No Robos, Not Ever!

For this activity (which will help prepare you for the synthesis portion of the AP exam), you will evaluate six different sources pertaining to the use of robo-readers. Five of the six sources will be provided to you; the sixth can be accessed through a link below. In a well written blog post, you will take a clear stance on the use of robo-readers in evaluating student writing, synthesizing at least three of the sources into your argument (relying on both paraphrasing and direct quotation of the sources).

I do not agree with this "robo-reader" idea. I think too many students have too many different thoughts, to all be judged by one source, programmed in one particular way.  "Sure an automation can figure out if a student has done a math or science problem by reading symbols and ticking off a checklist (A)". But the language of literature is so unique and personable, how can a machine grade whether or not  you stand correctly? Surely grammar and spellcheck can used to grade the writing, but those options are already available to us students, before we hand in our completed assignments (essays).

Next, I believe that this system is being created because test administrators/ teachers are becoming more and more lazy. If you do not want to do your job, which includes grading a student's work, then maybe a different occupation would be more suitable...? "E-Rater, can grade 16,000 essays in 20 seconds(B)". "Grading essays, as any school teacher can tell you, is among the most time-consuming parts of the job. But is it a task that could be outsourced to a robot (D)?" I think that teachers that assign these essays, or the ones who look over the standardized tests essays, should be paid less if they are using this software. Nobody added in the task of grading papers into the job description of a teacher after they received their degree. It has been a part of their job from the very start. I think this is just adding to the laziness of our society. They say if you don't use it, you lose it...well what happens when we start depending on technology for everything? Will we all be dumb and the computers smarter than us?

Lastly, it seems the flaws involved in this piece out due the reasons to even use this technology. The human mind was developed so that we may critique other's work and benefit or learn from those corrections and our mistakes. This is not even worth grading though if the facts are purely incorrect, "E-Rater doesn't care if you say the War of 1812 started in 1945 (B)."There is no point in even participating in this essay if a student can carelessly make his/or her way through the entire thing. The students would be creating structured filler without making sense of what they really need to talk about. I wouldn't waste the time even setting up this program or paying for it if students can get away with this non-sense. How would this be preparing them for their future?

I clearly am very against the idea of these robots taking over for our teachers, who are suppose to be highly-educated, being able to grade these essays efficiently. I think this system will take away a student's ability to think "outside-of-the-box", create even more indolent adults in our society, and make possible essays, which state incorrect facts, able to obtain a higher score than students who actually provide correct facts. I surely hope none of my future essays are graded with this technology, not because I am a bad write, but because I am skeptic of this technology's abilities.

America's Got Class

When classifying my family into the several social classes, I would consider us in the middle class. We have enough to get by, with a little more to live efficiently and happily. I think in today's day to be in the upper class is almost impossible. According to the article, not many people inherit money anymore, and that makes a big deal on how hard one will have to work to make his/or her way up to success. 

"Today, the country has gone a long way toward an appearance of classlessness." I see this idea displayed each and every day. There are many people who have money, who would rather have generic clothing but take extravagant vacations. When people see them out and about, they are identified as the middle class or sometimes even the working class. Appearance says a lot in today's day. If one does not have a fancy, opulent appearance, there are not many other ways to predict that that person obtains a large sum of money in his/or her life. I believe the classes have blended. The middle class is almost mixed in with the working class, then the upper class is greatly above them, and the lower class is significantly below them. There are huge gaps in society's social classes nowadays. 

"Today, anyone may have a shot at becoming a Unite States Supreme Court justice or a CEO,  and there are more and more self-made billionaires." I see this more and more, because a large amount of people are pursuing what is called the "American Dream,"  starting from the bottom and finishing at the top. I have experienced this even in my own family. Neither of my parents ever had a lot of money, but even without college degrees, their hard work has paid off, and we are more wealthy than we ever thought we would be. I am so proud of them. They have given me everything I need and more, without having to struggle; they are true inspirations to me. People like my parents influence us young people to follow our dreams and to work towards what we want in life, and they show that it can, in fact, happen. 

"The scramble to scoop up a house in the best school district, channel a child into the right preschool program or land the best medical specialist are all part of a quiet contest amount social groups that the affluent and educated are winning in a rout."  This point is strongly demonstrated in the little Village of McFarland. There are many social classes in McFarland, but most of them all compete for the same success, no matter how hard it is for them. A lot of local parents, in the Madison area close to McFarland, strive to get their children into McFarland's school district, being one of the best around. The parents also are very political when it comes to academics, athletics, and achievements, relating to their child/children. I think McFarland could do without this competition though. Sometimes, or most of the time, it makes or breaks the relationships people hold in this town. I would never let social class get in the way of my friendships. I have many friends who are less wealthy, and even more friends who are a lot more wealthy than I am...that should not change one's ability to build a friendship with another person. 

I think social class says a lot about America, but it has also changed a lot in the past decade or so. The classes have merged, and I agree with the article when it states that it has definitely become harder to move up in the rankings. Hopefully, it is able to return someday to its past ways, rather than making it even more difficult to succeed for future generations, like my own. I know I will have to work hard and will have struggles along the way, but I do not want success to become impossible for myself.