Summary Of Laptops In The Classroom: Mend It Don T End It

In the article “Laptops in the classroom: Mend it, don’t end it”, Justin Reich argues that “Computers can transform the way students learn only if instructors change the way they teach”. Reich is directing his argument towards faculty and administrative staff of academic institutions, who are subjected to Western culture’s way of learning and structure of the education system. Both the audience and the author are defined by their common occupation and similar teaching experiences and struggles. In this rhetorical analysis, I will argue that Reich successfully persuades his teaching peers to “Mend it, Don’t End It” with classroom technology through his reference to his personal credibility as an educational instructor and his appeal to the

The author argues that in order for computers to be used to help students improve learning within the classroom, it is up to teachers and educational institutions to transform their teaching strategies to mirror the technology they require students to purchase. Generally, in most professions, people tend to respect their peers’ opinions and ideas. The connection that the author has to his fellow teaching peers appeals to his authority and sense of character. Having experience as a teacher gives Justin Reich credibility. He states that “As a teacher, I can confirm that most of us love to be the center of attention, and laptops threaten our fiefdoms.” The author is asserting that the use of laptops in the classroom is threatening a shift in the students’ attention away from the teacher. The author plays the role of a mediator to speak to the opposing side of teachers and students. Reich uses a common ground approach to write this article by successfully relating to both sides of the argument. Justin Reich uses the rhetorical device ethos as he presents his argument as someone whose words are worth considering, as a fellow teacher he understands the challenges of technology being present in the

Justin Reich uses anecdotes from his personal experience as a teacher to support his argument. Reich states that “Admitting laptops into the classroom means facing the reality that in competition for our attention, our best lectures can’t even beat solitaire.” However, Reich also understands how the students feel when they are told that classroom technology cannot be used. The author claims that for improvements to be made, change needs to come from both sides of the argument. Reich states: “Instructional changes in today’s classrooms need to be as radical as the technological innovations that spark them, and university administrators must recognize that upgrading the network won’t deliver results without upgrading the instructions.” Due to Reich’s personal experience as a teacher, he understands that while it is a simpler solution for a teacher to banish classroom technology, he argues that it is not only up to the teachers for changes to be made. He affirms through his own experience that there needs to be support from the university administrators to train and educate instructors of the importance of classroom technology in the 21st century, which appeals to the faculty he is