Interactivity #1

My three most influential technologies are:

My cell phone

Facebook, Twitter, Google+

Microsoft Word

All three of these technologies have shaped how I learn – in and out of school – from elementary school. I remember when my mother got her first cell phone, a gray flip-phone, and not being able to have my own until High School. My first grasps of how to “social network” began with AIM and MySpace, now Facebook, Twitter and Google+ have replaced those tools. Microsoft Word, as an English major, has completely shaped the way I understand how to write and edit my papers, beginning in the computer lab of my elementary school in fourth grade.

My cell phone has legitimately become an extension of myself. I have a Droid, which I bought myself, and I always have it on me. I bring my charger around with me. I play games like Angry Birds when I’m bored; I text my friends non-stop; I call my mother when I’m missing home. There are normally a few hours a day when I don’t use my phone, either in my sleep, in class or when my phone dies and I’ve forgotten my charger. My smart phone has become so important in my life because of the apps. I have all my social networking apps, my game apps, my internet browser, email apps, weather apps, map/GPS apps, sports and news apps – I feel that the list goes on and on, but I have them all, and they keep me up to date on the world, the weather, my friends and my sports. I love the convenience my Droid provides for me.

Facebook, Twitter and now, Google+ are my social networking sites. I tend to lose a little self control when on a computer – I feel the need to constantly be checking these sites. I don’t know what the need stems from, to be honest, because normally, once I’m on the sites and procrastinating on my homework, there isn’t very much going on. I have my Facebook to keep connected with my family and my twitter to tell the world what’s going on – in 140 characters or less. Google+ has better privacy and is easier to use than Facebook, so I’m hoping more of my friends and family join Google+ so I can leave Facebook alone.

Microsoft Word has had an extensive impact on the way that we write and read. The grammar rules of Word are becoming standard, and the spell check is a beautiful thing. I adore the convenience that Word provides me when writing papers. I could not imagine what it was like to write on a typewriter, where every letter and word was completely permanent. Now, I can write entire paragraphs, flip everything around, change spelling and check grammar, edit my thesis statement, and print. It’s amazing. Even though I can acknowledge the benefits of Word, there are drawbacks. Many times, I remember my English teachers in High School lamenting, “This generation doesn’t know how to spell.” I feel that they’re right. I cannot spell well – even my phone has spell check – and I always capitalize on the tools provided. Further, many students do not know the difference between “there and their” or “where and wear” or “you’re and your” because there is no grammar tool sensitive enough to edit those improper uses in Word. As wonderful as the technology is, the drawback can already be seen.

I feel that my three technologies, as well as my usage of them are very similar to the students in the videos. Olivia used her MySpace, I have Facebook, Twitter and Google+. As acknowledged by the first student in the second video, “Technology has taken over writing and reading” and I can see that in my own dependence on Microsoft Word. The second girl in that same video describes her cell phone as her “third hand” and I can absolutely relate to that sentiment. Overall, my use of technology is very similar to those students, and as I continue to learn from technology and my future students, I’m sure I’ll stay close with their needs and uses. I’m looking forward to integrating different technologies into the classroom as a way to teach material, and then, as a way to create various homework assignments. I would never want to become stagnant as a teacher, and with the speed that technology is changing, I will have the tools I need to keep updating my lesson plans and never grind to a halt.