Reading Assignment

The reading is relevant to the multimodal assignment because it gives proper methods for creating visual texts. For most of the students in the class this assignment is not like most we have done in previous English classes. The reading gives ways to match the visual content and the overall narrative of the project. Since the project asks for us to combine the two, it is essential to know how to create a project that can effectively do so. The first pages talk about decorum, and deciding what is appropriate to say in a piece. For the multimodal assignment each group must identify the audience they are trying to attract and use the proper rhetoric to present their argument. The reading gives ways to design arguments for public audiences. Since we also have to present the project to the class this section is very relevant.  Also the reading gives tips on constructing a photo essay. Although we don’t have to create a photo essay, the story board assignment due Monday is very similar. Instead of creating a storyboard that is simply composed of pictures in rows; the reading gives ways to make your “photo essay” more visually appealing. What I got out most from this reading is that creating projects using a medium other than text can be overwhelming. So, it is very important that the images or visuals you present are clear and organized. This will allow the audience to follow what is being said and will keep them interested. Overall the text wants to give us ways to make visual designs and present them using clear, formal, techniques. 

Outline

      I.         Introduction

1)   Hook: Give examples of successful people that did not receive a college diploma. Include the recent death of a great innovator, Steve Jobs, a college drop out.

2)   Thesis: In modern times going to college is almost a rite of passage. Those who don’t attend college right away are instantly left to fend for themselves. But in a country with a failing economy and the infinite freedom to become whatever you want to be, there might be more fulfillment by foregoing college.

3)   Implication: The economic and social advantages of skipping college. The availability of online courses. Comparing and contrasting the income of a college graduate and a person with only a high school diploma.

    II.         Background

·      Go back to reasons why education is so valued and how these reasons have changed over time.

·      A very brief summery of the introduction of colleges into society.

·      The psychology of learning and the different ways that people learn and the different learning types.

  III.         Paragraph 1

1)   Give a brief history of education

(i)   Dating back to Greek and Roman times those with great knowledge had great power.

(ii) There were schools for higher learning but not a specific age assigned to attending.

(iii)  Shift towards more modern style schools

(2)  Question the purpose of colleges today

(i)  
College students should pursue a higher level of thinking and go in depth in a study.

(ii) The shift to college only symbolizing a piece of paper.

(iii)                  Use the example of Steve Jobs as a successful person that has enough creativity to create a trade for himself.

  IV.         Paragraph 2

1)   In an advancing world there are more ways for people to receive a proper post secondary education.

2)   The ability to attend college at any age.

3)   Understanding that all a successful person needs to have a job is a trade that they are skilled at.

    V.         Paragraph 3

1.)  Discuss the large opportunity cost of attending college and getting a job.

                                                    i.         By using graphs and charts I can back up the information I provide.

                                                  ii.         Good transition to the economic strain that college puts on students

2)   Many students that come out of college owe an abundance of money to lenders and their University.

3)   However, those with a college degree make a higher starting salary than those without.

                                                  i.         So in the long run the debt should be paid off.

  VI.         Paragraph 4

1)   Shift argument, and give the pros of gaining a college education.

                                                ii.         Although there are a large amount of advantages of foregoing college, some people are completely ready for the college experience.

2)   Give the example of Caitlin, the dancer at my school.

i.       She had great grades and could have gone to college but she felt that at that moment in her life she wanted to dance.

ii.     She also knew that with the money she earned she could start education after her dancing career.

3)   College isn’t for every person but for those that do not know what they want to be it will provide the tools necessary for earning a decent job.

VII.         Conclusion

·      Establish again that I believe that college is not mandatory after high school. However, it is not the only choice that high school graduates have after receiving their diplomas.

Annotated Bib.

Baum, Sandy and Kathleen Payea. “The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society.” Trends in Higher Education. Ed. New York: College Entrance Examination Board, 2004. 5-25. Web.

This is a pamphlet created by one of the most trusted sources when it comes to education, College Board. The researchers from the Board create a book showing the statistical data along with anecdotal evidence that proves in the long run those with higher education continue to have long and successful careers. With this source I plan to disprove some of the data shown that has inconsistencies.

Becker, Gary. “Encyclopedia Essay on Human Capital.” Human Capital. 1975. 1-4. Print.

This article was written by a professor that investigated the services and goods humans contribute to society. He concluded that students that go to college earn significantly more than those that chose not to attend. These findings did not surprise me at all but I was interested more in the way he came his conclusions. Ultimately he stated that the key to a successful job is through extensive training. A few decades ago when this was written that might have been the case, but I plan to show how in modern times there are different ways to achieve success.

Burdman, Pamela. (2005). The Student Debt Dilemma: Debt Aversion as a Barrier to College Access. UC Berkeley: Center for Studies in Higher Education. Web. 18 October 2011. <http://escholarship.org/uc/item/6sp9787j>

This article shows how over the years the college tuition has risen. Due to the rise in tuition many college students are graduating with large amounts of debt and spend most of their lives paying off loaners. I plan to use this information to show that although college brings an abundance of knowledge. Many young Americans pay a large price for the jobs they receive in the future.

Common Good Forcaster: Exploring the Impact of Education in Your Community. Interactive graphs and charts. American Human Development Project. Web. 15 October 2011. <http://www.measureofamerica.org/forecaster?gclid=CNbHzY_R9KsCFQJ-5Qod7y3IMA>

This is an interactive map of the country that allows users to select a state and observe statistical data. It is full of information on literacy rates, college success rates, etc. The most useful feature is the ability to change information and see how the lack of education affects the economy. This source would be useful to compare and contrast different states and see how each state values education differently.

Deresiewicz, William. “The Disadvantages of an Elite Education.” Exhortation. The American Scholar, Summer of 2008. Web. 14 October 2011. <http://theamericanscholar.org/the-disadvantages-of-an-elite-education/>

This article speaks of the slight social disadvantages that people who receive a higher education may encounter. The author of the article gives first hand experience of challenges he faced being a highly educated person. The overall tone was still in favor of getting a higher education, but there were little bits of information about an alternative route.

Hansen, Randall. “Next Step After High School? Some Alternatives to College.” QuintCareers. Web. 18 October 2011. <http://www.quintcareers.com/college_alternatives.html>

This article gives several alternatives to going to college. The author’s stance is more toward college can wait rather than it being a necessity. He states that today, college has become almost a rite of passage for teens into adulthood. Another quote that I enjoyed from the article was, “Education is critical; college is not.” With this as almost the motto of my research paper I can show the reader alternate ways to have a successful and meaningful career.

Harmon, C., Oosterbeek, H. and Walker, I. (2003), The Returns to Education: Microeconomics. Journal of Economic Surveys, 17: 115–156. Print.

This article uses principals of economics to determine the returns students receive from a college education. Most of that information was irrelevant, but I did find most of the statistical information comparing our country with countries that “valued” education more or less. The article would be helpful to provide visuals and back up statements against not going to college.

Price, Brendan. “The Opportunity Cost of College.” Columbia Spector. N.p., 2 September 2008. Web. 14 October 2011. <http://www.columbiaspectator.com/2008/09/02/opportunity-cost-college>

The main issue the article discusses is the opportunity cost for a person who decides to go to a college or university. The author also speaks of the increase in tuition, and how those who aren’t in college are actually making money. While some college students are entering the inescapable world of debt. The writer of the article is an economics major and takes a more concrete stance to the situation. He has little opinion, but gives straight facts. I favored this article because it focused on the positives and negatives of each side.

Singham, Mino. “The Purpose of College.” Mano Singham’s Web Journal. Case Western Reserve University, 9 March 2005. Web. 18 October  2011. <http://blog.case.edu/singham/2005/03/09/the_purpose_of_college>

This is a blog post from an insightful student that  simply asks the question what is the purpose of college? He gives information how over the past decades the meaning of a college education has changed. After reading this article I thought of a new aspect of my topic that I could look into. What do most high school students plan to receive from a four-year institution? From this question there are many angles from which I can approach the larger topic.

Rex, Tom, Kent Hill and Dennis Hoffman. “Five Reasons to Skip College: A Reply.” Productivity and Prosperity Project (2006): 2-5. Print.

This article was written at a school of business at Arizona State in response to reasons to skip college. Several charts and graphs are used to show how Americans benefit from a post secondary education. College graduates earn more than dropouts and that trend seems to continue as students go further into their studies.

Szold, Charlie. “Is College Necessary.” USA Today. N.p., 8 June 2010. Web. 12 October 2011. <http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/blog/is-college-necessary>

This atrial is somewhat informal but gives great examples of successful Americans that did not attend college. A point that the article touched that I enjoyed was the statement, “normal guy or gal, then get that degree.” For most people they do not know what field they are going into until their second or third year in college. The author knows that college will give the opportunity to millions of young adults each year to enter an endless amount of professions. I would like to argue that there are also professions that offer the same satisfaction; however, does not require a college degree.

“Teaching College Courses Online vs. Face-to-Face.” The Journal. 1105 Media Inc., 1 April 2011. Web. 17 October 2011. <http://thejournal.com/articles/2001/04/01/teaching-college-courses-online-vs-facetoface.aspx>

Many busy Americans are finding alternative ways to receive a college degree. This article talks about the benefits of in class teaching and online teaching. Ultimately the article leaned towards the in class setting. However, it stated that online classes are more flexible when it comes to scheduling therefore more convenient for those who have jobs. This article shows that there are ways around the standard four-year institution.

Research Paper Freewrite

In recent years, Americans have assumed that once a teen graduates high school the only option to choose is college. As a college student myself I see the importance of a college education. However, I discovered that there are some advantages in entering the college atmosphere at an older age. Thesis: The world we live in is always advancing. In order to stay on the cutting edge of technology American colleges send millions of workers out into the real world every year. But resent research has shown that there are advantages to entering the work force immediately after high school.

I have a few online articles and essays written by authors with great ethos. One very useful article is written by a Harvard graduate that gives an account of a time where he struggled to socialize with an average Joe Blow. He later goes into detail about how he questioned the necessity of entering college right away. I expect I would need more statistics to back up the evidence that I find.

One obstacle that I keep thinking about is running out of credible sources. This challenge made me question if I should continue further into this topic. However, I realized that in order to get around this problem I must begin research and finding sources as soon as possible. If I ever run out of credible sources I might have to take an unorthodox approach and interview different points of view on the topic. By doing this I can beef my paper up more and take a less bias approach to writing the paper.

Advantages/Disadvantages of Going to College

https://webspace.utexas.edu/hcleaver/www/330T/350kPEEBeckerHumanKtable.pdf

This is an essay on human capital. The essay argues the positives of going to college and states that in the last decades students that go to college earn significantly more than high school graduates without degrees.

http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/blog/is-college-necessary

This article notes  successful entrepreneurs/celebrities that have made a decent living and did not complete college. This article would be useful when I need examples of successful college dropouts.

http://www.columbiaspectator.com/2008/09/02/opportunity-cost-college

The article is from a Columbia student and uses the economic term opportunity cost to argue the pros and cons of attending college. Overall college is the better choice for high school graduates to choose but there are significant advantages of perusing a career first.

http://www.mendeley.com/research/education-pays-benefits-higher-education-individuals-society/

This is an abstract from a paper that only argues the benefits of going to college. If im going to argue that college is not necessary right away; im also going to need evidence stating why going to college is beneficial.

http://theamericanscholar.org/the-disadvantages-of-an-elite-education/

This article speaks of the social disadvantages of going to college. Although most college graduates have the capability to speak in a scholarly manner they lack the down to earth techniques to talk to average everyday people

Research Paper Ideas

What to do after high school?
In today's society all students that graduate high school are expected to go straight to college. But with college being more expensive than ever I believe there are advantages for those that choose to enter the workforce. There are some people that do not thrive in a learning environment and would do much better in college if they entered at a later age. This topic interested me because I met a girl that was an amazing dancer with great grades, but decided she wasnt ready for college.

Is jail always necessary?
This topic would be interesting because when most people see a person in jail or prison they assume the worst. But in some cases these people receive the short end of the stick. Prison also takes people that are convicted for petty crimes and puts them into a population full of even more dangerous people. I have always questioned the prison system because I have seen it change nice people into someone they were forced to be.

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