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“Is everyone on my website?” Mrs.Lyons asked as she was waiting for the students to get
onto her website. Paige responded, “My Ipad is still loading.” Mrs.Lyons and the other students
waited for Paige’s Ipad to load. The students sat quietly, staring blankly into their Ipads, and
daydreaming until the lesson began. Finally after five, interminable minutes, Mrs.Lyons told
Paige she would have to look on with another student who would be performing a virtual frog
dissection. The class had now wasted precious learning time, and Paige, having to look on with
another student, unable to perform the dissection herself, did not get as much of a learning
experience. In the school I attend, all the eighth graders have Ipads. Last year, my brother used
an Ipad in school as an eighth grader along with the rest of his cluster. At one point in science
class, his cluster was a whole unit behind the other two clusters who did not have Ipads to deal
with. This shows that the Ipads waste time, and that students can learn more information at a
faster rate without them. Ipads have a negative effect on middle school students, as they can
raise the opportunity of bullying, can waste learning time, are distracting, and are very
expensive.
One reason Ipads can hurt students is some of the apps that can be downloaded. Social
media and gaming apps are not good for middle school students. In apps like Facebook, Twitter,
and Instagram there can be a lot of bullying and hurt feelings involved. One day, Callie was
scrolling through the pictures on Instagram on her Ipad just like she does everyday with a smile
on her face. Suddenly, her smile dropped, and her face filled with fury as she stared at the picture
one of her best friends posted on Instagram. It was a picture of Callie’s three best friends smiling
for the camera. Rollercoasters, Mickey Mouse, and happy little kids filled the background. Her
three best friends were in Disney World, and she had not been invited. Now Callie’s feelings are
hurt, and she is angry with her best friends, which is not good. As middle school students can
see, social media apps that are available to access on the Ipad can hurt friendships and feelings.
Not only can using Ipads hurt students emotionally, but they can also hurt students physically.
Visiting social media sites and playing games on the Ipad can be addictive. Today, many
students spend a lot of time on their Ipads or other pieces of technology. One minute a student
could be casually looking at pictures or playing games, and before they know it an hour has
passed. Too much screen time is bad for students. Instead, students could be reading and getting
smarter, or getting exercise. Therefore, addicting apps like Doodle Jump or Temple Run that can
be downloaded on the Ipads are bad for students. Communicating via an Ipad can also have a
negative effect on students. Communicating through text can lead to misunderstandings, as the
people receiving the message do not know what tone of voice the sender was using. A student
could have sent a message saying, “You are so stupid,” to another student, but in a sarcastic way.
Since this type of communication through the Ipads is not face to face, no one can tell if the
student was being serious or sarcastic. The student receiving the message, thinking the sender
was serious, might feel insulted and get angry. But, actually, the receiver just misunderstood the
message, and would not have gotten angry if the communication through the Ipad was clear.
With all the ways the Ipad can hurt a student both emotionally and physically, it is easy to see
that the Ipad can have a negative effect on middle school students.
Ipads also cost lots of money for schools or parents to buy for students, and there are still
many flaws with them. Ipads are around five hundred dollars. In Medfield, with around 230
students in each grade, it would cost around $115,000 for all of those students to have an Ipad.
Ipads can also break or have other problems, and it not worth it to buy an expensive item if it
could easily break. In many Apple devices like the Ipad, the home button can break. This is the
button that brings people back to the home screen after being on an app, so this button is very
important to be able to transfer from app to app. The Ipads are also very fragile, so if a student
drops it the screen could crack. When the screen is cracked, everything on the Ipad is harder to
see. Cracking the screen can be prevented by using a case, but a good case is expensive. Some
cheap cases are not very protective, so a more expensive case is usually needed. Not only can the
Ipad break, but work can be lost on an Ipad also. A student can never trust technology. For
example, when teachers assign homework on the computer or Ipad, sometimes the teacher does
not receive the assignment from a student even if they did it and sent it to the teacher. Sometimes
work is lost on the Ipad, and there is no other choice but to redo the assignment. One day, Sally
had a homework assignment to write a paragraph about her favorite type of ice cream. She went
home and immediately typed it up on her Ipad, trying as hard as she could to describe her
favorite ice cream perfectly. She was very proud of her writing, and she sent it to the teacher
through email just like she was supposed to. The next day in class the teacher announced that she
received everyone’s homework assignment but Sally’s. Sally was very disappointed, and she had
to rewrite her paragraph. This example shows that even though sometimes someone can send an
assignment to a teacher, they might not get it. No one can ever totally trust the Ipad, as work can
be lost. Another negative point about Ipads is that they might not work as well when they get old.
Like everything else, after an Ipad is used for a long period of time, it will eventually need to be
replaced. But, the Ipads are expensive! For $500 they should not need to be replaced when they
get old. Buying another 230 Ipads will cost another $115,000. This is a total of $230,000 just
being spent on the Ipads, which is simply too much. Overall, the Ipads are too expensive to be
creating so many problems.
Some may argue that Ipads have a positive effect on middle school students. The Ipad
does have some educational apps that can be useful in a classroom. Apps like Quizlet are great
for studying. Textbooks can also be downloaded onto the Ipad, making the lug from or to school
lighter. The Ipad could also be used to look up information on the Internet which can be helpful
on many occasions like when doing a project. Despite these positives, the negatives of the Ipad
still overrule them. These apps can also be found in other places. Quizlet can be found on the
computer, and it would be just as helpful when studying as it would be on the Ipad. Textbooks
can be found in paper form, and they would contain the same information and be just as useful as
they would be on the Ipad. The Internet can also be accessed on the computer, and the Internet
would be just as useful when doing projects or other assignments as it would be on the Ipad. So,
why purchase an Ipad when it has so many negatives, and some of its only upsides can be
accessed on other devices that do not have as many negatives? These educational apps can also
cost money. So, buying the Ipad is not eliminating the cost of textbooks fully. It can also be hard
to upload money onto every students Ipad if teachers wanted to use an app that costs money.
This is just more money that has to be spent when buying the app, in addition to the actual price
of the Ipads. Overall, although there are educational apps that can be useful, there are too many
negatives overshadowing this one positive aspect of the Ipad.
In conclusion, Ipads are distracting, expensive, and have a negative effect on middle
school students. Ipads can hurt students feelings who use the social media apps that can be
downloaded. Students today also spend way too much time on Ipads surfing the Internet, or
playing addictive games. Ipads also are very expensive for schools or parents. Although the
educational apps are a positive to the Ipad, the apps cost money and can be found in other places.
Ipads can also hurt students by distracting them in class. For example, the teacher might have
been giving a lecture about the Hebrews, and told the students to take notes on what she was
saying. Brandon started to take notes, but then got bored and was no longer listening to the
teacher. Instead of taking notes, he decided that he was going to play the new game, Fruit Ninja,
he downloaded to his Ipad the night before. Because of the Ipad, Brandon now has not listened to
the very important lecture his teacher was giving, and does not have all the notes he will need
later. The Ipad is too expensive to be creating these distraction and bullying issues. Unless used
very carefully, Ipads have the potential to harm every single student that uses them for either in
or out of school purposes. All students have less of a learning experience and are both mentally
and physically hurt when an Ipad is placed in their hands.
1. Nice work Susie, this is a wellwritten essay that presents and defends a sound argument against iPads in the classroom. 2. Throughout the essay you do a nice job of supporting your points with anecdotal evidence. The only paragraph where this is missing is your third body paragraph. Consider where you might be able to add one. 3. Excellent job editing your essay. There are no glaring spelling or grammar mistakes in your work.
The eyes of each student in the classroom are glazed over as they are hypnotized by the
screens of their iPads. No one listens as the teacher speaks of ancient history. Instead, they focus
on achieving the highest rank in Candy Crush. They are hardly interactive, and the teacher very
well could be talking to herself. The only response the teacher receives from the classroom is the
bing! of a new level being reached. This is what the eighth grade classrooms here at Blake
Middle School are slowly morphing into. I see this as I walk by open classroom doors and can
tell that the students are not learning to the full extent of their ability. The entrance of iPads into
Blake Middle School was meant to allow students to reach new levels of learning, not of
pointless games. iPads are extremely distracting to students, cost an exorbitant amount of money,
and make communication, therefore cheating, much easier. Bringing iPads into the lives of
students can cause many problems in and out of school.
One problem that iPads pose for middle school students is the distractions they create.
Gaming apps on iPads are distracting to many students. Their minds are so occupied by
strategies on how to pass a level in Angry Birds or how to reach their high score in Candy Crush
that they are unable to focus on the necessary information they are being taught. Students do not
have space left in their brains to think about the important information that is needed to succeed
if they are so focused on winning Temple Run. The ability to text others on iPads can also be
distracting. Students can text each other without being caught by turning off the ringer. While the
teachers may assume that they are attentively taking notes on their lesson on ancient history, they
could be messaging their friends about whether they are free to hang out after school that day.
When a student is thinking about the future, they can not focus on the present, and what they are
supposed to be learning. Lastly, the way that iPads have become a sort of “accessory” is
distracting to students. Instead of using the iPads for educational reasons, such as completing
homework and studying, the students are focused on how their iPads look. The true educational
value of using the iPads in school has disappeared due to the need for a “cute case” or a “cool
screensaver.” It has become a distracting competition of whose iPad can have the best
appearance. Students are often more focused on finding animal cases from Marshalls and funny
iPad backgrounds to improve their iPads appearance than the benefits which the iPad allows.
iPads are distracting to students and take away from their learning experience because of their
gaming apps, ability to message, and transformation into accessories.
iPads can also cause problems because of their hefty price. Some families may not want
to spend an exorbitant amount of money on items like iPads. iPads are not items that are
necessary to learn and succeed, and parents might rather spend the money on more important
items or services. For example, if a family was freezing cold because some of their windows had
broken, they most likely would want to spend money on fixing the windows instead of an iPad.
If a family spends money on an iPad, there are other much needed items or services that they
cannot spend that money on. The schools are forcing people to buy iPads and taking away their
choice of when and where to spend such a large amount of money. There are also families who
are unable to buy iPads because they cannot afford iPads on top of the cost of food and clothing.
At Thomas Blake Middle School, scholarships are offered to cover the expense of the iPads for
families who are unable to purchase them. The issue is, many parents are too embarrassed to
admit that they are struggling financially. If the parents do not accept the scholarship, the
students will not have the iPads that the school is requiring they have. This can make parents and
children stressed and embarrassed. Lastly, the responsibility of carrying an iPad around can be
pressuring for students. The fear of dropping or losing an iPad can keep a student from enjoying
themselves inside and outside of school. For example, if a student is worried about losing his or
her iPad, they may choose not to take their iPad out of their homes. This can make completing
work much harder, because they can not do their homework in between activities or in the car.
Due to iPads cost, students must be much more cautious and focused on the safety of their iPads,
which can take away from their focus on the important information they need to know. The large
amount of money that iPads cost can cause financial problems and stress for families and can
also make carrying one around too much responsibility for a student to handle.
Some may argue that with iPads come better communication. It is agreeable that iPads
can help with many aspects of communication in positive ways. Accessibility to helpful apps are
positive benefits an iPad can offer. With apps like Google Drive, students can easily discuss
lessons after school in a document, and the ability to peer edit can also be helpful. Although peer
editing can be helpful, students may take advantage of the private environment to be be mean to
each other, as they might with other communication apps, such as Gmail. When peer editing
another students work outside of the classroom, a student can easily be harsh and feelings can be
hurt. With Gmail, the ability to know everyone in the schools' email can result in people getting
unwanted emails from peers who are not nice to them in school. With better communication
comes better opportunities to cheat. If a student forgets their homework for school, a friend can
easily send a picture of their completed homework to them. Also, if a students wants a friend to
type up their paragraph or essay for them because they are too busy to do so themselves, they can
share their essay with them and click “can edit.” This allows the person who received the shared
essay to edit and work on it. Despite the benefits of better communication that comes with an
iPad, there are many more negative situations that are allowed for.
In conclusion, there are many negatives that come with iPads in and out of school. iPads
can be extremely distracting to students because of their gaming apps, messaging, and
transformation into accessories. The cost of the iPads can cause stress, embarrassment and
pressure on students and their families. Lastly, although the better communication that iPads
allow for can be helpful, it can also cause hurt feelings and an increase in the amount of cheating.
If iPads continue to be used in schools, the learning environment of the classrooms will slowly
slide downhill. The amount of interaction from the students will dwindle down to none. If
schools do not decide to cancel the iPad program, this is what most classrooms with iPads
present will gradually change into. It is not too late to transform these classrooms back into
lively learning environments. All that is needed to change classrooms back into what they were
before technology was introduced is to swap out the iPads for pencils and paper. As the Apple
company and the iPad program pick up speed, my hope is that some schools will stay on the
sidelines. In the end, although some students may not see this now, the schools that do not
choose to run with this iPad program are sure to be the true winners.
1. Excellent essay, Tatum! Each body paragraph has clear and descriptive points to support your
argument.
2. This essay shows a good control of the language. Several of the passages that I highlighted
show that you thought through what you were going to write and intentionally set up effective
and catching statements.
3. The two essors you made in the essay are small ones, but note them and improve next time.
“Happy birfday to you, happy birfday to you…” sang Tina’s threeyearold cousin,
Emily. Tina caught a glimpse of her thirteen birthday candles behind her in the reflection of her
shiny, brandnew, silver, laptop. Tina was watching the video for the fourth time that day. She
loved seeing her cousin sing over and over again. Her Uncle Tom had emailed Tina the video
early in the morning of her thirteenth birthday. He emailed it before the pink, flowered, wrapping
paper had been spotted at the edge of her bed, before it had fallen to the floor, before the scissors
had been retrieved from her school bag, because there was too much tape, before the box had
finally been opened and the bright, morning sun hit the shiny silver surfaces. Uncle Tom and
Emily were wide awake and ready to email Tina very early that joyous morning. I often find my
family’s laptop very useful, and I hope Tina enjoys hers! Along with many of my friends, my
family has a laptop for homework use. I have found it highly useful when we are traveling or
when another member of my family is using our desktop computer, to work on my homework or
school projects. Laptops are beneficial to the success of a middle school student because the are
portable and have internet access for homework or other research.
Laptop’s being portable is one aspect that makes them a positive technology for middle
school students. Imagine this: It is the day before winter vacation and Megan is leaving the frigid
Massachusetts air, in exchange for the warm eighty degree weather of Florida, in less than
twentyfour hours! There is ten minutes left in the school day, and no one is really listening to
what the social studies teacher, Mrs. Smith, is saying about the economy of Africa. With eight
minutes left in class, Mrs. Smith assigns a huge homework assignment due the day the students
returned from vacation. The entire class groans simultaneously. Megan begins to panic. How will
she fit all the books and papers she needs to fit into her already overly full suitcase? Then, Mrs.
Smith announces that, if the students would like, they may do the homework online. Megan
exhales a sigh of relief. She can simply put her highly portable laptop in her suitcase and do all
the work on the airplane ride! The first way laptops are portable is they are light and small so
they are easy to bring places! The average laptop weighs about four and a half pounds, and is
roughly the size of a textbook. However, the average textbook weighs about five pounds. Also, a
student can email a teacher or administrator for homework assistance from anywhere, as long as
the student has internet access. Think back to Megan, imagine if she gets on the airplane and
realizes that she does not fully understand the assignment. Instead of being unable to do the
assignment, Megan can email Mrs. Smith and she can explain the assignment so Megan can get
her homework done. Students can email teachers for help from almost anywhere. Finally,
websites such as “Skype” can be used on a laptop from virtually anywhere. Say Megan’s father
does not come to Florida with her and her mother. Megan can “Skype” her father from Florida
and keep in touch with him. Or think of Tina. She wants to thank her cousin, Emily, and her
Uncle Tom, for that video this morning. She just has to type in their phone number and then they
can video chat. Laptops have the ability to access sites to keep in touch with family members and
friends. The portability of laptops is one aspect that makes them a positive technology for middle
school students.
Another way laptops are a positive technology for middle school student is their access to
internet. For one, students can do their homework while they are traveling. Students can work
on their English essay while they are in the car using a laptop. Students can type their homework
which makes it neater and more organized. Furthermore, students can use websites to learn
different skills and information. a skill a student may learn is proper typing. The majority of
middle school students “huntandpeck” (typing using only one or two fingers) instead of typing
with both hands. “http://www.typingweb.com/” is one example of these websites.
“http://www.typingweb.com/” goes through each of the letters on a keyboard by themselves so
students learn can learn to the type properly. Finally, students can do projects or powerpoints on
a laptop. Most laptops come with a powerpoint application on them already. Students can work
on projects for school or at home, school, a friend’s house, or anywhere else they might find
themselves! One aspect of laptops that makes them a positive technology for middle school
students is their research abilities.
Like with anything in life, laptops have their drawbacks. One of these drawbacks is the
distractions a laptop could potentially present to middle school student. If a student was typing
their science lab conclusion, and suddenly their email “DING!”s, the student, more likely than
not, would check the email and respond. This is distracting the student and probably disrupting
the flow of the lab conclusion. Email, games, videos, and many other material that could
potentially be on a laptop, could be a distraction the middle school students. However, the
positive aspects of a laptop substantially outweigh the negative drawbacks. Some of the
aforementioned games found on laptops can be played when a student is bored or on an airplane
or car ride. Think about Megan. If she finishes all her homework before the airplane has landed,
she can play a game on her laptop to entertain herself. Also, if parents are extremely concerned
about their middle school student playing games during a period of time designated for
homework, there is a solution! Parents can use the “parental controls” section that is in the
settings of most laptops. This restricts what a person can access during certain times. This
insures that students are not playing games or checking their email while they should be working
on homework, such as a powerpoint for math class. While the distractions of a laptop may
deplete the appeal for some people, a laptop is still a great piece of technology available to
middle school students.
To conclude, laptops are highly beneficial to middle school students because of their
portability and access to the Internet. Although laptops could potentially become a distraction,
when used correctly and responsibly, having a laptop can be a positive price of technology for
middle school students. About five years after Tina's whirlwind thirteenth birthday, the doorbell
rings. Eighteen year old Tina, wearing Medfield High School sweatpants and a pink Hollister
tshirt, runs to the door with her notsoshiny laptop in her left hand. "Fhanksh" she says to the
delivery man with a mouthful of buttery popcorn. Tina brings the package upstairs and grabs the
scissors from her desk. Cautiously, not knowing what to expect, Tina tears the tape from the box.
She immediately sees a bright, white, eight and a half by eleven sheet of paper with a green
letterhead. Tina quickly scans the letter then, starts jumping up and screaming from her
exuberance. Tina has just been accepted to Dartmouth College! After a few minutes of
undeniable excitement, Tina looks and see something soft and green hanging out of the side of
the box. Tina opens the flaps of the box a little bit more. Sitting in the box, crisply folded is a
green Dartmouth sweatshirt. Tina is ecstatic and swiftly slips it on over her tshirt. After a
moment Tina realizes that the letter must have accidentally been sent to her father's house and he
purchased the sweatshirt and enclosed it with the letter of acceptance. Tina quickly logs onto her
laptop, and while she is waiting for it to start, she remembers that first day as a laptop owner. She
connects her excitement from then to know and realized that she may never have reached this
point without her laptop. Looking at the laptop, it has obviously been used constantly. Tina types
in her father's “Skype” username and begins to call him. Together, Tina and her father rejoice in
her acceptance via video chat, which was made possible by her laptop.
1. Great anecdotes throughout this essay. I liked that you kept returning to the stories about Megan and Tina because it felt like there was good continuity throughout the essay. 2. Review your second body paragraph. You do such a great job in all the other paragraphs telling stories that the second body paragraph, though wellwritten, feels like it is really missing something when compared to your other paragraphs. 3. Overall, this is an excellent essay that shows a lot of good improvements from your first essay. This is an essay to be proud of!
Students scratch away with their pencils, intensely erasing away their errors that were made
previously on the assignment. Some students yawn, stretching out their arms and immediately go
back to work. Others try to resist the feeling that tries to drown them out from the world, then
plunges them into a deep sleep. One girl blinks slowly every second, then finally gives up and
buries her head in her arms to doze off. Every student is slumped in their chairs, yawning and
constantly looking up at the clock. However, a classroom next door is quiet, yet focused. No
students have the urge to nap. These students in the classroom are all eager, excited. Their
fingers are tapping away on their screens with delight and pleasure. Lost in the world of
technology, these students are provided with flexibility, portability and engagement in learning
through iPads with just a tap on the screen or with a swipe of a finger. These students are able to
explore and create anything that technology has to offer through education. All eighth grade
students in the school I currently attend use iPads in their classrooms. Why only give iPads to
one grade level? Ever since my mom got an iPad for Christmas three years ago, I was able to
experience what it was like using an iPad myself. An iPad provides limitless resources for
everyone. The iPad's amazing potential could show other schools that technology can be used for
almost everything, especially through education. Technology can be experienced in a whole new
way. Giving a few students access to these devices is already great, but giving out even more to
others would be even better. All middle school students should be given the opportunity to use
iPads to experience a new and easy way of learning through technology for the benefits of
everyone’s learning skills.
One reason iPads are a helpful learning tool to use for middle school students is because
they provide easy access to resources and tools such as apps, online websites and documents. To
begin with, students can easily view, edit and create new documents on an app called Google
Drive. This app allows students to view different documents and powerpoints, edit documents
and powerpoints and create new documents and powerpoints. Students may also be allowed to
organize their documents in folders for each subject. With this in mind, students can be more
organized with their school work through this app. Teachers can also create different documents
for notes for students to copy on their iPads, or teach a lesson in class on a document. For
example, if a student typed a document on a computer at school and needed access to it at home,
the quickest way is to go on Google Drive and edit whatever they needed to edit. Though iPads
provide apps, they also allow students to access online websites. These websites can be used for
looking up information for assignments, or can benefit students in general. One website that can
benefit students is Quizlet. This websites allows students to play different activities and games to
help them study for an upcoming quiz or test, and can enhance their study habits, such as using
flashcards to study vocabulary words or terms to know. If a student were to go home to study for
a quiz or test, their teacher could put up the quizlet site for them to visit to help them study, and
they could access the website Quizlet through their iPad. Another website that is very helpful for
students is Quia. This website is used by many middle school teachers to help them put up
upcoming assignments and important due dates. The website also allows students to access
homework assignments and helpful links to other websites as well. However, iPads can do even
more. They can also allow students to view any other documents or slideshows on a teacher’s
website or computer. If a student in a class needed to take notes on an English assignment, the
teacher could just go to his or her website to open up the document or slideshow for the students
to view and copy down the notes on their iPads being displayed. These documents could help a
student improve their learning skills through the easiest tasks at home or even at school. With
iPads being used in classrooms as a helpful learning tool, students can experience and explore
through the easiest ways of accessing resources and tools.
Allowing students to have access to iPads will also be good for the environment, reduce
the amount of weight on student's backs, and could keep students more organized. Each day in
classrooms, students use a lot of paper for homework assignments and worksheets. iPads can
eliminate the amount of papers being used daily. Instead of writing on paper, students can enter
all of their assignments in their iPad. On iPads, there is no need to write a hard copy of
something or erase physically. If a student ever made a mistake, they could simply delete it and
could restyle whatever they need to type. iPads could also replace all school supplies as well.
Each day, some students may forget to bring a pencil or an eraser with them to class and might
ask their teachers to borrow one. With iPads, pencils and erasers would not have to be used. In
addition, students sometimes even lose or forget their homework at home. However, this
problem could be solved easily. iPads allow students to type up notes in documents and view
them all on one device. With everything saved on one device, students won’t have to worry
about losing their assignments. Moreover, textbooks are really heavy to carry around everyday,
adding on extra weight on a student’s back. iPads could replace all of the extra weight of a
textbook. iPads would provide mobility and flexibility for students in school and at home. iPads
are much lighter in weight compared with textbooks and are smaller in size. Students have more
than one textbook as well; math textbooks, social studies textbooks and science textbooks. With
students using iPads, all school supplies could be replaced and could benefit students using them,
and the environment.
Some may argue that iPads would just create a distraction for students instead of
benefitting them. It is true that iPads can easily make people distracted because of its features
such as music, games, videos and camera. Yes, these temptations to use the iPad in a different
manner could harm a student's education, but there are also many ways that these type of
problems could be solved. In a classroom, a teacher would definitely create a set of rules to let
the students know the guidelines and expectations of them while using the iPads. Consequences
and punishments of misusing the iPads could be set up, such as 'if a student goes on a prohibited
website without a teacher's permission, their parents would be notified about their son or
daughter breaking the rules', or 'no inappropriate behavior around the iPads.' Though some rules
may be broken from time to time, there would be slim chances of people breaking the rules if
there were rules and consequences. Other distractions could also be caused even without using
iPads. A gaze out of the window or doodling on desks are all caused by students who are not
engaged in the lessons being taught in class. Students also get tempted to talk with their friends
or anyone who is sitting around them. With iPads, there would be none of these distractions for
students and they would be more engaged in learning. Not only would they be engaged, but they
would actually listen to the teacher and would be paying more attention in class. They would
also not be tempted to talk as much with the people around them while the teacher is talking
since they are so focused on working on their iPads. Today, iPads are a form a technology which
gets people attention with their advanced features of allowing people to explore online and on
apps. Using the iPad in a positive manner in school would still catch a student's attention. Letting
students have access to iPads will encourage them to learn more because it is a fun way of
learning for students. iPads are easy to navigate with their touch screens, and students will not
have to write everything out physically. Though there are some drawbacks of allowing students
to use iPads in school, these drawbacks could be overcome by creating rules in classrooms and at
home.
In conclusion, giving students the opportunity to experience a new way of learning
through technology will benefit everyone's learning skills. iPads will create easy ways of
accessing tools and resources and will motivate students despite the distractions that they might
cause for some students. While there are adjustments to be made while using the iPads, the iPads
will make learning much easier and will motivate students to learn. Some schools are creating
iPad pilot programs to experience the new efficient ways of learning through technology. Every
school administration and district must work together to be able to put an iPad in a student's
hand. Every school that chooses not to use iPads would experience the negatives of not allowing
iPads in school. The teachers would see their students constantly looking up at the clock, being
bored all the time and almost dozing off. However, iPads make school life easier for students and
teachers with their advanced features such as apps. The new efficient way of learning through
technology all comes from a device that is smaller than a regularsized binder. The new future of
education starts with just a click of a power button and the students are off on their way,
exploring the interminable possibilities that technology can provide for education.
1. Excellent work with this essay. Your writing is clear, and you provide good points to support
your argument.
2. While it is not a required technique, I would like to see you try to include an anecdote or two
to help show your point of view. Using this technique will vary your argument for your reader.
3. Nice job editing this essay, there are few mistakes in spelling and grammar.
Craig sprinted around a corner almost knocking over an older man. He was only 15 and
yet he was lost in the biggest city in the United States of America. Craig and his father were
there for the annual New Years Eve party and ball drop, and were staying at his grandmother’s
apartment. Craig had become separated from his father in the large crowd hovering around
Times Square and had not a clue to where he might be now. After an hour of being lost in the
frigid, cold, soggy December air, after frustration more than anything, Craig thrust his hand into
his sweatshirt where his surprised fingers closed around his brand new Verizon phone. He was
able to contact his dad and was reunited with him the same instant the brilliant, colorful, and
breathtaking ball descended from the sky. If Craig had not had his phone, he might have been out
there for who knows how long. Many middle school students like Craig do have access to a cell
phone, I myself have one and know the conveniences that can come with being able to
communicate to my friends and family. At least once a day it makes the lives of middle school
students easier with its easy communication and modern day technology. Many middle school
students can benefit both socially and academically from their own cell phones.
Not only can a cell phone be helpful in an emergency, it is also very beneficial to middle
school students in everyday life. Cell phones not only let people connect socially, but
academically too. I had forgotten my math homework at school one day so I texted one of the
people in my math class and was able to obtain a copy of the homework. I was then able to do it
and avoided the situation of explaining my flaw to my teacher. If my phone had not been there I
would have had more homework to do the next night, and could have possibly gotten a detention.
While school is a larger part of a middle school students life, many people also participate in a
type of practice, sports, or after school activity. Fairly recently my basketball practice ended half
an hour early because a men’s volleyball league claimed that they had booked the gym, so I was
stranded at the school without a ride. Since I always take my phone to practices, I was able to
call my parents and arrange a carpool home with one of my friends. Also,,on January 2nd, our
area was hit with a snowstorm, causing all after school activities to be canceled. I had Student
Council that afternoon , which was canceled, so I called to let my mom know and that I was
coming home on the bus that day. If I had not, she would have been waiting outside for a long
time for me to come out. which would never happen because I had went on the bus. Not only can
cell phones be used in an extreme or dangerous case, it is very helpful in normal, everyday life.
Having a cell phone can help a middle school student to develop independence in their
daily lives. For example, an extra help session. I got a bad grade on my test. instead of going
home on the bus, telling my mom, and having her email the teacher about me maybe going to
extra help I could take matters into my own hands and send a text to my mom saying “I did not
do so well on my test, is it ok if I stay for some extra help and quiz corrections?” Then when I
was done she was able to give a ride home because of the easy communication of a cell phone.
Another way a cell phone can help is making plans with friends. In the third grade whenever I
wanted to have a friend over I would go up to my mom and say, “Can I please have Gary over
Mom?” and she would email Gary’s mother and set it all up for a Tuesday afternoon. Now that I
have my own cell phone it is possible for me to make plans with my friends on my own, with
just a day and a time from my mom. Independence is an important part of a middle schoolers’
life. Middle school students are going to be going off to high school soon and pretty quick after
that college. It is very important that middle school students learn independence sooner rather
than later because it is going to be harder to learn it when they are older after learning that they
can have our parents handle everything for the first 15 years of our life. Having a cell phone can
help us to develop independence to help now, and later on in life.
Some people may argue that cell phones are too expensive and will get broken if they get
one for their middle school student. Many parents state that the latest Iphones that their kids want
are too expensive or it is too much responsibility for their middle school students. Or even that if
they got their son or daughter an Iphone, they would become addicted to it, and not be as active
as they were when they did not have an Iphone. One way to avoid those situations is to buy a
simple call and text phone. They work just as well as Iphones but do not have the same
extremely high price tag. The simple cell phones do not have all the games and internet, lowering
the price of one, and the chance of becoming addicted to the phone. While there are some
negatives about the Iphone, there are many ways to overcome them. Turning on Parental
Controls or limiting the amount of time a person spends on the Iphone can help to stay active and
avoid addiction. Even though there are some negatives about the Iphone, there are many ways to
overcome them.
In conclusion, a cell phone can benefit middle school students in everyday life by being
a good recourse because of it’s good communication. Cell phones create a reliable way of
communication for both academic and social reasons. They can help to keep people safe (like
Craig) and will help middle school students. One final story to illustrate my point is about
Prunella. Prunella Doitrite had done something wrong. Her uncle was coming over to stay at her
house for the day, and she was very anxious to see him. As soon as the final bell rang, Prunella
was sprinting down the hallway as Usain Bolt would sprint towards the finish line. She raced to
her locker, threw all her stuff in her backpack and broke the sound barrier getting out of school.
Young Prunella was on the bus when she realized her mistake: her spanish homework was laying
on the silent and dark foreign language room floor, forgotten. She whipped out her sparkly pink
phone and called her best friend, Tiffany Pablo. Shortly after, Tiff and her mother, Denise Pablo,
rolled up in their 2002 Toyota Rav4 with a fresh copy of the spanish homework. In many cases,
like Craig and Prunella, a cell phone can be very helpful in life and grade threatening
emergencies. To wrap things up, a middle school student can benefit from a cell phone
academically and socially as an easy to use, reliable form of communication.
1. This is a wellwritten essay that provides good supporting evidence for each of your
points.
2. Overall, you did a nice job editing this assignment. There are very few spelling and
grammar mistakes, and you made some nice changes to your hook.
3. Look over the phrases that are similar to using "I" language that need to be replaced.