Thursday, August 1, 2019
Are Computers Compromising Education?
Language Analysis ââ¬â ââ¬Å"Are Computers Compromising Education? â⬠In the letter ââ¬Å"Are Computers Compromising Education? â⬠, A. Jones, the principal of Hightower College, explains his reasons for banning the use of computers in classrooms, informing parents of the many issues that it would have imposed on students. Jones addresses the issue in a very reasoned but concerned tone, which gradually becomes more assertive as he attempts to completely convince parents to agree with his contention, that Australiaââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"computer-based ââ¬Ëeducation revolutionââ¬â¢ represents a false promise to the Australian publicâ⬠, as it inflicts a variety of health hazards on students and is preventing them from learning ââ¬Å"the essential social and intellectual skills that they need to flourish in the adult worldâ⬠. With a formal and carefully structured, yet at times quite emotive style of writing, Jones effectively uses a variety of persuasive language techniques to justify the rationality of his decision, and to make it clear to parents that the negatives of having laptops in classrooms ââ¬Å"far outweigh the potential benefitsâ⬠. Jones appeals to the readerââ¬â¢s common sense through the use of seemingly logical statements, which make it seem as though his point of view is the only reasonable one, and that it should be obvious that students should not be allowed laptops in class due to the ââ¬Å"obviously unhealthyâ⬠effects it has on not only their education, but their social lives as well. Also, in case his position as principal doesnââ¬â¢t give him enough credibility amongst the parents of his college, Jones appeals to the authority of Todd Oppenheimer, a leading social theorist in the US, who states that a computer-centred classroom means ââ¬Å"downplaying the importance of conversation, of careful listening, and of expressing oneself in personâ⬠. This use of reliable evidence works with reason and logic to convince parents that Jones arguments are accurate and sensible, and that ââ¬Å"studentsââ¬â¢ brains are becoming deadenedâ⬠as they are ââ¬Å"sadly being lost in todayââ¬â¢s technological ageâ⬠, which is stifling vital qualities in them and ââ¬Å"fostering negative traitsâ⬠. The image which was sent along with the letter to parents, shows a group of students ââ¬Å"being nourished by traditional textsâ⬠and being aided with their work by a teacher. It highlights the importance of teacher to student learning and the essential social skills that kids can acquire through constant human interaction and direct communication, as opposed to computer-based learning and instant messaging. This image helps to support the principalââ¬â¢s arguments, because after parents recognise the necessity of teacher to student learning from the image, hearing that the quality of teachers declines with ââ¬Å"every dollar spent on the purchase and maintenance of a computerâ⬠causes them to feel morally obliged to agree with Jones in the fear that they would otherwise be compromising their childrenââ¬â¢s education. The image also combines with Jonesââ¬â¢ use of hyperbole and emotive language when he states that ââ¬Å"by short-changing our teachers, we rob our children of a futureâ⬠to give the cumulative effect of both evoking an emotional response from parents before their basic reason and logic comes into play, and shocking them into accepting his point of view that ââ¬Å"the real world is inhabited by people, not machines, and our classrooms should reflect this realityâ⬠by ditching the idea of having laptops in classrooms, and encouraging more interaction among students and teachers in order to prepare our kids for the future. In addition to the array of emotional appeals and hyperbolic statements the writer applies throughout the letter, Jones appeals to the parentââ¬â¢s hip-pocket nerve by bringing to light the fact that ââ¬Å"the cost of ââ¬Ëdown timeââ¬â¢ ââ¬â where the computer is being repaired ââ¬â far exceeds the initial purchase cost of the unitâ⬠. Since money is one of the main driving forces in everyoneââ¬â¢s lives, this use of persuasive language effectively influences parents to approve of the principals decision solely through their desire to be financially secure. Jones eliminates any reason for parents to oppose his views through appeals to their sense of fear and their morals and values, by referring to this issue as a ââ¬Å"worrying phenomenonâ⬠and claiming that the constant use of computers has ââ¬Å"a detrimental effect on childrenââ¬â¢s learning abilitiesâ⬠¦ and could have other damaging effects on the brainâ⬠. The negative connotations in words like ââ¬Ëdetrimentalââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëworryingââ¬â¢ add to his alarming tone in order to arouse fear and anxiety in parents by suggesting that if they push for laptops to be made available in classrooms, they would be doing a great deal of harm to their own children. This compels the parents of students at Hightower College to share in the principalââ¬â¢s point of view that the school should not be ââ¬Å"prepared to compromise the learning abilities of students in support of a fadâ⬠. Throughout his letter, Jones relies on his concerned, yet assertive tone and use of reason and logic, to really sway the parents of Hightower College to believe that his decision to ban the use of computers in classrooms is obviously the right thing to do. The inclusion of evidence from an authoritative position, even higher than his position of principal, adds extra legitimacy to his arguments by presenting parents with a credible point of view. Jones also constantly plays with the parentââ¬â¢s emotions and morals while appealing to their sense of fear, because as parents they would never want to ââ¬Å"compromise [their] childrenââ¬â¢s ability to learnâ⬠or cause any ââ¬Å"damaging effects [to] the brainsâ⬠of their kids. Jonesââ¬â¢ application of a variety of persuasive language techniques allows him to effectively convey his arguments, and the cumulative effect that they give helps to convince parents of his point of view, that ââ¬Å"we need to resist the temptation to dumb down the classroom, and reinstate a more responsible and human environment for our childrenâ⬠.
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