debatable issue, something that should be done whenever educating someone on an issue. It is important to leave out biases in order for the reader to understand the issue fully and choose their own side on the debate. 

Old:

Both Yongpradit and Schwartze have very valid arguments and use rhetorical strategies to try and persuade the argument. Yongpradit was more effective due to his variety of techniques he used. Schwartze only used logic and authority with some appeal to emotion and audience while Yongpradit used authority, logic, emotion, context, and audience to persuade the audience. It may also be a factor that Yongpradit is arguing with an upper hand while Schwartze is already the underdog in the debate. Most people seem to align with the ideas of Yongpradit, meaning Yongpradit merely has to keep his supporters on his side while Schwartze has to try and convince them to abandon how they originally felt and join her side of the debated topic. ISTE seems to have achieved their purpose of creating a thought provoking article. They provided both sides of the debate, using different authors to illustrate the two sides. Both authors then constructed sound rhetorical arguments, leading the reader to try and understand both sides of the debate.

Revised Introduction

In this blog post I will be completely creating a new introduction for my paper. 

Oscar Rethwill, "Set!!" taken on April 17th, 2013 via Flickr Attribution 2.0 Generic

My new introduction is better in the way that it takes into perspective both the authors and the website that it was published on. It also is shorter which can be interpreted as better because it does not give too much away. This introduction focuses more on why the authors do what they do. I do not completely know which route I will be taking in regards to whether or not to involve the publisher but if I decide to I now have an introduction for it and if I decide to not include that I still have my original introduction(which I feel more comfortable with). 


New: 
Would you want for your child to be taught computer science from a very young age? Computer science has started to reach younger age groups. Originally computer science was first introduced to students in high school but it is now being implemented into middle schools and has even been discussed if it should be brought into elementary schools. This is the topic of the article "Should we teach computer science in elementary school?"  by Pat Yongpradit and Beth Schwartze. The article is published on a website called ISTE.org, which is short for International Society for Technology in Education. ISTE is a premier nonprofit organization serving educators and education leaders committed to empowering connected learners in a connected world. This article provides two sound arguments, Yongpradit supports teaching computer science in elementary schools while Schwartze feels that it should not be. Both authors similarly use their knowledge of the audience to effectively appeal to the audience's emotion. They also use their knowledge and authority in the situation to logically argue their stance in the debate. The purpose of ISTE providing two sound arguments is to allow the reader to properly take a side on the debate. The website knows that this is a difficult issue to come to a conclusion on and for that reason they chose to provide the reader with two strong arguments, one from each side. With this the reader will know enough to choose a side on the debate and be able to understand and back up why they chose that side.

Old: 

The importance of computer science has been growing ever since the first piece of technology was built. Humans have become very reliant on computers, using them to conduct education, jobs, and even government work. As the influence of computer science grows, it reaches younger and younger age groups. Originally, the teaching of computer science began in high school, sometimes reaching the excelling students in middle school. In 2011, 21,139 high school students took the AP computer science exam. This is not that many students considering all the students in the United States. It demonstrates that computer science is still a growing interest among students in the education system,with the interest sprouting in high school.  Now, it is being discussed to have computer science taught in elementary schools. This topic is interesting and was discussed in the article,  "Should we teach computer science in elementary school?"  by Pat Yongpradit and Beth Schwartze. The article was published on ISTE.org, which is short for International Society for Technology in Education. ISTE is a premier nonprofit organization serving educators and education leaders committed to empowering connected learners in a connected world. Pat Yongpradit and Beth Schwartze share their opposing views on whether or not computer science should be taught in elementary schools through an article on this website. Both authors have very solid arguments and their arguments could stand alone and be very persuasive. ISTE seemingly wants the reader to educate themselves on the pros and cons of the situation to the fullest before they take their side on the debate. ISTE is promoting knowing both sides of a debate before choosing a side in that debate, this is evident by them providing two opposing, sound arguments.  Both authors use emotional appeals to the audience to try and draw them in their favor. Since this topic is very personal to many people since it is involving children, both authors discuss points such as the education, future, and benefits/hardships of the children when it comes to teaching them computer science in elementary school.

Reflection on Project 2 Draft

In this blog post I will be answering questions from "A Student's Guide" regarding revising my essay

Hege, "Reflections" taken on July 21st, 2014 via Flickr Attribution Generic 2.0

I peer reviewed the rough drafts of Austin and Joy.

• In my rough draft I do have an identifiable thesis statement. It talks about the strategies used and why the author uses those rhetorical strategies. I do not yet discuss the effectiveness since it is only the beginning of my paper. I also talk about who is involved with the issue regarded in the article. 
• I have decided to organize it with the introduction, the "yes" section, the "no" section, and the conclusion. This part I am confused about because I'm not sure whether I'm looking at the two authors or from the perspective of the organization who published the article or all three of them. I think I could add a paragraph in and analyze the strategies of the organization and still have what I have already done regarding the actual authors of the article. 
• I tried my best to at least mention all of the rhetorical strategies in some fashion but I mostly diverted my attention to emotion, logic, and authority. Through more revising I will try to focus more attention on the other rhetorical strategies. 
• I effectively explored how the rhetorical strategies were used and the effectiveness of them. I went into depth as to why the author used them and how they helped his rhetorical argument. 
• I use evidence throughout the essay but I definitely need to use more. It will back up my points more and make my paper more credible. 
• This is a hard question to answer, I think that my piece of work is interesting but I do not necessarily leave it open for the reader wanting more. 

What I need to focus on in my revision stage is to successfully analyze the two authors along with the organization that published the article. They all implement rhetorical strategies and have a purpose for this article. What I need to do is figure out a way to include them all and work my essay around it all. 

Punctuation, Part 1

In this blog post I will be going over three of the topics regarding punctuation in "Rules for Writers".

Kevin Trotman, "Heavy Punctuation Crossing" taken on April 7th, 2005 via Flickr Attribution Generic 2.0

The semicolon: Ever since I have been writing I have always just added a semicolon when it feels right. The same goes for a comma, I just trust my instincts and hope that I correctly used it. After reading the semicolon chapter, I have learned when it is appropriate to use one and when it is not appropriate to use one. The semicolon can be used when joining two independent clauses, a comma would not suffice in this situation because it would not stop the sentence from being a run on. I also learned to use semicolons when there is a series of items with internal punctuation. It is similar to a series listed with commas but it uses semicolons with internal punctuation.

Unnecessary commas: When reading this section I already knew most of what it went over. One thing that took me by surprise was how you do not use a comma to set off a concluding adverb clause that is essential to the meaning of the sentence. Likewise, if it is unessential to the meaning then you need to add a comma. This is interesting to me because it means it is up to the reader to decide what is essential and what is unessential to the meaning in a sentence.

The apostrophe: I have always known that an apostrophe should be used when referring to possession or plurality. What I have not ever found out was that an apostrophe should not be used for numbers or letters when they are in the plural form. The only time to use an apostrophe is to avoid confusion so it does not look like "bs" or "cs". This is yet another time when it is at the discretion of the writer to decide if it is appropriate or not to use an apostrophe.

Reflection:
I read the rough drafts of Austin and Joy. Overall they both had very good topics and both had good starts on their rough drafts. In Austin's rough draft he had a sentence regarding end punctuation. End punctuation was not something I had listed above but was an example I found in Austin's draft. This example is "Although the good of the country is his first priority, who does the country really belong to?" This example is end punctuation because by using a question mark it is provoking thought for the reader. It also provokes doubt. In Joy's draft, she forgot to use a semi colon in her title. The title is "How Education needs to Change, An Analysis of Andy Kessler's Work." when it really should be "How Education needs to Change;An Analysis of Andy Kessler's Work." The only difference is having a semi colon instead of the comma. Overall the revision stage showed me that many people also struggle with commas, semi colons, and end punctuation.

Draft of Rhetorical Analysis

My draft is still pretty rough, I tried to get as much of the ideas out there and then I can perfect the quality through the revision stages. I was pretty confused about the format of the project(I was sick the day we went over the conventions). For my editors, be as tough as you want! The more the merrier, if you could pay extra attention to the conventions, formatting, and just overall if it is following the guidelines of what the project is then that would be awesome! Also, mine is unique because I analyze two arguments! Enjoy!

Visit my rough draft by clicking HERE!

Practicing Summary & Paraphrase

In this blog post I will be choosing a quote from "Should we teach computer science in elementary school?". I will then write a summary of the quote and I will also paraphrase the quote. By doing this I will gain valuable skills in regards to paraphrasing and summarizing that will help me in creating my project 2. 

Original source:
"The most important part of the K-5 CS experience is its ability to encourage and support creative expression and problem solving. As Seymour Papert said more than 30 years ago, CS is about giving kids the opportunity to engage with powerful ideas. The computer just happens to be our era’s best and most accessible tool for this purpose. Coding puzzles, tutorial progressions and unplugged activities (learning computing concepts without a computer) are all onramps to a world where students can be passionate and powerful enough to express their imaginations. Creativity, collaboration, persistence and abstraction are all thinking skills that coding builds."

My paraphrase of the original source: 
Pat Yongpradit believes the most important factor of computer science in elementary schools is how it builds a foundation for creativity and problem solving skills. Even as Seymour Papert said over thirty years ago, computer science gives children an avenue to work with higher-level ideas. The computer serves as this avenue because it is the most utilizable and capable tool of this generation. Coding, games, hardware, and computer development are all concepts provided by a computer that allow children to explore their imagination and express what they find. Learning to work together, be unique and creative, work diligently, and think differently but efficiently are all things that are built from computer science and what it provides. 


My summary of the original source:  
Pat yongpradit believes that by teaching computer science to elementary students, they will learn how to become problem solvers, abstract thinkers, and express their imagination through utilizing the tool know as the computer and by accessing all of it's capabilities. 

Project 2 Outline

In this blog post I will be creating an outline if my project 2. I will be using "Writing Public Lives" in order to help me create this outline.

Brian Tobin, "Blueprint" taken on March 21st, 2010 via Flickr Attribution 2.0 Generic

While reading pages 122-125 in "Writing Public Lives" I found that the most helpful piece of information was the part regarding thesis statements in a rhetorical analysis. It is very different considering that it is a thesis statement inside of a rhetorical analysis. I was confused as to how to do this since as a writer I will be writing about how the article is put together from a rhetorical argument standpoint. As the book stated, the general idea of a thesis in a rhetorical analysis would be "What do we observe or understand about the ways it tries to persuade it's audience?" The book says to use this question to form the thesis. It is very helpful because it helps me understand the idea of a rhetorical analysis better and I realize i'm searching for how it is done versus what is being done. 

Introduction: In the introduction I will be seeking to set up a background for the readers who do not know as much about computer science. Since I will be analyzing rhetorical strategies through the rest of the paper I thought the introduction is a good place to give context. I will be writing about how computer science is taught in schools. What the pros of having computer science taught it and likewise what the problems are with teaching computer science. This would be a good place for statistics and visuals. 

Thesis: In the article,  "Should we teach computer science in elementary school?", Pat Yongpradit and Beth Schwartze share their opposing views on whether or not computer science should be taught in elementary schools. Both authors use emotional appeals to the audience to try and draw them in their favor. Since this topic is very personal to many people since it is involving children, both authors discuss points such as the education, future, and benefits/hardships of the children when it comes to teaching them computer science in elementary school. 

Body: My paper is going to be interesting because I will be analyzing two different arguments since this article poses the two sides of the debate against each other.I will then analyze how the authors approached their argument and will dive into their rhetoric strategies, I will focus on appeal to audience and emotional appeal as well as credibility and logic when analyzing their arguments. I definitely was more shorter paragraphs just because that is more visually appealing and it is easier to read. I will either switch back and forth between the two arguments or just do all of the first one then the second one. 

Analytical Claim: Teaching computer science in elementary schools would be beneficial for the students in regards to their future, education, and job opportunities yet it is up for debate due to the problems related to teaching computer science in school. 

Conclusion: Put together all the ideas, do one last quick compare of the two arguments. Maybe try to conclude on one if I have enough evidence. Explore how effective each of the authors were. Conclude on which author had a more sound, persuasive argument without being bias. 

Reflection: I read the outlines of Austin and Olivia. They both did a great job on their outlines, structuring their attack for project 2. Austin did a great job figuring out which rhetorical strategies he was going to analyze. He might want to add some contect of the situation at hand. Olivia did an excellent job and I had a hard time finding any flaws. What I learned about my outline was that I should have been more specific with the rhetorical strategies I was going to analyze. Overall I feel as if my outline was a strong outline. 

Draft Thesis Statements

In this blog post I will be writing two thesis statements for my project 2. They will be slightly different and discussed in the end of the blog post

Veronica Aguilar, "Lightbulb" taken on July 22nd, 2013 via Flickr Attribution 2.0 Generic

In the article,  "Should we teach computer science in elementary school?", the reader sees Pat Yongpradit arguing the "yes" side and Beth Schwartze arguing for the "no" side. Yongpradit believes computer science should be taught to elementary students because of it's effects on learning, the economy, and the best interest of the child. On the other hand, Schwartze views this idea as negative, stating how it shouldn't be implemented due to funding, educational priorities, and the capabilities of the students. 

Pat Yongpradit and Beth Schwartze share their opposing views on whether or not computer science should be taught in elementary schools. Both authors use emotional appeals to the audience to try and draw them in their favor. Since this topic is very personal to many people since it is involving children, both authors discuss points such as the education, future, and benefits/hardships of the children when it comes to teaching them computer science in elementary school. 

The first statement is very structured and the way that it is written would allow me to write my project following the chronology of the statement. While the second statement is not as structured, it does discuss the rhetorical strategies more and would lead to a project that analyzes how the author achieves what they are doing rather than why which is what the first statement aspires to do. 

Reflection: I read the blog posts of Stef and Olivia. They both had very strong thesis statements written in their posts and could definitely have a start on their project using one of their thesis statements they created. After reading the book and their thesis statements, I learned that all three of us need to include the rhetorical strategies and techniques used by the author and how that has an effect on the audience. We all gave the reader an idea of what side the author stands on in the debate and why, but we need to include how the author conveys this to the reader. That is the challenge with a thesis statement, it has to include a lot of different parts but be concise at the same time. 

Analyzing My Audience

In the post below I will be answering questions regarding the audience of the article of the debate that I have been analyzing. I will be answering the questions provided by A Student's Guide on page 41.

TopRank Online Marketing "Audience" Taken February 19th, 2008 via flickr Attribution-ShareAlike Generic 2.0

• What are their beliefs and assumptions?

The beliefs of the audience is split. There are the "old fashioned" people who believe that it would be absurd to teach computer science to kids who are still learning to read and write. They also have this belief because they are not the biggest fans of computers in general. On the other hand, the other audience believe that by teaching computer science, the children will find it's progressive learning style benefit them in all other areas of their education. 

• What kind of language is appropriate for them?

Basic labnguage is important for this topic if the article and debate is meant to be applicable to all types of people. Basic computer science language such as "coding" or "hardware" would possibly be used in most articles so it is important for the reader to be familiar with words such as these. 

• What are their sociopolitical and economic backgrounds?

The audience varies since it is mostly directed at schools and the parents of the children that would be taught the computer science in the elementary schools. This means that it would be people of all different backgrounds, making this debate somewhat personal for almost any person. 

• What position might they take on the issue?

The position that would be taken is the one that would benefit the children the most. In some cases it would be seen that the best situation for the children would be to teach them computer science. On the other hand, some parents and schools would see it to be more beneficial to teach the students computer science. In tis situation it really is "either-or"

• What will they want to know?

Both sides truly want to know what is best for the children. It has not been unanimously decided what is better and for that reason people are still asking, "should computer science be taught in elementary schools?"

• In general, how can they best be persuaded?

Factual evidence will be the more efficient way to persuade the audience. If they can see statistics or factual evidence that proves that children either benefit from being taught computer science in elementary school, or suffer from being taught it, the audience will be persuaded to that side. 

Reflection: After reading the blog posts of Lia and Olivia I learned that they did a good job analyzing their audience, and that I did as well. I explored the different view points of my audience and I explored how and why they thought the way they did about the topic at hand. This will help me later on in my project when I have to explore why the opposing sides feel they way they do about the topic of if computer science should be taught in elementary schools.  

Cluster of "Should we teach computer science in elementary school?"

In my cluster, I analyzed both sides of the argument. Initially I was just analyzing the "yes" section but I decided to analyze both because by understanding one section, it gives a better understanding of the other section. The cluster is divided into "yes" and "no" in regards to the two experts giving their opinion on the question: "Should we teach computer science in elementary school?"

You can visit the Coggle by clicking here!