AOW #15- "Rules to Stop Teachers and Students From Getting Too Social Online"

"Rules to Stop Teachers and Students From Getting Too Social Online"
by Jennifer Preston for New York Times (Dec. 17, 2011)
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/business/media/rules-to-limit-how-teachers-and-students-interact-online.html?_r=1&hpw

This article was about limitations regarding social networking sites and school. It talks about boundaries that are/have been set and their effectiveness. It also brings up cases of abuse and success of social networking sites in schools in order to support both sides of the argument.

The context of this piece is how popular social networking sites are and how controversial the subject of their use in education is.

The purpose of this piece is to give an unbiased explanation of the pros and cons of social networking sites and their use in schools and education.

The audience for whom this is intended is all students, teachers, parents, and faculty members, especially those who are concerned about the use of these sites in schools. It can also appeal to anyone interested in social networking sites and their role in society.

Rhetorical devies of this article include:

• They Say, I say- Rather then disproving the "they say" part, each piece of both sides of the argument is supported with facts, statistics, court cases, etc. 
• Appeal to Logos- This article uses many facts, statistics, court cases, etc. in order to support their argument and create a balance between the pros and cons of the situation.

I think that the author accomplished her purpose because this article gives a very thorough, in depth look at the impact of social networking sites in education and what boundaries work and don't work.