Henry David Thoreau O Open your book to pages

Essential Question How does technology influence our decisions? – Think/Pair/Share

“The Flight from Conversation” by Sherry Turkle

Text-dependent questions for “The Flight from Conversation” 1.How does Sherry Turkle support her claim that we have “sacrificed conversation for mere connection” expecting “more from technology and less from one another”? 2. Explain how technology has helped us clean up the messiness and simplify the demands of human relationships. 3. Why does Turkle compare online communication with drinking? “We are tempted to think that our little ‘sips’ of online connection add up to a big gulp of real conversation.” 4. How does Turkle establish her credibility?

Writing Task Reread this paragraph from Sherry Turkle’s “Flight from Conversation.” “We expect more from technology and less from one another and seem increasingly drawn to technologies that provide the illusion of companionship without the demands of relationship. Always-on/always- on-your devices provide three powerful fantasies: that we will always be heard; that we can put our attention wherever we want it to be; and that we never have to be alone. Indeed our new devices have turned being alone into a problem that can be solved.” Talk with a partner about the article and then write a one-page paper explaining why you agree or disagree with her analysis.

How do Thoreau’s ideas contribute to your thinking about man’s relationship with nature and our relationships with other human beings?

The World Is Too Much With Us by William Wordsworth, 1808 The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;— Little we see in Nature that is ours; We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon! This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon; The winds that will be howling at all hours, And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers; For this, for everything, we are out of tune; It moves us not. Great God! I’d rather be A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn; So might I, standing on this pleasant lea, Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn; Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea; Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn. How does Wordsworth’s use of figurative language contribute to your thoughts about man’s relationship with nature and our relationships with other human beings?

Online, we easily find “company” but are exhausted by the pressures of performance. We enjoy continual connection but rarely have each other’s full attention. Sherry Turkle - How does the cover of The New Yorker contribute to your thoughts about man’s relationship with nature and our relationships with other human beings?

Synthesis Task Synthesize information from the sources you have read and talked about, incorporating it into a coherent, well- developed essay that argues a clear position on the influence of technology on human relationships. Make sure your argument is central; use the sources to illustrate and support your reasoning. Avoid merely summarizing the sources.