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SUB SET 1 (B)

TOTAL: 35 MARKS

Read the following article and answer ALL the questions that follow.

Digital Distractions: College Students in the 21st Century

I Students in the Millennial generation who were born in 1982 until 2000 enter college
with technological savvy skills. These students are the first generation to grow up
in the Digital Age, which is the period where the personal computer with subsequent
technology was introduced. It provides the ability to transfer information freely and
quickly. They have always had a computer at home and have used it in ways that 5
their parents could never have imagined.

II With increasing technological demands in the world, colleges continue to call for
more technological expertise from faculty and staff as millennial students are
bringing a wide array of technologies to campus. Millennials prefer web-based
resources such as Facebook for forming groups and staying in contact with friends. 10
They turn to iTunes and downloadable media sources for entertainment, and use
RateMyProfessors.com and Wikipedia.org as academic resources. Many students
maintain blogs through sites such as LiveJournal and Blogger, and read other blogs
for breaking news and updates in specific areas of interest. Nevertheless, some of
these sources are unreliable, yet many students fail to recognise the 15
trustworthiness of the contents. Thus, it is crucial for educational experts to ensure
students are able to identify reliable sources from the wide selection of sites.

III Millennial students are constantly wired and connected. Their activities revolve
around their mobile phones, iPods, televisions (TV), and gaming consoles. They
learn how to create PowerPoint software since secondary school and are frequently 20
surprised when their teachers do not lecture with PowerPoint. Studies have
indicated that 72 per cent of all students checked their e-mail daily, and 26 per cent
of college students used instant messaging on an average day. The Kaiser Family
Foundation did a survey on the frequency use of media among students of 8 to 18
years old. The finding revealed that half of the respondents used the Internet, 25

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watched TV or utilised some other form of media. Of this half, 31 per cent of them
claimed that they used the media frequently while 25 per cent of them rarely used
the media to do homework. However, it is not surprising that technology has
become significant in students' academic and personal lives. Other studies found
that 46 per cent of students reported that e-mail allowed them to express ideas to 30
teachers they otherwise would not express in person and 73 per cent reported that
they used the Internet more than the library to search for information.

IV However, students can benefit from the use of these varying technologies. For
instance, games, instant messaging, and other forms of rapid communication help
students develop fast reflexes, ability to eliminate wordiness in speech, and the skill 35
to gather information fast. They can quickly sort through information from a variety
of sources and access information far more efficiently than previous generations.
Professor Shabnam Kavousian from Indiana University Bloomington noted that
video games created more interesting ways to engage students in projects and
made them rely on problem-solving skills to reach defined goals. He further claimed 40
that if used in classrooms correctly, gaming has a great potential to create a deep
interest for learning and motivating students.

V In addition, previous research found that students were very positive concerning
the use of tablets in higher education, stating that these devices were beneficial for
immediate access to information and enhancing learning experiences, according 45
to different learning styles and preferences. Other research confirmed these
findings. Students were generally reported to be feeling positive about the tablet
implementation, reporting the possibilities to motivate and to engage them in
learning. Besides that, it helps to embrace the opportunities for communication
between peers with peers, and peers and teachers. They also enjoyed the added 50
value for collaboration.

VI On the contrary, the use of such technologies could affect the way the students’
brains function. Their developing brains can become more easily habituated than
adult brains to constantly switch tasks and less able to sustain attention. The
constant stimuli that computers and mobile phones offer poses a profound new 55

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challenge in focusing and learning. Michael Rich, an associate professor at Harvard

Medical School and executive director of the Center on Media and Child Health in
Boston warns that children in this generation are raised in front of screens whose
brains are going to be wired differently.

VII Furthermore, as new technologies emerge, teachers notice a decline in the 60

educational outcomes of student learning process. Quick access to information can
lead to a lack of critical thinking about sources and quality of information, as well
as an inability to "mine for data". Many students will likely access only one or two
pages into a website. Professor Patricia Greenfield from University of California,
Los Angeles (UCLA) feels that the more people use technology the higher the rate 65
of decline in critical thinking and analysis skills. Another issue is that students
regularly use websites and blogs to post their online diaries, not only revealing
dangerous and illegal behaviours but also opening themselves up to privacy and
safety concerns. The reality is that technology and its applications on college
campuses are not going away. Although it is not necessary to overhaul the use of 70
technology completely, it is worth looking at ways to help reward the positive values
of technology while teaching students how to avoid the negative effects.

VIII Perhaps an important way for teachers to help students learn is to return to the idea
of advising as teaching. For instance, teachers can develop training seminars to
understand the technologies students bring with them to campus and to find 75
collaborative ways to teach them to use the technologies appropriately. Teachers
can also amalgamate appropriate technology into classrooms to help students not
only learn what online credibility is, but also help them find resources in making
wise decisions about the references they cite. Other than that, teachers can
encourage students to engage in more face-to-face conversations and at the same 80
time, communicate with students via e-mail courteously and professionally.

IX Students should be afforded opportunities to use digital tools to gain necessary

skills for the 21st century in order to help them to be responsible users of technology.
Furthermore, students should be motivated to use known and trusted digital
resources to produce better quality work. This means that students are 85

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empowered with the ability to become more responsible technology users. This
responsibility extends to the act of being cautious about privacy and safety in what
to post online. This is so that they realise the repercussions of being irresponsible
when sharing inappropriate materials online.

X In summary, technology can determine how students’ lives are shaped depending 90
on how well it is utilised. Technology should not be used on campus just because
it is available, rather, conscious decisions must be made to ensure that it fulfils
appropriate educational concerns. This is to achieve the ultimate objective of
creating successful digital citizens of the 21st century.

Adapted from http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-

Articles/Advising-the-millenial-generation.aspx

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QUESTION 1

Interpret meaning of the following words as they are used in the passage.

a) emerge (line 60):

(1 mark)

b) overhaul (line 70):

(1 mark)

c) amalgamate (line 77):

(1 mark)

d) empowered (line 86):

(1 mark)

e) shaped (line 90):

(1 mark)

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QUESTION 2

Identify the stated main idea of paragraph III and provide ONE MAJOR and ONE MINOR
supporting detail.

a) Stated main idea:

(1 mark)

b) Major supporting detail:

(1 mark)

c) Minor supporting detail:

(1 mark)

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QUESTION 3

Formulate the topic that is most suitable for the content of paragraph VI. Provide TWO (2)
evidence from the passage to support your answer.

i. Topic:
(1 mark)

ii. Evidence 1:
(1/2 mark)

iii. Evidence 2:
(1/2 mark)

QUESTION 4

Their developing brains can become more easily habituated than adult brains to constantly switch
tasks and less able to sustain attention. (lines 53 - 54).

Make an inference based on the above statements. Provide TWO (2) evidence from the passage
to support your answer.
i.

(2 marks)

ii. Evidence 1:

(1/2 mark)

ii. Evidence 2:

(1/2 mark)

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QUESTION 5

Formulate the implied main idea of paragraph IX. Provide TWO (2) evidence to support your
answer.

i.

(2 marks)

ii. Evidence 1:

(1/2 mark)

iii. Evidence 2:

(1/2 mark)

QUESTION 6

List TWO (2) types of support given by the author in paragraph IV to provide explanation about
the benefits of technology to students’ learning. Provide ONE (1) example for each type of
support.

a) Type of support:

Example:

a) Type of support:

Example:

(4 marks)

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QUESTION 7

Identify the type of support for each of the supporting details.

No. Supporting Detail Type of Support

a) The Kaiser Family Foundation did a survey on the frequency use

of media among students of 8 to 18 years old. The finding
revealed that half of the respondents used the Internet, watched
TV or utilised some other form of media. Of this half, 31 per cent
of them claimed that they used the media frequently while 25
per cent of them rarely used the media to do homework.
(Paragraph III)

b) Furthermore, as new technologies emerge, teachers notice a

decline in the educational outcomes of student learning process.
(Paragraph VII)

(2 marks)

QUESTION 8

Write ‘T’ for a statement that is TRUE and ‘F’ for a statement that is FALSE.

a) Tablet usage in tertiary education promotes better

interaction among classmates and their teachers.

b) Technological devices cause Millennials to have short

attention span and this inhibits good learning process.

c) Parents of the Millennials are well aware of how their

kids are utilising technologies at home.

(3 marks)

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QUESTION 9

Do you think the Millennials are utilising technology wisely? Provide THREE (3) reasons to
support your opinion.

(4 marks)

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QUESTION 10

Identify whether the paragraph below is inductive (I) or deductive (D) reasoning. Provide ONE (1)
explanation to support your answer.

a) However, students can benefit from the use of these varying technologies. For instance,
games, instant messaging, and other forms of rapid communication help students develop
fast reflexes, ability to eliminate wordiness in speech, and the skill to gather information
fast. They can quickly sort through information from a variety of sources and access
information far more efficiently than previous generations. Professor Shabnam Kavousian
from Indiana University Bloomington noted that video games created more interesting
ways to engage students in projects and made them rely on problem-solving skills to reach
defined goals. He further claimed that if used in classrooms correctly, gaming has a great
potential to create a deep interest for learning and motivating students. (Paragraph IV)

i. Type of reasoning:
(1 mark)

ii. Explanation for type of reasoning:

(1 mark)

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b) Perhaps an important way for teachers to help students learn is to return to the idea of
advising as teaching. For instance, teachers can develop training seminars to understand
the technologies students bring with them to campus and to find collaborative ways to
teach them to use the technologies appropriately. Teachers can also amalgamate
appropriate technology into classrooms to help students not only learn what online
credibility is, but also help them find resources in making wise decisions about the
references they cite. Other than that, teachers can encourage students to engage in more
face-to-face conversations and at the same time, communicate with students via e-mail
courteously and professionally. (Paragraph VIII)

i. Type of reasoning:
(1 mark)

ii. Explanation for type of reasoning:

(1 mark)

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QUESTION 11

Formulate ONE (1) underlying assumption that can be made in paragraph VII. Provide TWO (2)
evidence from the passage to support your answer.

i. Underlying assumption:

(1 mark)

ii. Evidence 1:

(1/2 mark)

iii. Evidence 2:

(1/2 mark)

END OF QUESTION PAPER

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