Hello Everyone,
For your second Writing Journal assignment, please read the following article: “You Have Too Much Mail" by Christopher F. Chabris, Wall Street Journal. (Eastern Edition). New York, N.Y.: Dec 15, 2008. p. A.17
- From Falvey Library's homepage (on the left side), choose "Databases A-Z."
- Then choose "ABI/INFORM Global (ProQuest)."
- Next, click on the "Publications" tab.
- Choose Wall Street Journal: Eastern Edition.
- Write the article’s title or author in the “Search for articles . . .” data field, and perform your search.
You’re welcome to respond to the article however you wish. I do encourage you, though, to consider the following:
Consider the situation described in the first paragraph. How does it compare to your own experience?
Do you accept the writer’s ideas about technology’s affect on productivity? why or why not?
Do you agree with the writer’s ideas about multi-tasking and our brains’ limits when paying careful attention? why or why not?
Are the writer’s ideas about the “mismatch between our modern lives and ancient brains” persuasive? why or why not?
Please include the following information as a heading on your work:
Your name
Eng1050 – 20
Writing Journal Assignment #2
Please post your Writing Journal response to this article (200 - 250 words) by Thursday, September 24, 2009.
Have a good day.
Mr. Dierkes
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Lauren Pasquale
ReplyDeleteEnglish 1050-20
Writing Assignment #2
The situation Chabris described in his opening paragraph is not out-of-the-ordinary in the modern world. While not everyone will have thirteen applications running on their computer at one time, chances are if I sit down at the computer I will have at least three windows open within five minutes. I think that technology has a mixed affect on productivity. In certain situations, it is helpful to be able to view several things at once. For example, when I am researching information I will often keep several sites open in order to compare what I find on each page. The problem with the ability to “multi-task” while on the computer occurs when, in addition to my research sites, I am also checking my email, chatting on Facebook, and looking up the weather forecast for the following week. I agree with the writer’s opinion that our brains were not built to perform multiple, thought-required tasks at one time. We are faced with evidence of this idea on a daily basis: what happens when you try to do too much at one time? Personally, I often become overwhelmed or stressed out. Often times, in order to reduce stress levels, I take a “break” from whatever I am working on. In this sense, technology is negatively affecting productivity because I cannot continue to work on the tasks until I have taken a break. I think that society would benefit from “easing-up” on technology use; obviously it would not be beneficial to end it all together, however, is it really necessary to chat with your friend across the country while you are trying to pay bills and write a paper?
This article surprises me very little. I think that most people would agree that having a lot of things to do and worry about is distracting and makes you a less efficient worker. Personally, i never start anything without having every intention of finishing it. For me, the only way to maximize my efficiency is to disable the internet on my computer(as to not be on Facebook), put myself in an empty room with everything that i need, and crank out whatever work i have decided to do. When that work is done, i check it over then move on to the next task, never worrying about the work i just finished until i get a grade back. In my macroeconomics class that i took last semester we talked about the advantages and disadvantages of increased efficiency due to technological innovation. Our efficiency has exponentially increased allowing us to increase production but as a result, we often spread ourselves too thin now that so much more can be accomplished in a shorter period of time. I think that productivity will decrease eventually when the human brain cant keep up with the amount of information that can be processed at a given time and more importance will be placed on the capacity of human brain than the technology used to get it information.
ReplyDeleteGarrison Nord
ReplyDeleteENG 1050 - 20
Writing Assignment #2