The Other SOL

Think about how daily life, from reading to playing games to communicating with others, has changed over the past hundred years because of technology.  Using specific details and examples, explain how these advancements in technology have changed daily life.

It's Writing SOL prep time, and kiddos spent the day unpacking this prompt. Torturous, right? To be honest, the accessibility of the topic (yay, no research required), the reliability of the 5-paragraph essay (nice, a graphic organizer), and a thesis statement (fun, a sentence frame), all combined to make a light-hearted lesson. No one fell into a stupor staring at a blank page. There were zero desperate pleas to Google just one more article to find the perfect quote. In fact, I don't think anyone left to go to the bathroom.

We started brainstorming. What are the ways technology has changed daily life? Ideas abounded because, hello, this world is absolutely saturated with technology. I heard some standards: communication, transportation, access to information, etc. They went further to list safety and security, distractibility of kids (don't forget adults, I added), the way we fight wars, addiction to games, the way we read, how activists spread their messages, the pressure to multi-task (...sorry, I'm back. Just checking my email and entering a few grades). Nice job pushing the prompt, I thought.

"Who grades these essays? I mean, if you do it, won't you be too biased?" one asked. (In favor or against? Just kidding, they're all my favorites.) I explained that essays will be scored by readers who work for the Virginia Department of Education.

"That must the most boring job on earth," another said. There's some truth there, but jeepers. This world is changing fast, and based on their ideas, they're paying attention to the good and the bad developments around them. Frankly, any reader will be lucky to read their work.

Okay. Maybe I would be a little biased. Also, did I mention we're in the middle of an optimism unit?

P.S. If I were writing my own essay, I'd surely include the amount of time I devote, almost daily, to sticking my entire top half into a cavernous, hot, malfunctioning copy machine to yank out jammed handouts. It's a good thing the VDOE doesn't care if the writer's glass is half full or half empty.