Wordiness

Here's a little Calvin and Hobbes to follow up on our wordiness discussion :)

"A Portfolio of TV Advertisements"

Volkswagon: Snowplow
Union Carbide: Chick
Alka Seltzer: Spicy Meatball
Quaker Oats: Mikey
Coca-Cola: Mean Joe Green
Federal Express: Fast Talker
Pepsi Cola: Archaeology
Levi's: Launderette
Jeep: Snow Covered
Energizer: Darth Vader
Got Milk?: Aaron Burr
The Gap: Pardon Our Dust
Honda: Physics
Sony Bravia: Bunnies
Dove: Onslaught
Tide to Go: Interview
Planters Peanuts: Perfume

"Selling Happiness: Two Pitches from Mad Men"

The following links will take you to YouTube clips of the popular AMC series, Mad Men.

The first clip   is from the very first episode of the series, and shows Don Draper making a pitch for Lucky Strike Cigarettes: "Mad Men: It's Toasted."

The second shows a pitch for the Kodak Carousel: "Mad Men: Carousel."

As you watch the clips, consider how the use of a single word, or the choice of one word over another, can increase the persuasive appeal of an advertisement.

"Advertising's 15 Basic Appeals" by Jib Fowles

Here is the link to a PDF of Jib Fowles' article, "Advertising's 15 Basic Appeals." Although the advertisements he uses as examples are pretty old, the appeals are still applicable to todays ads. Can you think of current ads that fit the appeals that Fowles lists? Do you think there are any appeals that he missed or that should be included in the list?

A Portfolio of Advertisements

Portfolio of Advertisements

Read through these advertisements from the past 60 years and be prepared to discuss them on Friday.

Suggested Articles

Here are a few possible articles for use in Essay #1.

"Reading Study Shows Remarkable Decline in U.S." (This is the transcript of an interview conducted on NPR. You can either listen to or read the interview.)

"Fiction Reading Increases for Adults"

"Decline of American Reading Culture: Literature’s Struggle in Face of Pop Culture"

"Young Adult Lit Comes of Age"

"Adults Are Devouring Kids' Books For Good Reason"

"The Real Effects of Technology on Your Health"

"Despite Risks, Internet Creeps Onto Car Dashboards"

"How Green is My iPad?"

"Technology Changing How Students Learn, Teachers Say"

"Set Students Free With Technology in Schools"

"The Problem With Technology in Schools"

Essay #1 Assignment

ESSAY #1
English 1010
Due: Feb. 15, 2013

So far this semester, we’ve been discussing reading and technology, and their effect on the human brain.  Your assignment is to compose an essay using one of the texts we’ve read and an outside text on reading, technology, and the brain.  Your essay should discuss 1) how one essay’s argument is incomplete, 2) how the second essay helps complete the picture, and 3) how reading these two texts together gives us a better perspective on the issue.

In order to accomplish this, you will need to:

• Discuss what both texts argue
• Explain how one of the texts’ arguments is inadequate or incomplete
• Describe how the other text helps complete the picture
• Explain why considering both texts together is superior to simply considering one of them

A couple of things to note:

• Please avoid personal feelings and beliefs into the essay.  Make sure your opinions are stated as arguments that can be supported by explanations, examples, and quotes from the text.

Formatting considerations:

• Page length: 3-4 pages, double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, 1” margins.
• Name, course number, instructor’s name, and date should appear flush left at the top of the page.
• Title should be centered on the next line below the date.
• Essay should begin on the next line below the title.
• Use MLA format for in-text citations, as discussed in class.

Extra credit options:

• You may take your essay to the Writing Center for an additional 5 points on your essay. You must ask your tutor for a signed slip of paper to verify your tutoring session.
• You may also rewrite your essay for up to 5 extra credit points.  Your rewrite is due one week after you receive your graded essay back from me.

"Can You Hear Me Now?"

And....drum roll please...the last reading for our discussion on reading, the brain, and technology: "Can You Hear Me Now?" by Sherry Turkle. Whether or not we agree with Turkle's assessment of the problems with technology, I think she raises some important issues and questions that we need to ask ourselves as we move ahead. What are some of the most significant questions that you think have been raised as we've discussed articles this semester? Have your ideas or habits changed as a result?

"What's the Matter With Kids Today?"

Okay, so I'm playing catch-up with the blog: here is the post for your comments on Amy Goldwasser's "What's the Matter With Kids Today?"

We tend to focus sometimes on the negative effects of technology on kids. What are some positive uses of technology that teens (or young adults) engage in?