Are 16 Year Olds Really Prepared for the Road?

Are sixteen year old children prepared to drive on American roads? Because of their lack of experience, the fact that a very small portion of teens today actually take the driver education course, and because teens frontal lobes do not completely develop until their early twenties are the main reasons why teens cars explode see fig. 1. Since teens have not experienced navigating, unfamiliar or familiar territory, they are rarely very sure of where they are going. This creates very a hazardous situation in which a teen makes hasty decisions while driving. Very few teens take the Driver's Education class in their schools for various reasons. The cost usually starts at $500 and it is hard to fit another class in a high school schedule with all the requirements. Critical decision making skills are difficult for teens anyway because the last part of the brain to fully mature is the frontal lobe. Teens can make rash, and risky decisions or not focus on obvious matters because of brain immaturity. This is another reason for high alcohol and drug abuse, high accident rates, and even the highest insurance rates among teenage drivers. There are many reasons why teens are unprepared for our roads; be on the look out and be patient with them.

Responding to the Cartoon on page 227

Entrance into any internet chat room is dangerous.

Like a naive and innocent child all users that enter the chat room portal are putting themselves at risk, however, it is even more risky for all children to enter a chat room. Children are easy to take advantage of, easy to be influenced and are very trusting. What other choice do they have? They are in this world and their very existence depends on adults; why would an adult try to hurt them. It is inconceivable to a child that adults would do harm to children in such a devious way as to seek them out in chat rooms on the internet and plan to abduct them. Internet chat rooms have just added another avenue of crime and abuse to children. No matter who you are, adult or child, you have no idea who is lurking in a chat room. Some people are just there observing and taking it all in waiting to get information to possibly scam you or take your identity or worse, to make plans to abduct a child. Every person that you chat with can be a wolf in sheep's clothing; they may give a totally different perception on the internet than they would in person, therefore, making children especially vulnerable. Chat rooms are dangerous for children and should be off limits to them.

What have you learned about the textbooks we are using for this course?

I have learned that some professors actually use the textbooks that you purchased for the class. I got one of mine from my daughter that took this same class on campus last Fall (NOT same instructor). The book was still in the wrapping and bran new. She told me that the teacher never required them to use it, she ran copies in class and used power point to get them the info. I am amazed, I don't think I can write anything without the reference material, pdf files, the internet and emailing my instructor, many many times. I still wonder how .14 of an inch appears out of nowhere.

What have you learned about the writing process and/or about yourself during this lesson?

I have learned that I can change my mind several times on subjects. I have learned that I hate hate hate hate to write with a passion but in the end it really wasn't so bad and I liked what I wrote. I just really really really hate the process. I get so very much stalled on very small insignificant things. I have learned that if I have a passion about voicing information then I can write probably too much and bore people to death. If I have a purpose that is practical then I can write. I said it. I can, I just hate it.

Which outline would I not use again.

I would not use the Pros and Cons outline again because it just wasn't structured enough for me. It was quicker to come up with items. Maybe it is the topic, sometimes it is the topic and not the structure that can ruin things. I am not very passionate about the topic, it was actually something that annoyed me very much last semester in classes. The only way I would use this on my own and not being required by law of the professor is if it was used in conjunction with another outline.

Which techniques for generating ideas has been most helpful?

The formal outline and the classical outline has been helpful along with the questions and task sets in the Writing Arguments book. Anything that has a shell and all I need to do is begin to fill in the blank gets me going. It really does, after some procrastination, and some tears when things don't go my way I end up really liking what I did. I actually got so engrossed in the essay outline that argues both sides, that I argued for a cause that after the research that I did I returned back to my original opinion of when I had no info to go on just a gut feeling. I am actually arguing and working the audience for a cause I don't believe in %100. I couldn't explain why because it would be more like 8 points and we were only required 3 points to talk about. Plus I didn't want to be SUPER controversial. I did gear it toward an audience of volunteers however the person that I interviewed asked to be sent a copy of my work. If the audience were a different one, then I might have made it super controversial, but this is my life to live and I do not want to rock the waves in this community right now.

What other students may be having problems with..

What I am experiencing and many other students may have similar concerns if taking freshman level courses is inexperience with latest software and hardware. I have run a home based business and taught myself everything I thought I needed to know about word processing in the past decade. Usually I could figure something out on my own or I would discard the need for it. My main problem is with the bran new laptop, the heat and motion sensitive finger pad that hides and moves your cursor around so that you make a multitude more mistakes than before with the PC with a regular keyboard. Also the software that I purchased cheap because I am a student from www.ultimatesteal.com hasn't helped me out that much because most of my instructors don't use the latest version nor do any of my friends so when I am stuck I am really stuck. There is NO help tab!!!! HELP!!! I waste a lot of time on problems.

How did previewing sections of a book (rather than simply reading them) help you to understand the material?

Previewing sections allows me to know how much time to spend on something. Rather I need to speed up, slow down, or take another day to finish the material it is important in time management. Previewing may also give clues to look for while reading, for instance, if you are looking to find reasons against an idea, the sub headings and topical sentences can give clues to where to focus. Taking into consideration other details also helps, like who is audience intended to be, who might the author be, what is the authors purpose, what angle does the author have and what are the authors credentials?

What is the goal of argument

The goal is to convince somebody of something meaningful and worthwhile with credibility. Many people use argument in the media to sell their ideas or their products. It is not necessarily to debate with someone. Primarily it is to show evidence and support it claims. The main idea is to inform and then to persuade.

Why and how is argument both a process and a product?

An argument is a process because once the research and writing begin to take place a person learns more about the subject. Originally we have opinions formed, but when we take time to research and further our knowledge in a subject, opinions can change. Especially when playing the truth and doubting game. Advocating for both sides of an argument can reveal another new truth. In the end the direction of an argument can take a different path and therefore be a result or product of the writing process.

Did you ask anyone else to make recommendations about your revising process? Why or why not?

I did ask my husband for recommendations on my first draft. He had no ideas for me. I am thinking that he barely skated by when he took English 111 or doesn't have to much brain time to think about my essay seriously. He did make some remarks about the format, which once I looked them up in the Hacker manual, he was wrong about them. Next time I will ask one of my facebook friends instead of my workaholic husband to read and give me ideas about my writing.

Which genre of argument would you most likely write on your own? Why?

I would most likely write letters to the editor because then I would not feel the pressure of writing mechanics and being judged on grammar and style. I could solely focus on the heart of the matter and informing from my personal point of view.

Which of the suggested Tasks from Writing Arguments did you find most helpful in pre-writing your revision? Why

I discussed the issue with friends and my husband, it wasn't controversial, just matter of fact. They helped me to find evidence. When I was revising, I actually rebuilt, using the same ideas but not all the same evidence. I left out many ideas that I had in the first draft. Also changing the point of view to 3 rd person changed everything.

Why is a written argument a good way to defend (support) an opinion?

A written argument is a good way to defend your opinion because it takes more thought and organization to put it down on paper. If your argument is justified and you feel that you can change or persuade people, writing it down and submitting it to the appropriate direction can be fulfilling, helpful, and effect change in many cases. Writing can help you or the group you are working in to define the issue or the problem or find out it’s true purpose. It helps you to evaluate your own thoughts or those of others and may direct you to more research. These in turn can lead to modification of viewpoints. Sometimes writing down your argument helps you to make a stand and realize more exactly what it is you believe.

Why and how is argument both a process and a product?

When people begin an argument they are actually sorting through problems to find the best solution that they are both content with. Each person’s portion of the argument is a product. As interactions take place in the form of a committee to take action, or as an informal online message board, the brief products turn into something else. As the discussion gets longer, it is normal for the player's ideas to shift or change little by little: the process has begun. Sometimes a compromise can be found or possibly through listening people can empathize each other’s viewpoint. Each person brings something to the table but by combination the process may change each participants end product.

What is worth arguing about?

Anything important and meaningful to one person may bring about disagreement with another person is worth arguing about or sharing opinions and why each person holds those opinions. When two people can offer their viewpoints reasonably listening to the other side a compromise may be reached, a greater awareness of others reasonings, and possibly a shift or firmer stance on the issue. Anything that leads to people justifying why they hold certain beliefs and why certain rules exist can be argued with an open mind. Arguing can be a fun way to get others opinions and to see what they believe. Listening is the key ingredient. What is important to one person may not be important to another person. A question might be, “Is this important enough to me to spend time on this?”, or “Do I even support my belief with any evidence? Am I blindly led?” Arguing does not have to be disrespectful; in fact a reasonable argument with adequate research and fact finding is very respectable and worthwhile.

What is the goal of argument?

The goal of argument is not to argue and fight with someone, it is actually quite different. Most people think of the unpleasantness of an argument that they recently just had, or a difference of opinion from someone they know. An argument can be a fun productive way that activates conversations with diverse people reasonably. Argument is not about debate where there are two sides attacking one another and defenses being thrown up. There doesn’t have to be a winner and a loser in an argument. Most importantly the goal to be reached is more understanding of the issue at hand. The purpose of an argument is to discover a better solution, to find faults and strengths and ultimately the truth.

What does the book Writing Arguments tell us about the concept of truth?

Writing Arguments tell us that a writer while producing his/her argument will continually find herself moving from truth seeking to persuasion and back and forth. Asking questions and finding solutions is part of truth seeking. Persuasion deals with trying to convince your audience or someone that has the power and resources to help your cause to act on the information. With truth seeking one can find more understanding and therefore redirect the argument to a better source for the solution or possibly a better audience. Going back and forth until you find the best audience and the best solution is the goal, not just winning. Truth is making the best reasonable claim for your cause, coming up with the best answer for all parties while being open minded and taking responsibility for what you are arguing for.

How does one demonstrate his or her belief in an opinion?

Through writing one can support belief in an idea through argumentation or by providing evidence and reasons to support the idea. Credibility comes from researching both sides and the quality of resources and writing skills. Summarizing a work is a good way to demonstrate belief in an opinion. Does the article seem open minded to argumentation from the other side? With a reasonable amount of proper research on many opposing views one should be able to decide what it is that they believe. It may take some time, thought, and possibly modification to come to a stand on an issue especially if more truth is uncovered. Exploring, researching and finding the key outlet for your argument will demonstrate effectively where you stand on an issue. Outlets include, correspondence, letters to the editor, newspaper columns, public affairs or magazines, journals, proposals to agencies, legal briefs on court decisions, public affairs advocacy ads, websites, blogs and postings, visual arguments, and speeches.