My Own Technology Habits

Habits Can Be Hard To Break

(Picture courtesy of Google Images)

It’s a known fact that almost every teenage loves some form of technology. For me, that happens to be my phone and my iPod. For one whole day I observed myself and my technology habits and recorded them. In one full day, I couldn’t even tell you how many times I looked at my phone. Whether it is to check the time or reply to a text message, my phone was always by my side. Throughout the day I was constantly checking my email and instagram so I could stay in the loop of what my friends were doing or not doing. I’d say that overall I am not obsessed with technology. I refrain from using any type of technology while at the dinner table or talking to my parents. There has to be some sort of limit on when and how much technology a person uses. Another thing I noticed about my use of technology throughout the day way that I was constantly checking my phone, even when I knew what time it was or when I didn’t have a text. Maybe it’s become a natural habit. I know it’s a habit I need to break and believe me, I’m working on it.  Not all people are like me though.  Some are glued to their phones 24/7. If our society doesn’t get a grip on what is really important in life, like going outside for a walk, or talking to a friend in person rather than by text, then I am afraid that they will eventually lose sight of reality.

 

The most listened to song on my iPod- Degausser by Brand New (Video courtesy of YouTube)

 

 

 

Student Observations

Observing Fellow Students

(Picture courtesy of Google Images)



During this observation I decided to walk around the busiest parts of campus and observe students and their use of technology. The information I gained and situations I encountered were shocking to me. More than 80% of the students I either walked by or observed were engorged in their smart phones and laptops that they seemed oblivious to the outside world and the people around them. While walking to the cafeteria I witnessed at least three times where students almost ran into each other because they had their head down and they weren’t paying attention. To me, this is truly sad. We all know that we love our cell phones, but are they really that important that we have to practically trample over other people to get to our desired destination? The answer to that question is no. When I finally made my way over to the cafeteria the first thing I noticed was that no matter if someone was sitting with a friend or by themselves, they almost always had their cell phones or music playing devices out. The cafeteria is a place for socialization. A place where you should be able to unplug from your technology for a bit so you can have a real social interaction with a human being rather than some words on a screen.  If society continues at the rate it is going I fear that technology will have taken over our day to day routines and we will no longer want to, or have the need to engage in face-to-face social activities.

This video shows how technology can and is addictive (Video courtesy of YouTube)

Interview With A Fellow Faculty Member

Faculty Member Interview

 

(Picture courtesy of Google Images)

 



I interviewed a teacher right here on campus to gain some insight on what teachers might think about technology.  I interview Mrs. M. She is a math teacher here at my local campus. I asked her some questions that would further fuel my knowledge on this topic. The first question I asked her was if she though technology was harming or helping the students here on campus. Her response was as followed. “When it comes to technology there a quite a few things you have to look at when asked this specific question. If you’re looking at technology as a learning tool in education then of course technology would be viewed as a good thing. However, technology such as cell phones and laptops can become a distraction in a learning environment and disable the student from learning at their highest potential.” I completely agree with her response. When technology is used in different types of environments and used for different purposes it can alter how it is overall viewed. I also asked Mrs. M what personal encounters has she experienced with technology in the classroom. She had quite a bit to say about this particular question. She said “Well, I personally love to use technology in the classroom. Every class I stream an online video of the class that was if a student can’t attend class they won’t miss the material taught that day. Without technology, there would be no way I could give the students this opportunity of viewed the course materials online. However there are frequent cases where a student is distracted by his or her phone and they do not learn the course material because they were not paying attention.”

This video shows different usage for cell phones in the classroom (Video courtesy of YouTube)

 

Interview With Fellow Student

A Fellow Student's Opinion

 

 

Wikipedia is a very common learning tool for students in the classroom (Picture courtesy of Google Images)



I decided to interview a fellow college student who has a very strong opinion on technology and the ways it affects us. I interviewed Karrissa, a sophomore here at the local college I attend. She’s been here a year longer than I have so I figured she’d have a little bit more insight on the subject discussed at hand. During this interview, I uncovered quite a few things. One of the questions I asked Karrissa was whether or not technology makes a difference in her quality of work here at school. Her answer was, “I actually do believe that technology helps me a lot more than I give it credit for. I am constantly goggling things and searching the web for questions. I don’t realize how much I rely on it for school. When it comes down to it, I guess you could say I don’t think my quality of work would be as good if I didn’t have access to all of the technology that I do.” I feel the same way as Karrissa does. Sometimes I don’t give technology as much credit as I should, when it does in fact help me a lot. Another question I asked Karrissa was what her overall view on technology was. Her response was, “I believe technology is a tool that if used properly can be a great device in helping us learn. Technology can also be bad though if used incorrectly and for the wrong purposes.” Hearing another students stand on this issue made me realize that I’m not the only person who believe that technology has its good qualities as well as downfalls.  

This is a documentary video on whether or not the common learning tool, Wikipedia, is reliable. (Video courtesy of YouTube)