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Periods 1-3 03/15/21- Periods 2, 4, 6

Learning Focus: Argumentative essay

Learning Target: to be able to identify the arguable point in the sources

Essential Question: What is the intention of an argumentative essay?

Vocabulary: argue-argumentative-sources-evidence-

AGENDA

1- Click on Bell Ringer VTS and do Picture # 2.

2- Read the writing prompt.

3- Read the sources to be able to do the planning of the essay

4- State the CLAIM and REASONS for your choice.

ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

Writing Prompt

Cell phones are causing a lot of arguments among educators and schools administrators. Some consider cell phones as good learning tools while others consider that cell phones can harm the learning process. Write an editorial for your school’s newspaper arguing whether a school should let the students use their cellular phones in class or not. Use the information you find in the sources below.

Source 1
Twenty years ago cell phones were expensive and underpowered. Pretty much the only thing you could do with them was to dial a number to speak with someone. Cell phones

.have morphed into a high-powered device called a smartphone. It can make calls, text messages, take photos with one of two cameras, play music, and much, much more. As a result, cell phones, or rather, smartphones, can be both a useful tool and a distraction in school.  The big advantage of allowing cell phones in the classroom is that the school doesn’t have to build any local infrastructure. In other words, you don’t have to wire buildings and set up servers to support students’ and administrators’ cell phones. The cell phone service provider takes care of all of that. Teachers can routinely deliver information and content via students’ smartphones easily and conveniently.
Endless possibilities for good

 What some teachers particularly like is that you can use that one device to meet students at their own level. Yes, many students will spend endless hours gaming on their smartphones. But, most of the time, those gamers are the young people who will accept your challenge of designing an app for a specific purpose in your classroom. They understand the parameters for a successful app. They know how it should look and perform. You just have to challenge them to write that app you need to enhance your teaching and their learning.

 
What about the shy student who spends much of her time listening to music? You can set her an assignment of researching other forms of music, and in the process open her ears and eyes to whole new musical worlds. You see, using smartphones as a research tool is one of the most important things you can teach your students to do. Speedreading is the other important thing you need to teach your students, but I digress. Teaching your students to distinguish between fact and fiction when they search the internet is critically important to the development of analytical thinking.

Smartphones allow instant communication between teacher and student, between administrators and teachers, and, in times of crisis, between parents and the school. You don’t have to wait hours or days to receive feedback, comments, suggestions, or even the correct answer to a question.

Endless possibilities for distraction

 Smartphones can be a distraction. That is the main reason why many teachers do not like them in the classroom. As far as they are concerned, smartphones create more disciplinary problems than they are worth. Unfortunately, smartphones are ubiquitous. Even your third and fourth graders will have smartphones. Using a smartphone to learn and widen one’s horizons is one way to reduce the distraction capability of a smartphone. In other words, teach your students the disciplined approach to using their smartphones. Teaching has always required tons of patience. It has also required teachers to reach students at whatever level they happen to be on. Obviously chatting with your friends on WhatsApp or SnapChat or Kik is going to be a major distraction in the classroom, that is, if you allow it to be.

Source 2

Best apps for teachers

Technology has developed so rapidly over the last ten years or so. Back then who would have thought that there would be app stores with thousands of apps for teachers? Here is a sample of the kind of apps available for teachers. And dozens more are added every day. George Nekilan describes some of these apps in 

Best Apps for Teachers in 2018 to Download

. JAna Rooheart explores apps with the special needs teacher in mind in 

7 Apps for Working with Special Needs Students

.Do you want to encourage your students to study for their SAT and AP exams? There are apps for that. 

Best apps to help begin your AP, ACT, & SAT studying

 is a compilation from Grosse Pointe South High School. Use it as a guide for building your own catalog of useful apps for your teaching and for your students.
Harness the power and capabilities of smartphones to enhance your classroom activities.

Source 3
These days, more and more students are bringing cell phones to class. Even elementary school-aged students have cell phones in their pockets and backpacks.
CELL PHONE USE IN THE CLASSROOM
Students check their phones in the classroom an average of more than 11 times a day. That can add up to a lot of time spent distracted from schoolwork. And when students are distracted, it’s a recipe for extra stress, frustration, and catch-up time for everyone.
With students spending up to 20% of their in-class time texting, emailing, and checking social media, it’s no wonder the debate about cell phones in the classroom is alive and well.

HOW CELL PHONES CAN BE USED EFFECTIVELY IN THE CLASSROOM
If properly managed, cell phones can be used as tools to help children learn in the classroom.

PROS of allowing cell phones in school:

1. Using educational learning apps
Cell phones give students access to tools and apps that can help them complete and stay on top of their class work. These tools can also teach students to develop better study habits, like time management and organization skills.

2. Incorporating digital platforms into lessons
Using social media can keep students interested in class and encourage them to participate in the discussion. Some teachers create twitter hashtags or message boards students can use during class discussions to share thoughts and ideas. This can be especially helpful for students who might not be comfortable speaking in class.

3. Supplementing lessons with digital materials
Teachers can take advantage of cell phones by providing students with resources to find more information about a topic. This can include videos, news stories, online discussion groups, and more. Allowing students to access these resources in class can help encourage participation and discussions.

4. Providing easy access to more information
Cell phones can give students access to more information, letting them research more about a topic while having class discussions. This is especially true for current events that have not yet been covered in school textbooks.

THE DRAWBACKS OF ALLOWING CELL PHONES IN CLASSROO
While cell phones can be used as learning tools, it is a challenge to make sure students are using them for school-related tasks. A cell phone can easily turn from “classroom learning tool” into “classroom disruption”.

CONS of allowing cell phones in school include:

1. Distractions and interruptions
When students use their cell phones to check social media and text their friends in class, it leads to distractions for those students as well as for their peers. This can cause disruptions in class, particularly if the teacher is constantly telling students to turn their devices off.

2. Cyberbullying
Cell phones can also lead to increased problems with bullying on the schoolground. Cyberbullying can be harder to see than other forms of bullying, making it difficult for teachers to identify and stop when it is happening.

3. Cheating
Cell phones can be a helpful learning tool in class. But they can also be used by students to access information while taking a test, leading to cheating. Even if a student isn’t caught, this can lead to him or her having a poor understanding of the material in the future, and is unfair to students who studied hard to do well.

4. Disconnection from face-to-face activities
While cell phones can help encourage participation by offering different channels, this can also lead to less in-person discussion and fewer learning opportunities. Learning to work together with others is an important part of students’ education, and can be lost with too much dependence on cell phones and other digital technology.

Argumentative Essay Planning

Fill in the chart with the Pros and Cons of letting students use their cellular phones in class. Use the information provided in the sources.

CLAIM_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________.

REASON #1:

REASON # 2:

REASON # 3: