Mentsiev and his colleagues analyzed the impact of digital technology on learners’ cognition, precisely the impact of digital media on learning languages. In their analysis, the authors started by clarifying that lately there are new class models characterized by modern teaching methods that emphasize the integration of digital technologies and the effective use of digital learning materials. Digital technologies provide unlimited sources of information, tools for learners’ independent inquiry and experimentation, and knowledge sharing. These modern class models point out to a constructivist approach known as inquiry-based education, which involves the active use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in class.
The research concludes that there is a positive impact on students using the Internet and other ICT learning methods in learning languages, hinting that technology improves cognition. Teachers’ interests, skills at incorporating Internet resources in classroom tasks, and the availability of computers are the three fundamental factors influencing the successful use of ICT in teaching the English language. In addition, the authors emphasize the need for teachers to acquire relevant knowledge and skills to survive and impart the best of knowledge to the students. The article also briefly reviews other researchers’ works on the recent language and literacy learning theories to support their thesis. The theories discussed include constructivism, behaviorism, cognitivism, and sociolinguistics.
Relevance of the Source
Arguments from the secondary source will support the research propositions by showing the importance of digital technology in education. For example, the review concludes that there is performance improvement for students using the Internet and other ICT learning methods in learning languages, hinting that technology improves learning and cognition (Mentsiev et al. 3). Therefore, Mentsiev and his colleagues’ arguments are a comparative analysis of the topic that will defend the primary source’s analysis and arguments.
What is Motivating the Writer?
When reading critical essays or any text in that matter, the reader should pay attention to how the writer has presented her arguments. A reader should first identify the writer’s position on the topic, whether she presents her arguments for or against it, and when the author summarizes other people’s viewpoints (Graff et al. 179). The reader must be alert to how the writer uses transition words to avoid misquoting the writer. Additionally, there are instances where the writers present their arguments using complex terms that a reader may find difficult to understand the thesis or the writer’s position in their arguments. In this case, the reader must go through the work and translate it to the simplest form they can understand (Graff et al. 184-185). Lastly, in critical reading, a reader is advised to open her mind to the writer’s arguments. The reader must comprehend and accurately summarize those arguments because the reader’s critique might be superficial without doing so.
Reflection
The secondary source provides external support to my arguments by giving another writer’s critique on the topic, thereby linking my arguments to those found in the primary source. For example, Thompson claims that technology has shaped how and what we think about “making our cognitions linear and abstract, along with vastly enlarging our stores of knowledge” (Graff et al. 449). The secondary source supports this argument when Mentsiev and his colleagues conclude that digital media has assisted learners from Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Korea improve their English language learning and overall cognition.
Works Cited
Mentsiev, Adam U, et al. “The Impact of Digital Technology on the Study of Languages and the Development of Digital Education.” Journal of Physics: Conference Series, vol. 1399, 2019, pp. 1–6. Brenau University Library, Web.
Thompson, Clive. “Smarter Than You Think: How Technology Is Changing Our Minds for the Better.” “They Say / I Say”: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, with Readings, by Gerald Graff et al., 4th ed., W.W. Norton & Company, 2018, pp. 441–461.
“What’s Motivating This Writer?: Reading for the Conversation.” “They Say/I Say”: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, with Readings, by Gerald Graff et al., 4th ed., W.W. Norton & Company, 2018, pp. 176–186.