研二下英语写作文章Argumentation.docx

研二下英语写作文章Argumentation.docx

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研二下英语写作文章Argumentation

The Faceless Teacher

byDennisGardner,WritingTutor

The Internetisheretostay.WhetheronelivesinabackwoodsshackorSiliconValley, the potentialofonlinecommunicationcannotbeignored.Infacing the twenty-firstcentury,afearlessinventoryof the rolethat the WorldWideWebwillplayinglobalculturemustbetaken.This“phantomresource,”wherewebsitescanshiftandvanishlikeghosts,shouldnotlenditselftowidespreadapplicationwithoutcarefulexaminationof the specificfunctionsitwillbeutilizedtoperform. The Internetisanentitywithoutamaster,andcensureanddiscretionon the Webareleftto the responsibilityof the individualpublisher.Thismeansastudentsearching the vastfieldsofinformationthathavefloweredon-linemayfindpaydirtorfertilizer.Overzealoususeofcomputers,evenininnocence,toease the burdenofsolidresearchinfavorofconvenienceorfor thesinisterpurposeofcuttingcosts,willreducelearningfromacreativeprocesstoapoint-and-clickprocedure,effectivelydiminishingstudentsfromsocial-learnerstoacyber-tribeofhunters-and-gatherersrelyingon the abilityofmachinesand the rotememorizationofmonitors’displays.

The blankcountenanceof the computerscreen, the faceless teacher,isafrighteningprospectofeducation’son-linefuture.Informationispresentasprint,yet the mediumoftransferenceismissing. The studentmaybereceptiveand the informationrelevant;however,learningtakesplacenotbypassiveobservationbutinadynamicwhirlwindofuncertaintyandintent.Astudententers the classroomtolearn,andanotherhumanbeingmustprovide the nuance, the animation,and the consciousfeedback--inshort, thesimplebioactivity--tostimulateastudent’smind. The professorprovidesanotherlifetimeofexperiencetocontrastwith the student’sownpersonalreality.Thisinteractionalonebreaks the constraintsofpersonalbiasandhelpstoformaskillvitaltocriticalthinking:

objectivity.Inaformalclassroom, the informalityof the socialsceneisleftoutside the doorandanewdisciplineofrhetoricanddiscussionisacquired. The human teacher,whilenotinfallible,canexplaindifferentsolutionstoasingleproblem,demonstrateobjectivityandunderstanding,andillustratealternateapproachestoobstacles. The computercancalculateanddisplay,buta teacher cancalculateanddevise.

Innovationis the abilitytoemploycreativemethodstosolveaproblem.Howdoesonegetit?

Confrontingproblemsdirectlyandworkingthroughthemis the onlyway.Educationsuppliesnotjustrawdatabutalso the strategiesfordealingwiththatrawdata, the templateforformingthisinformationintoideasbyshapingitwithinnovation,andeventually the arenatousetheseweaponsinchallengingspecificproblems.Typingacommandintoasearchengineordeletinganerrantpornographicadvertisementfromascreendoesnotteachorevenrequirecriticalthinkingorinnovationon the partof the student.Lessonshidein the processoflearning--the cross-referencing, the questioningthatis the lifebloodof the dialogue,and the disciplinesoimportantin the searchforknowledge--notin the simpleinstantgratificationin the clickofamouse. The easeofinformationacquisitionprovides the studentwithplentyofsourcesbuthinders the developmentofacriticalandflexibleframeofreferencetointerpretthiswealthofmaterial. The computercanshowbutcannotteach. The studentisleftaloneinaseaofinformationwithoutameansofpropulsion.

If the studentseems the scapegoat,portrayedasdull-wittedorlazy,thisisunintentional.Though“virtualeducation”isonlyakeystrokeaway,andthesearepossibilities,notinevitabilities, the Internetispowerful,andwithpowercomes the potentialforabuse,by the teachersthemselvesaswellas the students.As the Webgivespupils theoptiontodecreasehumaninvolvementintheireducation,institutionsmaychoosetouse the Webas the primaryclassroomforumin the questtosavemoney. The equationE=mc2canalsobeemployedwhenexaminingaCollegeorUniversity’sfinancialstrategy.Substitute“$”for“E,”manpowerfor“m,”andleave“c”asitistorepresent“time”squared. The amountoftimefacultymembersworkmultipliedby the sizeof the university’sstaffequalsmoneyexitingfromthatinstitutions’bankaccount.Timeequalsmoney,butmoneysaveddoesnotequalcomparableeducation.Itisvitalthatqualityface-to-faceeducationwinsoutovercost-cuttingmeasures.

Machinesworkwellwithmachinesandpeopleworkbestwithotherpeople. The humanraceiscomposedofawebofsocialanimals.Humancontactisessentialfor the developmentofqualityminds.However,thereareprospectivestudentswho,duetouncontrollableforces,findthataWebcourseistheironlymeansofeducation.Inthisunfortunatecircumstance, the concessionmustbegiventhatanyeducationatallispreferabletoignorance.Buttheseon-linecoursesmustbeofferedwithcautionandshouldnotbecome thenorm.

The webcanbeanaidtoeducationin the waythatacalculatorisanaidtomathematics.Withallof the speedandnumbercrunchingabilityofacalculator,itwouldbehighlydifficulttolearnalgebradirectlyfromthisdevice.In the samerespect, the WorldWideWebisnotameanstoanend.Itisnot the magnificentforcethatis the humanintellect. The mindishumanity’sgreatestassetanditsrefinementishumanity’sgreatestachievement. The evolutionofsuchadeviceshouldnotbelefttoanythinglessthanitsequal. The intangiblesinvolvedin the shapingandgrowthofhumanconsciousness--the excitementofsharingknowledge, the drivetocommunicatein the mosteffectiveway,the valueofhavingapersontakeapersonalstakein the educationofanindividual--arewithoutparallel.In the complexchemistryofeducation, the computerisjustatool.The trueenergyandforceisin the experimentitself; the teacher is the catalyst;and the studentis the reaction.

TheComputerandtheJobDisplacement

JonathonSimons

Backintheearly1960'stherewasfearandunjustifiedconcernoverjobdisplacementduetoanewtechnologicalinventioncalledtheComputer.Today,althoughmanypeoplehavelearnedtoadjusttotheterrificimpactthecomputerhashadonsociety,therearestillmanywhofearthatthecomputerwillreplacethemintheirjobsandunderminethelaborforceasawhole.Nonsense!

Insteadofreplacingpeople,theircomputerisdevelopingmorepositionsforemployees.

Thecomputerindustryhasgrownfromoneoftheleastunderstoodtooneofthemostunderstoodandapplicableindustriestheworldhaseverseen.Muchofthegrowthincomputeroperationswillresultinthefuturefromadvancesinthecapabilitiesofcomputers.Thegrowthincomputertechnology,suchasthechangefromtransistorstotheuseofsiliconchips,hasalsocausedtheindustrytochangefromaspecializedfieldwithasmallpercentageofemployeestoaverydiversifiedindustrythatisconstantlymeetingnewapplicationsanduses.Tosupplementthischange,therehasbeenademandforaninfluxofpeopletofillever-increasingjobopenings.

Onereasonforthisfantasticgrowthinemploymentisthatthecomputerworkersareineveryindustry.Eightypercentoftheseworkersareemployedinfourmajordivisionsofindustry:

Services,Finance,Insurance,andRealEstate.Forexample,Services,whichincludeswholesale,manufacturing,andretailtrade,experiencedanincreaseof34percentincomputeremploymentbetweentheyears1970and1978,accordingtoOccupationOutlookQuarterly.

Statisticsfromthisdecadeprovebeyondadoubtthatcomputershavedevelopedawealthofjobopportunities.Ofthefivefaster-growingjobsinthe1980's,DepartmentofLaborstatisticsshowthatthreeareinthecomputerindustry.Thesethreeinclude:

computerservicetechnicians,systemsanalystsandcomputerprogrammers.Althoughallthreeofthesefieldsrequireaneducationalbackgroundthatgoesbeyondthesecondaryschoollevel,therearemanyotherjobswhichrequireonlyahighschooldegree.Someexamplesofthesejobsarecomputeroperators,whoseprofessionhasdoubledinemploymentsince1970andhasthelargestgrowthrateofanyonefieldinthecomputerindustry;computersalesmen,whomake10percentmoreperyearthantheaveragesalesman;anddataentrypersonnel,whohaveexperiencedgreatincreasesinpayandnowaverage$245perweek.Thesearebutafewofthemanyjobscreatedbythecomputer.

AccordingtoScholasticwriterAndrewCalkins,75percentofourworkforcewillbeusingacomputerinsomewayonthejobby1990.Employmentofcomputerworkersincreaseddramaticallyovertheyearsfrom1970-78,risingabouttwoandone-halftimesasmuchasdidtotalemploymentintheeconomy.Thisgrowthrateisexpectedtocontinueatanexponentialrate.Asyoucanwellsee,thecomputerindustryissupplyingmorejobsthananyothersingleindustry.OccupationOutlookQuarterlypredictsthatby1990,2,140,000peoplewillbeemployedincomputeroperations,ariseof85percentover1978.

Itisclearthattherearemanyjobswaitingforqualifiedworkersorpeoplewhoarewillingtolearn.However,anargumentoftenexpressedisthatolderpeoplewhohavebeentrainedinsemiskilledpositionsandhavelosttheirjobstocomputerswillnotbeabletoadaptorretraintoaccommodateajobrelatingtocomputers.Undoubtedlythishasbecomeofmajorconcerntotheindustry.Manycompanieshavetakenonthetaskofretrainingorsimplyinitiatingtheirpersonnelorcustomerstocomputers.Suchquotesas"Honeywelloffersa20-hourintroduction"arebecomingcommonplaceinmagazinesandnewspapers.Whattheseadsmeanisthatcompa