Me 35 points!

technology: we're better off without it!

bahh! who needs technology to write? did shakespeare need a word processor? did fitzgerald have a spell check? did mary shelley need a degree in robotics to create frankenstein's monster? throughout history, great writers have relied on little else than their fertile imaginations, and the effort of putting pen to paper in order to produce great literature. in today's world, many experts believe, in fact, that technology works against that impulse of imagination. rather than reading "old-fashioned" books, youngsters are spending hours in front of the internet. rather than playing street games with neighborhood friends, youngsters are entertaining themselves with video games. rather than playing cards, checkers or chess, youngsters are gluing themselves to the television set. a computer may be able to indicate a misspelling, but it can't differentiate between good ideas and weak ones. a computer may be able to spot an incomplete sentence, but it can't make a judgment about which sentences flow more fluidly than others. a computer can't organize our thoughts, place us in the minds of another character, or create images and language which tug at our heartstrings. only the human mind and heart can write, so let's get back to basics, and pick up those pens once again!

think carefully about the opinion evident in the above paragraph. write a well-organized, persuasive paragraph in which you either support or reject the ideas presented here. be particularly watchful of sentence fluency as you write, practicing a variety of sentence lengths, structures and purposes!