Rhetorical Analysis of Project 3

This blog post is the beginning of many for the third project in this class. In this post, I will be explaining my understanding of this project's rhetorical situation ( author, audience, purpose).

AUTHOR:

1. How will you draw on any or some of the following for Project 3?

My plans for project 3 connect to my passion for teaching and caring for children. After working at a daycare for 1 year and babysitting since I was 10, as well as taking care of my little sister (5 years younger) since she was little, I have finally realized that children are an important part of what makes me happy. My major here at the UA is public health and psychology with the hopes of one day becoming a pediatric occupational therapist. I have worked at summer camps as a counselor for kids of all ages (5-13) and I think that I finally have a good grip on my ideas about the best way to raise a child. Even though I don't have my own kid, (sometimes it felt like I did since the kids and I were so close) I have seen the good and the bad choices that parents make and I have learned from them.

With the new amounts of technology constantly coming out and parents just giving their children "a new toy" to keep them busy, children have become increasingly attached to their iPods, iPads, kindles, etc. and have lost the desire to have an imagination and make up fun on their own without the need to have technology to create that fun.

2.     What are the preconceptions, previously held opinions and/or potential areas for

               personal bias that you should be aware of for Project 3?

I definitely have a personal bias to this topic. After experiencing the negative side effects of the technology with such young kids, I realized that I dislike the idea of such young kids relying so heavily on technology to supply them the fun and creative childhood that there used to be before the iPhones and iPads and technologically advanced devices like those.

Not only do I think that I was raised to be more social and less dependent on the technology, but I think that I have come to learn what I value in people and what I don't. When people cannot have conversations or hang out without the use of their phone, I find myself to be very "hot and bothered" by this. My family has always valued "family time" where there are no phones at the dinner table, and no computers are allowed to touch you skin, and you cant hold the phone so close to your ear or you face (cancer my dad says), and you can't sit too close to the television. However, we had access to having all of the different technologies, we chose to not focus on them and we only used them when absolutely necessary. We don't have games on them, and we always put them away when we are trying to spend time with each other.

AUDIENCE:

1. How are you thinking about your audience for this project? Who are you going to make this for? Describe them.

• I am thinking that my audience will be the parents of the children that are concerned for their child's health as well as possibly the people that take care of children for a living. I think that I need to be respectful so that I don't offend the parents or the people that take care of the kids for a living. I want them to learn from the video essay so that they can learn from their mistakes if they are making those, and then applaud themselves for doing the things for their kids that are right.

2. What beliefs and assumptions might this audience already hold? What position are they likely to take on this issue? How will you respond to that position?

• These people might think that what they do for their kids is right and alright for them and their kids. They might not want to think that what they are doing is wrong, but they are obviously willing to listen to something about how to help their kids with their developmental issues and however they might not want to admit that they have issues with parenting.

3. How might they react to your argument?

• Depending on how strongly they feel towards their parenting/watching for kids skills, they might react differently. However, I think that the people who work at daycares like I did and those who babysit are going to agree completely with me. They are going to say that the technology dependency is getting completely out of control. It is unnecessary for children to to constantly be surrounded by technology when they could be using their minds for more useful and beneficial things. I think that the audience would agree with the fact that the imagination part of the brain is strongest when you are younger.

4. How are you going to relate to or connect with your audience? Are there any specific words, ideas or ways of arguing that will help you relate to them in this way?

• I am going to try to relate and connect with my audience by talking about the things that happen on a daily basis with their children. For example, when coming home from school, do they ask to play on a device? Or do they have an actual conversation with you? Do you let them watch tv when they get home or do they play with toys? I want them to realize how easy it is to just give kids a device to play with to keep them busy, but that the should really try to have toys or let the kids use their imagination. I will probably reflect back on their childhoods and ask what they did when they were bored. They probably didn't have a device to play with. They most likely used their imaginations and were creative and played with friends or siblings or their parents.

5. Think of one specific person or a set of people you know personally or professionally who fall within the definition of ‘target audience’ you’re using for Project 3. What could you tell them or say to them in order to convince them of your perspective? What would need to happen for them to agree with you?

• I think that the parents of kids in daycares are going to be the target audience. This is because they are most likely the ones that are super tired after a long day at work and don't have the energy to deal or play with their kids so they just throw them in front of the tv or an iPad so they can take a breather and not deal with anything. The other audience that will most likely be on my side will be the teachers at the day cares and preschools that watch the kids rely on the technology and their obsession with those devices. However, to really get the parents to agree with me and get on my side, I need to show them the facts and the consequences of the constant use of technology by little kids. Also, I think that showing them the perspective of the teachers, they'll understand a bit better.

PURPOSE/MESSAGE

1. What do you want to accomplish with Project 3? What affect do you want it to have on your intended audience? 

I really want to use this third project to let parents know how bad such an immense amount of screen time for anyone, but especially little kids, has serious consequences in their developmental stage as well as in their physical state. I want me audience to change their parenting way after watching this video essay if their practice is going against everything that I am talking about. I want them to consider the importance of their children's health (socially, creatively, and physically) and how it may seriously be affected with their screen time and their poor choice of parenting. I want them to believe that they CAN change their ways and allow their children's creativity flow and watch them grow mentally without the need to put them in front of a screen so that the parents can relax. Playing with kids can be relaxing and it puts you in a better mood too.

2. Once you’ve done all your research and figured out what you think about the controversy you’ve chosen, what still needs to be accomplished? 

There is still a lot that needs to be done now that I have finally figured out what I am going to do my video essay on. The science still needs to there and be able to back me up proving that the screen time is bad for anyone and especially children. The people that are arguing that screen time is good for kids needs to realize that the computer does all of the imagining for them. Yes, there are a lot of informational games that they can play, but it isn't the same as it used to be before the devices. Both sides of the issue I think need to be explained, but I will do that by explaining why the pro-screen time parents are wrong. I think that hearing from a celebrity, or someone like a doctor that has a true understanding of the bad side effects to an increase in screen time for children would be good to include in this video essay. Once again, I just need to gather some more scientific and credible pieces of information about this argument in order to make sure that I really do know the ins and outs of this topic.

CONTEXT- genre

1. What course genre will you be writing in for Project 3?

I will be writing in the form of a video essay for this project. 

2. What kinds of audience expectations come along with this genre, generally?

I think that the audience expects a lot from this genre. There are visuals that need to be incorporated, as well as audio and images and a catchy topic so that they are actually interested in this and want to spend their precious time watching it.  I think that they will expect a strong voice and opinion coming from the author (me). I think they expect it to be interesting and not too short but also not too long. I think that it needs to explain a lot but in a reasonable amount of time.

3. What is your history working in the genre you have selected for Project 3?

I have never made a video with just myself speaking. In high school, I had a lot of projects involving iMovie, but it was almost always a group project. However, I did do most of it so I feel pretty confident that I can make a good video essay that meets all of the requirements for this specific genre. 

4. Describe your comfort level and general feelings about the genre. How will they affect your work on Project 3?

Once again, I do feel pretty confident about this genre because I have worked with it a reasonable amount of times. I do know that this a very time consuming genre- but I mean what's new. The only thing that I am a bit worried about is being able to represent my opinion in a strong way and make my voice apparent. I don't want to just be presenting information, I want to be able to argue it and show emotions towards it.

5. What are the two most effective conventions in this genre, in your opinion? Why?

I think the first most important and effective convention of the video essay, in my opinion, is an intriguing opening and strong voice to start the video off. I really think that if the beginning is weak, the audience will not find a reason to continue watching. The second most important and effective convention of this genre, in my opinion, is the visual effects. Without the use of strong visual elements I think that the video would not be fun to watch. The images or clips or interviews need to be intriguing. Bland visual effects are not okay in this specific genre.

CONTEXT- when

1. Are there any historical events that might impact how your audience perceives your argument or the kind of background information or evidence you need to include? For instance, does media reporting on any of the following involve your issue/subject for Project 3?:
   I really don't think that there are laws that have been passed yet in the United States, however, there has been a law passed in Taiwan by Taiwanese parents. The government in the US has not taken control of the amount of screen time for children because there is such opposition in the different parenting styles. Nobody has figured out a way to solve this problem yet. However I have faith that one day there will be a change in this because everyone would finally realize the negative side effects of the screen time for kids.

2.  Who else is talking about this topic? Provide us with working hyperlinks to coverage of the controversy on FOUR different media outlets.

This mom, also a journalist for the Washington post, talks about why she does not limit her kids' screen time. It is an interesting point that she makes but it is also something that may only work for her family. This parenting website outlined in a video why screen time is so bad for children. Mayo clinic also is talking about this on their website. Iowa State University said that limiting screen time improves sleep and academics.

3.    What are the three or four major counter-arguments you’ll have to respond to, based upon what people are saying in the press/media? Be specific and cite your sources using working hyperlinks.

• This first counter-argument is about why parents don't mind that their kids have technology.  This mom argues that if she and her husband have technology, and only allow the kids to use their devices once they have finished their homework, chores, etc, they should not have to limit the screen time on those said devices.  
• The second counter-argument is from Wall Street Journal saying that the doctors that made the "no screen time for ages less than 2 and no more than 2 hours for older kids" is being revised to allow more screen time since apparently not all screens are created equal. 
• The third counter- argument is from a parenting blog site where a mom explains how not limiting screen time teaches her kids self-moderation and balance.  
• The fourth counter-argument is from a medical resource website for parents.  This website argues that since screens are so prevalent in everyone's lives currently, it is nearly impossible to set such a small amount of time on using screens for kids.