In this course you have read about the historical and current importance of technological innovations and their impact on users of various ages. You have also learned about interpersonal communication issues mainly in online communities and have read commentary regarding the impact of technology on our relationships and communities; how reliant we are on various technologies and what this means for our relationships. The learning intentions of this writing assignment are twofold 1) to find twoscholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles on the impact of technology use on relationships and/or the influence of technology on users in particular age categories, and to use onecourse reading, in order to 2) analyze an interview with someone at least 15 years older or younger than you, and your own experiences assessing the impact of technology on relationships. This writing assignment is designed to give you an opportunity to apply the concepts you have read about to real life experiences.

In a .doc (Word) document of about 900-1200 words (4-5 pages), using APA format and citations (hint: any references cited throughout the course are in APA format!), write a report covering the following:

Introduce and summarize briefly the scholarly, peer reviewed articles you found (i.e. what are the essential concepts, ideas, and/or insights presented by the author of the article? (NO quotations! If you want to use specific information, paraphrase and cite your source.) Transition into the next question.

Briefly introduce your interviewee providing information on what kind of relationship you have (for example, a parent, grandparent, boss) and age difference. Have your interviewee identify a “new” technology that came out when s/he was your age. What was it? Why was it important? How did it impact his or her relationships with others? Did it change his or her view of the world?

Answer the same questions above of yourself. Identify a new technology that has come out in the last couple of years. What is it? Why is it important? How does it impact your relationships with others? Does it change your view of the world?

What conclusions can you make based upon the technologies you and your interviewee identified? (For example, What do your technologies have in common or what are the differences? Did you identify a “generational gap” regarding technology use? Are you both using the same technologies now? Has your relationship with your interviewee been strengthened or weakened by your technology use?)

In explaining your conclusions, what connections can you make to the research or information presented in the three readings (two scholarly, peer reviewed articles and one in class reading) you are using for this assignment? (Again, NO quotations! If you want to use specific information, paraphrase and cite your source.)

Please take your time to write a thoughtful assignment. I expect your writing to be at a college level – this means proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation. See the grading rubric on the next page for specific grading information.