Research Statement

The public school system should reinstate the teaching of grammar in English courses.

You're 16

Anya Kamenetzin argues in her article "You're 16, You're Beautiful and You're a Voter" to lower the legal age "threshold" to 16 through incorporating a required, educational "graduated system" that would teach early age realists to responsibly manage their rights and privelages.
She introduces this issue with a discussion of the successful phasing in of driving for 16 year olds and the required testing that produces safer drivers. This example stands as a model for the other areas Kamenetzin would like to see altered: early age voting, drinking, and credit card use.
Kamenetzin suggests a lowered voting age based on the passing of a civics course and voting permit test. This would increase voter registration and encourage mature teens to partake in this privelage and right.
A lowered drinking age is proposed as well. Likewise, a course on alcoholism is required, along with obtaining a permit that would limit the amount alcohol allowed for consumption and with whom it may be consumed. The notion that most teens are already receiving their first drinks and most drink less if consuming small amounts with families backs this proposition.
Finally, Kamenetzin suggests a "phasing in" of credit cards for 16 year olds. She argues for a co-signer and financial literacy test. Also, teens should be required to responsibly pay each payment for a year with their own wages.
Ultimately, Anya Kamenetzin encourages adult treatment of teens. The support of the government in teaching rights with responsibilities would encourage teens to rise and meet adult expectations.

Google Doc.

The class has several responses to the article by Sherry Turkle. Most obviously, we are greatly influenced by computer technology. Everyone can access information instantaneously, whereas previously students relied more so on the library for research. News can be discovered within minutes, conversations can occur via chat and video, music can be down-loaded, and scripture can be read. You can shop online anytime, day or night, as wells as conveniently pay bills or check online banking. Often people use calculators, spellcheck, and powerpoint, losing much of their vital critical thinking and their ability to do "back of the envelope calculations." Word processing can improve better writers but worsen terrible writers. We're a generation in need of high stimulation and some feel that this should be taken into consideration with student's everyday studies. In general we've become impatient expecting information to be provided instantaneously. Some argue that crime has taken new venues over the internet; anything from stalking to murder can be triggered from information provided online. Of course, computers arguably spark a world of creativity. Ultimately, the computer has immensely affected our world.