Brainstorming:
Brainstorm about specific positive and negative effects computers have had on your personal, professional, and academic life. Create a one-page list of your ideas.
Thesis:
Based on your brainstorming, write a one-sentence working thesis statement that focuses on the impact of computers related to a single area of your life (personal, professional, or academic). The thesis should be one you could develop into an essay of about one page (250–300 words), directed to readers of your local newspaper. Don’t draft the essay in your journal, however. You need only your list from brainstorming and your working thesis statement.