The article, “Why Laptops in Class Are Distracting America’s Future Workforce” was written by Timothy D. Snyder in 2010. His purpose in writing this article was to persuade professors against having laptops in the classroom because he feels they are a distraction. The arguments Snyder uses against laptops in classrooms are, they distract students’ attention, students miss out of the best part of American life, and he generalizes that this lack of attention will spill over into the workplace.
Snyder discusses various online chatting forums such as Skype, Gchat, or iChat that students are engaged in on their laptops during class. In addition to this, he goes on to list other online activities students engage in, such as making travel plans, reading …show more content…
In stating another new class of freshmen is lost, he is implying the freshmen’s attention is on their laptops and not focused on learning and listening to their professors. He also stresses the importance of people learning from other people directly and claims we are losing a long tradition of this. This long tradition he speaks of is many years and generations, people listen, observe others and learn from them, without the use of the internet. He goes on to say losing this tradition of reaching others by speech is what it means to be human. In defining this phrase, as human beings, language is primarily how we exchange ideas and knowledge, give feedback, ask questions, therefore, using speech and talking, instead of googling is what it means to be human. The phrase becoming a class in the statement that laptops are barriers, preventing students from becoming a class if students don’t interact they won’t become a group with common ground and interest, they will remain separate people, not united in a common goal in a classroom. Snyder makes a lot of statements in this article, but does not have any real concrete evidence to back his ideas up. …show more content…
These positive words help the reader sway towards his argument. He states that students learning in the classroom has richness and precision they cannot get online. The use of the words richness and precision can sway the reader into thinking this is the only or best way to credibly learn. He further describes his classroom without computers as calm. In contrast, he used negative words referring to laptops in the classroom. He describes them as loud and flashy, and refers to their glow as distractions. Snyder states, “Meanwhile, we are losing a long tradition of people learning from other people” (166). Traditions are very special and passed down generations. To lose these traditions is very disheartening, therefore, using these words has a very negative emotional effect on a reader’s attitudes towards the possible loss of learning happening with laptops present. Snyder makes hasty generalizations such as that students lack the ability to pay attention. Students chose to focus on other things, such as computers, but this choice is no necessarily a lack of ability to do so. He uses the faulty cause and effect when stating that once students start researching on the internet, they follow links and go from googling a subject such as Habermas, to reading about Lady Gaga. Furthermore, using these two names in comparing, Habermas is a social philosopher,
Snyder discusses various online chatting forums such as Skype, Gchat, or iChat that students are engaged in on their laptops during class. In addition to this, he goes on to list other online activities students engage in, such as making travel plans, reading …show more content…
In stating another new class of freshmen is lost, he is implying the freshmen’s attention is on their laptops and not focused on learning and listening to their professors. He also stresses the importance of people learning from other people directly and claims we are losing a long tradition of this. This long tradition he speaks of is many years and generations, people listen, observe others and learn from them, without the use of the internet. He goes on to say losing this tradition of reaching others by speech is what it means to be human. In defining this phrase, as human beings, language is primarily how we exchange ideas and knowledge, give feedback, ask questions, therefore, using speech and talking, instead of googling is what it means to be human. The phrase becoming a class in the statement that laptops are barriers, preventing students from becoming a class if students don’t interact they won’t become a group with common ground and interest, they will remain separate people, not united in a common goal in a classroom. Snyder makes a lot of statements in this article, but does not have any real concrete evidence to back his ideas up. …show more content…
These positive words help the reader sway towards his argument. He states that students learning in the classroom has richness and precision they cannot get online. The use of the words richness and precision can sway the reader into thinking this is the only or best way to credibly learn. He further describes his classroom without computers as calm. In contrast, he used negative words referring to laptops in the classroom. He describes them as loud and flashy, and refers to their glow as distractions. Snyder states, “Meanwhile, we are losing a long tradition of people learning from other people” (166). Traditions are very special and passed down generations. To lose these traditions is very disheartening, therefore, using these words has a very negative emotional effect on a reader’s attitudes towards the possible loss of learning happening with laptops present. Snyder makes hasty generalizations such as that students lack the ability to pay attention. Students chose to focus on other things, such as computers, but this choice is no necessarily a lack of ability to do so. He uses the faulty cause and effect when stating that once students start researching on the internet, they follow links and go from googling a subject such as Habermas, to reading about Lady Gaga. Furthermore, using these two names in comparing, Habermas is a social philosopher,