Technology Debates!

Hello Everyone!

Yesterday, we had a great conversation about the positive and negative aspects of technology and children. Many of you added articles to the PADLET about this, and Ms. D had the opportunity to review with you what makes a quality website for research. We reviewed strategies for web researching to ensure you are doing an effective search and that you are reading true information versus someone’s opinion or made up facts. Keep those journal notes from our discussion handy as we move forward with more independent research in the future!

We identified some areas of this debate about whether technology is a good thing for children or not. Each of you has chosen an area of focus and a partner to work with for the debates.

Here are the three resolutions we agreed upon in class:

  • E-Readers — Be it resolved that real books are better for children ages 0-17 than e-readers.
  • Video Games — Be it resolved that video games should be educational if children ages 0-17 are using them.
  • Balance/Overall Tech Use — Be it resolved that children ages 0-17 need guidelines and help controlling their use of technology such as smartphones.

How to get started?

  • Research online both the positive (for the resolutions above) and negative (against the resolutions above) sides of your debate topic.
  • You need to find facts that back up both sides of the debate, as you may debate both sides when we do presentations.
  • Keep the source of any evidence you find. Your speech will need to say things like, “According to TIME magazine 2014, …….” So, you need the date, author, and website where you found information.
  • We will talk together about persuasive language and how to write a debate introductory speech, which you will do with your partner.

Some websites to consider:

If any of these article links do not work, please let Ms. D know. Please also look on the Padlet, as you posted many great articles there!

NPR 5 Things to Know About Screen Time Right Now

BBC Gaming Addiction Classified as Disorder by WHO (World Health Organization)

NPR Risk of Teen Depression Linked to Smartphone Use

Globe and Mail Your smartphone is making you stupid, antisocial, and unhealthy, so why can’t you put it down?

Globe and Mail How Much Screen Time is Harmful

CBC News Tech Toys Could Put Kids Privacy at Risk

CBC Health News Screens ‘Not a Toy’

American Psychological Association Guidelines for Youth Using Digital Technologies (says 2015, but updated 2016)

CNN Why Parents Fear Technology (and some common rumours that feed the fears)

Fast Company 3 Ways Technology Is Helping Kids

Globe and Mail Youth and Technology: Power and Danger

Psychology Today Cognitive Benefits in Playing Video Games

BBC Future Why Video Games May Be Good For You

Telegraph Is Video Gaming Bad For You? Science FOR and AGAINST

So, how do we get started on a debate?

  • We create a statement we can debate, which is called a resolution. We finished that today.
  • We then form teams of two.
  • All team members do research that supports the negative and the positive side of the resolution they decided to focus on.
  • One team member will make a positive paragraph about the topic, and the other one will make a negative paragraph. Or, the two team members can work together on both.

During the actual debate, what do we do?

  • We flip a coin to determine which team is positive and negative.
  • Positive team goes first with an opening statement – 3 min. max
  • Negative team goes second with an opening statement – 3 min. max
  • We pause and think. Teams think about what has been said during opening statements and look for evidence in their collection that will help make a counter argument and prove their case! – 5 min.
  • Positive team provides a rebuttal — 1 min.
  • Negative team provides a rebuttal — 1 min.
  • Positive team sums up their arguments – 1 min.
  • Negative team sums up their arguments – 1 min.

Marks and Judging:

  • Each person will be marked on a rubric for their completion of evidence recorded in their journals, their public speaking skills used, and their overall thinking about the topic
  • Teams will be evaluated in the first rounds by Ms. D and the class. 
  • Everyone participates in minimum one round. Some people may do more if they win their rounds.
  • Winning does not impact your mark. Public speaking, being prepared, and completing your evidence does.
  • Debates will be from Jan 28 until we are finished mid-February.

Thank you!

Ms. D