Is Google Really Making Us Stupid?

In a lecture hall, a professor stands in front of a classroom full of students as he waits for an answer to his question. A student raises his hand and answers “no,” but he is unable to explain his conclusion. In Deborah Tannen’s article “The Roots of Debate in Education and the Hope of Dialogue,” she talks about how we should not just focus on stating that other people’s points are wrong and that the only way to seem original or creative is to prove other people’s points are wrong. This topic is highly important for students who are just entering college where they will encounter open discussions and the test of their ability to think outside of the box to prove an answer. Tannen’s ideas about the topic of debate may be quite beneficial for UCONN freshman students in developing skills for their classes as well as other areas in life. Developing and proving ideas are aspects that the education system has failed to emphasize. Freshman students can gain new skills in which have not been taught to them prior by reading Tannen’s article. Articles that would be less beneficial to incoming freshmen include Nick Carr’s “Is Google Making us Stupid” and Jean Twenge’s “An Army of One: Me.” Carr’s article argues that the Internet might have negative effects on cognition that diminish the capacity for concentration and contemplation but as a majority of the world community, internet and technology has already become the main method of transferring information in the twenty-first century. Those students entering college are bound to use the Internet regardless of what any article states, and the lectures of banning plagiarism continues reminding them of the dangers and repercussions that follows. While Carr talks about the consequences from co...

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...l. In her article we learn about negative connotations of the argument culture and in what ways to broaden our perspective on the idea of debate. Incoming students will experience this in college and engage into debates and discussion that can result in good or bad experiences. The good news is that her article will teach them that limiting their responses to critique means not doing other kinds of critical thinking that could build on one’s ability to think outside of the box. When drawn into a debate or conflict, she teaches us not to be aggressive and that simply saying the opponent is wrong is not sufficient, but proving them wrong is. Unlike the other two articles by Carr and Twenge, Tannen’s article will provide a new perspective and new, useful knowledge on the concept of debate that students will all encounter in college and put what they learned into use.