Sunday, May 23, 2010

Argumentative essay:Television viewing Final Draft

The effects of television viewing.

Watching television is indeed one of the favorite pass time activities by people from all walks of life. According to American Time Use Survey (2003), watching television is the activity that both female and male spent the most hours on it every day. With television viewing getting more and more popular, it creates different perspectives on the effects that the activity might bring. Heated debates over the impacts of television watching for the viewers are getting more intensive lately. Nevertheless, I strongly believe that television can benefit its viewers as it lightens up the learning process, broadens our knowledge and encourages critical thinking.

First of all, the use of television as a teaching tool makes learning to be fun. As an audio-visual medium, television has provided another aspect on learning for the students (Leigh 2001). They can understand more easily and remember the information that they have seen and heard in the television better than just reading from the books. Rutherford (2002) has also further elaborated this point by using the example of “Sesame Street”, an educational program. Animation and puppets which are used in the show can make the learning of colours, numbers and letters to be fun for the pre-schoolers.

Moreover, viewing of television provides us with handy information to increase our knowledge. According to Leigh (2001), children who watch television are more aware of their cultural identity and the contribution of other cultures. Watching television also enables them to experience the excitement and wonder of the animal kingdom in an entertaining and enjoyable way (Rutherford 2002). Besides, television viewing generates curiosity and initiative to learn. For instance, “Play School” program equips pre-schoolers with a large vocabulary before they begin schooling (Leigh 2001).

Additionally, television viewing has the ability to develop critical thinking skills through the process of discussing how conflict is puzzled out in the programs (Sharif 1999). Undeniable by Leigh (2001), television is a stimulating and appealing medium which encourages critical thinking about important issues, ranging from globalization to homelessness. These latest local and international news can inspire the public to become involved and to motivate them to do works of charity. Sharing of issues and good talking points from television programs with friends and family has also promoted antisocial behaviour indirectly. Throughout the process of sharing and discussing, the skill of critical thinking, which is necessary in both social settings and at school, is developed.

In conclusion, viewing of television brings good effects for its viewers as it lightens up the learning process, broadens our knowledge and encourages critical thinking skills. Nevertheless, arguments are present for the opposite side of view where television is criticized. We should be clear that those criticisms are only focusing on the viewing habits that are unhealthy and excessive (Rutherford 2002). Therefore, I would once again emphasize on my stance that television viewing actually benefits the viewers.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Argumentative essay:Television viewing Draft 2

The effects of television viewing.

Watching television is indeed one of the favorite pass time activities by people from all walks of life. From American Time Use Survey (2003), watching television is the activity that both female and male spent the most hours on it every day. With television viewing getting more and more popular, it creates different perspectives on the effects that the activity might bring. Heated debates over the impacts of television watching for the viewers are getting more intensive lately. Nevertheless, I strongly believe that television can benefit its viewers as it lightens up the learning process, broadens our knowledge and encourages critical thinking.

First of all, the use of television as a teaching tool makes learning to be fun. As an audio-visual medium, television has provided another aspect on learning for the students (Leigh 2001). They can understand more easily and remember the information that they have seen and heard in the television better than just reading from the books. Rutherford (2002) has also further elaborated this point by using the example of “Sesame Street”, an educational program. Animation and puppets which are used in the show can make the learning of colours, numbers and letters to be fun for the pre-schoolers.

Moreover, viewing of television provides us with handy information to increase our knowledge. According to Leigh (2001), children who watch television are more aware of their cultural identity and the contribution of other cultures. Watching television also enables them to experience the excitement and wonder of the animal kingdom in an entertaining and enjoyable way (Rutherford 2002). Besides, television viewing generates curiosity and initiative to learn. For instance, “Play School” program equips pre-schoolers with a large vocabulary before they begin schooling (Leigh 2001).

Additionally, television viewing has the ability to develop critical thinking through the process of discussing how conflict is puzzled out in the programs (Sharif 1999). Undeniable by Leigh (2001), television is a stimulating and appealing medium which encourages critical thinking about important issues, ranging from globalization to homelessness. These latest local and international news can inspire the public to become involved and to motivate them to do works of charity. Sharing of issues and good talking points from television programs with friends and family has also promoted antisocial behaviour indirectly. Throughout the process of sharing and discussing, the skill of critical thinking, which is necessary in both social settings and at school, is developed.

In conclusion, viewing of television brings good effects for its viewers as it lightens up the learning process, broadens our knowledge and encourages critical thinking. Nevertheless, arguments are present for the opposite side of view where television is criticized. We should be clear that those criticisms are only focusing on the viewing habits that are unhealthy and excessive (Rutherford 2002). Therefore, I would once again emphasize on my stance that television viewing actually benefits the viewers.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Argumentative essay:Television viewing Draft 1

The effects of television viewing.

Watching television is indeed one of the favorite pass time activities by people from all walks of life. From a survey “Average hours per day spent in leisure and sports activities for the total population by selected characteristics, 2003 annual averages”, watching television is the activity that both female and male spent the most hours on it every day (ATUS 2003). With television viewing getting more and more popular, it creates different perspectives on the effects that the activity might bring. Hot debates are going on whether television viewing can bring negative or positive impacts for the viewers. I strongly believe that television can benefit the viewers as it lightens up the learning process, broadens our knowledge and encourages critical thinking.

First of all, the use of television as a teaching tool makes learning to be fun. As an audio-visual medium, television has provided another aspect on learning for the students (Leigh 2001). They can understand more easily and remember the information they have seen and heard in the television better than just reading them from books. Rutherford (2002) has also further elaborated this point by using the example of “Sesame Street”, an educational program. Animation and puppets which are used in the show can make the learning of colours, numbers and letters to be fun for the pre-schoolers.

Moreover, viewing of television provides us with handy information to increase our knowledge. According to Leigh (2001), children who watch television are more aware of their cultural identity and the contribution of other cultures. Watching television also enables them to experience the excitement and wonder of the animal kingdom in an entertaining and enjoyable way (Rutherford 2002). Besides, television viewing generates curiosity and initiative to learn. For instance, “Play School” program equips pre-schoolers with a large vocabulary before they begin school (Leigh 2001).

Additionally, television viewing has the ability to develop critical thinking during the process of discussing how conflict is puzzled out in programs (Sharif 1999). Undeniable by Leigh (2001), television is a stimulating and appealing medium which encourages critical thinking about important issues, ranging from globalization to homelessness. These latest current local and international news can inspire public to become involved and also motivate them to do works of charity. With sharing of issues from television programs with friends and family, antisocial behaviour is promoted indirectly.

In conclusion, viewing of television brings good effects for its viewers as it lightens up the learning process, broadens our knowledge and encourages critical thinking. Nevertheless, arguments are present for the opposite side of view where television is criticized. We should be clear that those criticisms are only focusing on the viewing habits that are unhealthy and excessive (Rutherford 2002). Therefore, I would once again emphasize on my stance where television viewing actually benefits the viewers.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

The final version of the argumentative essay

Should the sale of junk food in school canteens be banned?

Junk food is defined as unhealthy food that has low nutritional value (Smith 2005). According to Nutritional Value of the Most Popular Snack Foods from Health Foundation (2005), junk foods like chips, hamburgers, instant noodles and soft drinks are all having low nutritional value. As junk food contains chemical additives, it is tastier and has longer shelf life. Its cheap manufacture cost and easy storage have also increased its popularity. I strongly believe that the sale of junk food in school canteens should be banned as junk food can lead to childhood obesity, bad behaviour and littering problems.

Firstly, junk food is to be blamed for the rising of childhood obesity. It has been shown that the foods eaten at home by 12-14 years old Australian children in 2003 have an increasing trend on fat and sugar intake instead of fresh fruit and vegetables (Australian Nutrition Journal 2004). This problem is made worse when the school canteens are offering junk food to the students, making junk food to be widely available. Junk food is high in fat and sugar and it can promote youth weight gain due to the rising of kilojoule intake. Childhood obesity can be further lead to heart disease, osteoarthritis and some cancers (Tran 2005).

Besides, junk food causes behavioural problems in children according to Smith (2005). This has been further elaborated by Cray (2005) that students who consume more junk food cannot get sufficient nutrients for their health development and growth. Thus, their learning potential is reduced. Students often take junk food as their lunch in school. Certain chemical additives in junk food can cause students to be hyperactive and have poor concentration. There is a noticeable improvement in students’ behaviour in class and they are becoming calmer after lunch when junk food and soft drinks are removed from the school canteen (Green 2005).

Furthermore, the sale of junk food in school canteens can also lead to littering problems. Fast food often comes with plastic packaging and students will just dispose the packaging anywhere after eating the food. There are also empty soft drink cans everywhere. The cleaning cost increases and the school groundsman will have to spend a long period of time to clean those rubbish. This has reduced the time to spend on the more beneficial school maintenance projects (Green 2005). On the other hand, litter is a safety and health hazard and gives bad image for our communities.

In conclusion, the sale of junk food in school canteens should be banned as junk food can lead to several negative impacts like childhood obesity, bad behaviour and littering problems. Schools should educate students about good nutrition and introduce more healthy food policies to promote good eating habits. However, most importantly the eating habits of children at home need to be changed to a healthier way (Tran 2005).