Are Robo-Readers the Problem or Are We?

                As soon as I heard the prompt for this essay, I knew what my stance would be: it’s completely ridiculous that computers can grade writing effectively. However, as I read the sources, I realized that there was more to the topic than first appeared.

                The advantages of “robo-readers” are obvious. They are quite simply more efficient and cost-effective than teachers at grading essays. For instance, the e-Rater “can grade 16,000 essays in 20 seconds” (Michael Winerip, Facing a Robo-Grader? Just Keep Obfuscating Mellifluously). I doubt there will be any folk songs about any teacher who can beat the machine in this scenario. Moreover, with the new government policies and increasing amount of standardized testing, the sheer number of essays to grade is nearly insurmountable. As Winerip said, “there’s got to be some way to keep up with this stuff” (Michael Winerip, Robot Eyes As Good As Humans When Grading Essays). “Robo-Readers” could provide the solution.

                Unfortunately, the drawbacks could be more than enough to prevent them from ever coming on the scene. The big question is this: “can a machine that cannot draw out meaning, and cares nothing for creativity or truth, really match the work of a human reader?” (Steve Kolowich, A Win For the Robo-Readers). Many sources say no. The biggest issue is that whereas a machine can test sentence structure, diction, or mechanics, it cannot judge the argument itself. The article, “How the e-rater Engine Works,” provides the features that the “robo-reader” looks for in students’ writing, but nowhere in the list is there anything about the legitimacy of the argument or the appeal of the writing. Computers may be able to analyze a few words here and there, but it is, quite simply, impossible for them to judge what good writing actually is.

                However, despite this limitation, studies reveal a disturbing fact: “In terms of being able to replicate the mean [ratings] and standard deviation of human readrs, the automated scoring engines did remarkably well” (Steve Kolowich, A Win for the Robo-Readers). This may seem like a success, but the fact that teachers are looking for the same basic and irrelevant criteria as the machines is very much a loss. Perhaps instead of questioning whether or not we should be using the robo-readers, we should be questioning the methodology of our own teachers. Perhaps instead of increasing the amount of useless writing students are forced to do, we should grade the existing amount of writing with more of an emphasis on what’s important.

America As A Map

http://www.libs.uga.edu/darchive/hargrett/maps/1633m4.jpg

With a combination of both cartograpy and illustrations, this map gives a lot of insight into the perspectives of colonists at the time. The first aspect of the map that caught my eye, simply due to its size in comparison to the rest of the map (this size in relation to the rest of the map implies European domination over the New World), was the illustration in the upper left corner of the colonists’ settlements.  This illustration, with its high walls and bold outlines, immediately gives a sense of strength and fortification, so the question remains of what they are fortifying against. The wilderness on the map depicts various turkey, deer, mountains and waterfalls, and it appears wild and untamed.  Likewise, the Native American women in the bottom left is also depicted as primitive and wild. Just like the animals, she is almost completely naked, and she only has leaves to cover her. Furthermore, various European ships are shown at full sail approaching the New World while a small Native American canoe is shown almost as if it is in flight from the majestic European ships. This visual contrast between the strong, civilized European settlements/ships and the wild, primitive Native Americans is the most telling example of the European perspective and the origins of America. They viewed themselves as more civilized, and therefore more human, while they believed the Native Americans were barbaric (hence the walls to keep them out). As Babb said, “assertions of English superiority were replaced by assertions of white superiority”, so this early contrast between European and Native Americans is an example of what eventually gave rise to the American idea of white superiority.

It's All About the Money

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/20/opinion/occupy-the-classroom.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

            A brief synopsis: The best way to close the economic gap between the rich and poor and to solve inequalities among different races is to invest in early education (even before the age of five). Kristof says this will not only lessen those gaps, but also provide more money in the long run. Many other notable scholars agree, and many studies confirm this concept.
            Kristof used a very logos-based argument. He drew in many figures and statistics from several valid studies that all confirmed what he was arguing, and he had some effective appeals to authority that were interesting and convincing. He also explains another stance on the topic but refutes that his idea is more important, an essential technique to any persuasive essay. While a logos-based political argument isn't typically enrapturing, and this one isn't any different, it certainly does its job. It's hard to ignore all the solid facts (or at least what he makes it seem like solid facts). This is why the article stands out as a solid persuasive essay, but it doesn't much entertain the reader, and it therefore probably won't draw in much of an audience to read the argument in the first place. The article may, however, attract the attention of the government because it reasons with the one thing the government is interested in: money. Kristof informs that early education reforms will provide an eventual 7% profit, and, to the government at least, this is more convincing than any pathos or ethos argument could be.

Clash of Culture

            A key aspect of both the movie and the focus of each side's argument was the idea of culture and how to define it. The deaf family insisted that their is a distinct "deaf culture," and it would be detrimental to take remove a child from that culture by implanting a cochlear implant. The hearing family countered that by keeping their child deaf, they were limiting his/her ability to get involved with the culture of hearing people. I'm inclined to agree with the latter opinion.
            Throughout the movie, I tried to keep an open mind, knowing that my own discourse would provide me with an immediate bias. However, even my open mind could see that the deaf family was hurting, not helping, their child by preventing her from receiving the cochlear implant. I for one don't much see the difference between the culture of hearing people and that of deaf people. Both groups go through mostly the same experiences, but they just have different ways of communicating. With a cochlear implant, the child would be able to participate in both means of communicating, and it's as simple as that. It's as if the child had an opportunity to learn both English and another foreign language like French or Spanish, and their parent prevented her from learning the foreign language and therefore from gaining its cultural values. Wouldn't you want your child to be enriched by both cultures? The same applies in this scenario.
            By limiting (and that's exactly what it is: LIMITING) their child to only "deaf culture," Heather's parents are restricting her to a smaller pool of choices and experiences. Sure any deaf person can be succesful, and sure a deaf person can be happy, but with a cochlear implant both these things would be simpler, and there's no denying this. Heather's parents both admit that they struggled growing up, and Heather's dad admits that he can get no higher on the coorperate latter. Why would they want to put their ownn child through the same obstacles and limitations? It just doesn't make sense. As parents, it is their responsibility to give their child the best life they can. It may be difficult to raise a child to experience both cultures, but as parents it is their duty to try their best. And shouldn't they place this burden on themselves rather than forcing the burden upon their child?

Existential Dread

            What could be more terrifying than failure? Perhaps being lost for eternity floating in space or trapped in a tomb for the remainder of one's supply of oxygen. Perhaps having one's lower half being blown off in war and witnessing their own insides before blinking off into oblivion or other dismemberment or mutilation. But these occurrences are not frequent in a common man/woman's life, and certainly not within my own, and are therefore made trivial. However, failure is prevalent in every decision and every action every person takes. Some may say that such frequency dulls its terror, but I say the opposite: for every right decision you make, there lies an alternative that threatens to take down all that you have accomplished, and no one can be perfect all the time. Even the luckiest man cannot escape failure forever.
             Therefore I worry about when my house of cards will come falling down and what wind will cause it. What is the ultimate butterfly effect of my actions, and what repercussions will come as a result? I will never know, and neither will anyone else. We can only hope that we make the right choices and live with those decisions, but that doesn't stop me from worrying.

The Lazy Song

           If any song could epitomize how people in the U.S. feel, it'd have to be The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars. People, even our government it would seem, just don't feel like solving the abundant problems that are plaguing us such as the anibiotic problem outlined in the chioce essay due on Monday. As other countries are focusing on advancements and furthering education, Americans just want to relax and "find a really nice girl, have some really nice sex." As soon as problems arise, we are content to just fall behind.
            Despite this pervasive decline, it is a common American philosophy that we are still superior to every other country. This is shown in Mars's lyrics: " 'Cause in my castle, I'm the freaking man." We are so full of ourselves that we can't admit that if we step out of the comfort of our own denial, we might not think so highly of ourselves and we might actually have to do some work.
            It may be fun to "kick my feet up then stare at the fan, turn the TV on, throw my hands in my pants" for just a while longer, but soon enough, our castle will come crashing down and life might not be so great. Already the U.S. is being surpassed in almost every industry, and nothing is being done to improve education, the one thing that might change all that. Not only are the institutions stagnating, but American's views toward college are faltering. Once again, we can look to the The Lazy Song for evidence: "Yeah I might mess around, and get my college degree, I bet my old man would be so proud of me, but sorry pops, you'll have to wait."
            If we don't change our priorities, the U.S. might be in some serious trouble, and our once great country might not be so great anymore.

A Well-Tempered Weapon of Words

            When asked to come up with a metaphor about writing, the first thing that regrettably came to mind was that writing was like shooting a dying horse. It (or the writer) struggles for hours or days or weeks on end, and finally, someone, whether a sympathetic farmer or an impatient publisher, puts it out of its misery. However, after the pessimist in me went to go steal candy from little kids or something, the fantasy nerd in me resurfaced, and I realized that's not how or why I write and that it might be more accurate to describe writing as forging a new sword.
             The materials and resources are there from the start; both blacksmiths and writers have what they need to create their personal masterpieces already in their hands (or head). It's the master craftsman's job to reform the raw materials into something elegant. Both practices when done correctly are a labor of many patient hours, and the creation goes through many changes along the way. Eventually, it is finished, and the master craftsman wields his/her new creation and shows it to the world. Depending on how much care went into the creation, one of two things can happen: either the well-tempered weapon (whether a sword or the more potent weapon of words) withstands the burdens placed on it, or the poorly-tempered weapon shatters under the strain.