How Does Technology Change Our Lives?
In preparation for Mr. Weidig's guest appearance in our E319 class, I will ask you to engage in some eletronic discourse. Mr. Weidig is our school's Technology Coordinator, and he inquires as much as we do into the study of language - of course, his field is focused upon integrating technology into curriculum.
So, a few guiding questions for next Monday:
1. How did your cell phone change the way you communicate with your family and your friends?
2. Using the internet, how do you express your individuality in a global community?
3. In what ways have your lives changed as a result of being able to communicate 24 hours a day with ease?
4. How has technology impacted your education for better and for worse?
5. Do your teachers leverage technology in order to improve your learning?
Of course, digressions are acceptable. Have your voice be heard.
Mr. Weidig is presenting to over 100 educators next Thursday,
and literally, the topic is Web 2.0
(collaborative web ...
things like Facebook, myspace, Google, and text messaging)
kids love it, students love it - but why?
posted by D. Robin @ 11/06/2007
66 comments
66 Comments:
Hello all! I want to thank you all in advance for letting me come into your class for these discussions. I am absolutely psyched about the opportunity to get YOUR views on language, communication, and global interaction. The world around each of you is changing daily, and has taken a huge dramatic leap in dialogue and discourse just in the time you have moved through grade school, junior high and now into high school. Language has evolved (or devolved depending on your perspective) and forms and tools for communication and collaboration have become truly embedded into everyday life.
When I was your age, I played soccer and hung out with 4-5 close friends… what a difference a LOT of years make! I can only imagine the discourse that you all get involved in with your friends and those people that you find with similar interests around the world and you can tap into that wealth of knowledge and experiences in an instant when you need help, advise, a bit of focus or direction, or just someone to laugh with…
Personally, I do not go through a day without being wired into the world at large. I text (so often that I needed to get an unlimited messaging package… and I am a texting neophyte compared to my wife), email, blog, read/write, create, evaluate, synthesize, and collaborate throughout the day and into the evening hours with others around the world.
[I was not allowed to embed the photo... I will show it to you in class]
The above photo is of my son Joshua working with my tablet PC. He loves "coloring" on it and is beginning to understand how to work in a number of applications. I cannot imagine what life will hold for him as he gets older. He is 3 years old right now, and completely amazing! Last week he asked if we could "check something out on the computer" he wanted to see the weather and Chinese dragons… the phenomenal part of the whole thing was that he absolutely knew that we could get this information from the internet…
I am looking forward to your class discussion next Monday!
Mr. W-
The only real reason I use my cell phone is because it's free for my friends and family (if they have verizon) when i call them or they call me. Otherwise, i just use the house phone... it's free to call anywhere in the U.S. and Canada, so why bother with the cell phone you have to pay to use? And with the internet... well, i don't really care about myspace or anything like that. I had a myspace and i never really checked it... I have other things to do. They only place I "express my individuality" is on aim. My aim address basically explains who i am, and my icon and wallpaper are either of cars (like the Ford GT -not to be confused with the Mustang GT) or of swimming, which are both things i'm into. My life hasn't really changed being able to communicate 24 hours a day. I usually dont answer my phone after a certain time just because I don't feel like answering it. And i rarely have time to go on aim or check my email, and i usually don't feel like it late at night... It's all just kind of there. A few years ago, technology impacted my for the worse, because i would spend all of my time on aim, and not do my homework... i would procrastinate usually till the day it was due and worry about it in the morning... Now i can't do that and get good grades. Teachers do leverage technology into learning. Most papers have to be typed up, things have to be emailed, and sometimes the only way to get homework is online.
These days, everyone owns items such as cell phones, cars, and computers. No matter where the scene, it is hard to deny that our world is blanketed in technology. Society would not be able to function properly if items such as cell phones or computers were taken away even for just a day. Even after this fact, technology has been a great success in the overall improvement of societal welfare.
When speaking of cell phones, although costly, are great tools to keep in contact with family. No matter where, or when. Someone could be stuck in the rain when their car won’t start, or be stuck somewhere without a ride and could easily call with a cell phone. Some parents also utilize cell phones to keep track of their kids by not only calling them, but by using the GPS capabilities of a cell phone, to pin point where their kids are at any given moment. Cell phones also have features beyond just voice communication. They now have internet capabilities. They can communicate through email, and websites such as Myspace, Facebook, Live Journal, and other blog sites. Though websites such as these, they can communicate effortlessly to the entire world. By creating screen names, and email addresses students express themselves. Pages made on blogging websites also express individuality. There is always room set up for personalization and self expression whether it be by mood, or just creativity. The internet is used to spread causes in which people believe strongly in and can easily recruit hundreds and thousands of people to their cause by posting internet advertisements and creating appealing websites. By posting online, it also creates an ease of communication. A person could be asleep in his bed, but his message continues to spread. An example is the posting of schedules for classes. Many students stay up into morning hours to do their homework, and in the event of forgetting what had to be done, they can simply go online, and read what homework was. In this, and many other ways, the internet has had a great impact on education. The internet can be used as a tool for study. Many textbooks are now put online in the event a student forgets his or her book. Research done on the internet is quicker, and an easier source to check for teachers also. Teachers take advantage of this and exercise the use of the internet by posting things such as online practice exams like the ones used for AP U.S. History. The internet opens up a new portal for both students and teachers that betters our education.
Vishal Mehta
Cell phones have not changed the way that I communicate with my family and friends. I only really use my cell phone because my parents gave it to me so they can call me and find out where I am and what I am doing. The internet is a long the same lines as cell phones. I only use it to communicate when I have to. I generally only communicate with someone when I see them in person. If I don't see someone then I might call them, but chances are that what I have to say is not of enough importance to bother calling or contacting them. Technology has impacted education quite a bit. Projects where research is required now mean that I go to the internet and I have to decide whether or not the information is truthworthy. It has made research easier in the sense that I do not have to go to the library, but harder because I do not know if what I am reading is true. Teachers use technology all the time as teaching aids. Every year I see more powerpoints than the year before, more online videos, and more references to websites to help teach. Teachers have started to post homework online, activities onlines, and links to other sites about their subject. It is nice to have such things availaible 24/7 because when a topic is explained in a way that does not makes sense to me I can use the links, and when I miss class I can just look up what I missed and what I need to do. Technology has changed the way teachers teach and students learn.
1. Depending on the situation, my cell phone makes communication either easier or more difficult. When I talk with someone in person, my cell phone might distract me from the conversation. Receiving text messages or phone calls or voice mail mid-conversation disrupts its flow. However, for relative long distance conversations, cell phones facilitate conversation, regardless of location (granted the cell phone has service). If I’m at a park or in any place where I need to call someone, cell phones are saviors. If I’m at school and I need a ride home from my parental unit, cell phones are undeniably useful. I tend to text more than I talk on the phone, because I don’t like calling people. I have several very good friends in California, including my best friend, and texting helps me stay in touch with them. However, texting is not the best way to communicate: messages have to be simple and abbreviated. It’s harder to communicate meaning this way. In a way, though, it helps hone one’s writing into concision, because messages must be exact and to the point in order to save a dollar or more worth of texts trying to explain what you meant.
2. Because I don’t have a webcam (and even if I did, I’d be reluctant to use it often), I express my individuality on the Internet through my writing. To express individuality in person is usually through expression and dress. In person, appearance, dress, body language, cadence of speech, loudness, and other such factors play into the interpretation of a message by an audience. Text is the easiest and most common form of communication on the Intertubes, especially in blogs, forums, and chat, and it is also the barest form of communication. On the Interwubz, the message is stripped bare: to the text. In order to effect a message equivalent to one given in person, the text must be manipulated (rhetorically) to do so. Pictures may help do so, but pictures are static and only capture one frame of one’s individuality. Because of this, I (at least) use writing to express myself.
3. Being able to communicate 24 hours a day with ease has made it easier to procrastinate. Because I can talk to someone at any time, things are less urgent and I can put it off for later. It also makes life more convenient, because I can access information at any time, and I can send off information at any time. I could submit this comment at four in the morning if I wanted to.
4. Technology has impacted my education in almost all of my classes. In this class, we have online blogging and online homework. Many of my other classes have homework online. In science, we use computer programs to track and graph data for various labs. For all of my classes, grades are available at any time online. NetStorage is available for internet storage. These have all facilitated the learning process. However, when technology goes wrong, it serves merely as a distraction away from education.
5. Yes, most of my teachers leverage technology in order to improve learning. Technology can makes things easier to understand by readily presenting it in many formats.
I just want to say that I would die without my cell phone just because i need to be connected with my phone book and be able to communicate with them at all times. My cell phone also allows me to communicate my thoughts with my friends and family extremely quickly. I really have no need for a house phone; i can just say what I need to say at that exact moment that i need to.
On the internet, we can all express ourselves differently. We can use different backgrounds and layouts on Facebook and Myspace and also we can change our Username to a much cooler name then our own name. We can use awesome words like WTF and LOL.
I'm not going to lie, I wake up in the middle of the night and I will text my best friend and tell him that I am unable to sleep. Being able to text him and have him text me back comforts me. I like knowing where people are at the moment and what everyone is doing and if I wasn't able to talk to everyone at anytime of the day, I would feel very out of the loop. It doesn't matter if it is 6 at night or 3 in the morning, I need to be able to talk to everyone and the time shouldn't matter.
Technology has impacted my school mostly for the worse. I know I use the computer for typing my papers and researching everything but what happens when I am in math class and I constantly text? In this way, technology is not a friend to me during school hours. lol
Melissa Anderson
Per. 8
When I first got my cell phone, there weren't any immediate changes with the way I communicated, but when I got older and had more friends, I always turned on the phone. It is basically the easiest way to talk to other people. The only bad thing about cell phones is that sometimes the texting takes a while to get to the receiver, while your phone tells you it was sent. This happens a lot with my boyfriend's phone and when I send a message and he doesn't reply for four hours I get angry, which obviously affects my communication with him. Using the internet, I basically express my individuality on facebook. It is relatively safer than myspace because you cannot look at someone's profile until they have approved you as a friend. I guess I express myself by telling my friends things about me that they wouldn't really ask about. I suppose the meaning of "ease" in the case of the third question is being able to communicate very quickly and being able to receive a response promptly, almost as if the other person was with you. My life has changed because of 24-hour communication in the sense that when I have a problem, there is always one person I can call. It has often helped me cope with emotional or school-related problems. Technology has impacted my education for the better in the sense that typing things helps me put my thoughts down without having to worry about what I will change if needed. Being able to just press backspace on a keyboard to get rid of unwanted thoughts makes writing essays easier. Some people might think that internet logo such as "2maro" instead of "tomorrow" may impact education negatively, but I don't really find this a problem because when I'm writing a formal paper, I just know not to spell things that way. I think teachers do leverage technology to improve learning because they like most things typed up and looking nice. The neater something is, the easier it is to understand and critique to improve learning. If a teacher is able to see where a student is coming from in a statement, they are more able to change the student's thinking if necessary.
Having a cell phone has made communication with friends and family much easier. At all times I can be in touch with all my friends from my “phonebook” and my parents so they always know where I am at all times. It makes it easier on my parents so they know where I am, but it also gives me the freedom to go where I want or need to go, without having to check in at home. I don’t believe the internet lets you express your individuality, except for “blogs,” because the web is only a place to see the information of the world, not really to express yourself, unless you create your own web site. Being able to communicate with ease has created problems and good things, as well. Texting and your phone ringing in-class have created disturbances and numerous more punishments for teachers and monitors to enforce with the use of communication always at your fingertips, literally. But it has also helped if there is ever an emergency situation, I am always able to reach my parents or someone else for help. It has also made coordinating activities, such as Homecoming or going to the movies, much easier. But it is also a temptation to talk on my cell phone while driving, which I do regularly. This, blogging, has given me another way to discuss topics which I may not want to discuss aloud and make my opinions heard, and also see what others have to say about the same subjects. The “classroom texting” has only caused minor disruptions in learning. By placing class schedules and homework on the internet, we are able to access it more easily and therefore we are “working smarter, not harder.” Personally, I don’t use Facebook or MySpace, but all my friends do. You can talk and post pictures, etc. It’s like an online “hangout” where everyone goes to talk and gossip, but I don’t really have the time to do all that. Text-messaging is easy and fast, especially with the new phones with key pads. It doesn’t require direct contact with another person, and you can also send a message to hundreds of people at once if you really wanted to. It just makes life a little easier.
-Aaron Johnson Period 8
As a child in the twenty first century, I have taken full advantage of all the technological advances, this including cell phones. Communication is the key for families and my cell phone provides a great way for me to keep in touch with all my family members. I am always text messaging my brother since he is away at college. Text messaging provides a quick and easy way to communicate because I do not actually directly have to talk, but I can respond at any free time I have. My cell phone also provides a great way to let my parents where I am. I always call them to let them know where I am going and this helps them trust me. My cell phone helps me communicate with my friends because if one of my friends is having a bad day, they can just call me on my cell phone knowing full well that it will be on me at all times. They do not have to wait for me to come home and answer their phone call, but I can talk to them right then. In a technological world where everyone wants everything right here and now, this provides to be a sufficient means of communication.
This internet also proves to be a sufficient means of communication in the global world. Instant messaging lets you talk to someone right then with almost no delay. But it is sometimes hard to express your individuality when everything is all the same. Screen names express individuality because no one has exactly the same screen name, it is just not allowed. Each screen is unique to the person who created it. It describes their life in 10-15 characters. On Facebook, Myspace, Xanga, and all those other online websites where you can create your own website, the background, applications, pictures, and sayings all describe you and make you unique from everyone else. I can only speak for Facebook, since that is the only online website that I currently possess, but I know my Facebook is definitely not the same as say my brother's. I have different pictures up that expressed my individuality because each pictures shows me in my daily life. The different applications I add express me uniquely as well. If I want to be the ultimate Bears Fan, I can be, or even the ultimate White Sox fan, I can. I can show my interests in a way that develops my personality, either through showing the movies I love or the movies I want to see, every Facebook is different from another. These websites are like fingerprints, everyone has them, but none of them are the same.
Being able to communicate, as I said before, twenty-four hours a day is almost a sublime thought, it is a beautiful thing, but it can also be very evil. 24 hour communication is wonderful, because when I have a problem I know I will be able to get a hold of someone. No matter what, I know that at this moment I can call almost anyone and be able to talk to them. That is such a crazy thought, but I think no one ever actually thinks about that anymore because we get so wrapped up in the communication itself. That is why 24 hour communication is so sublime. Because we are able to communicate 24/7 we want everything to come with such ease, and it does not. Most people want everything here and now because almost everything in our world is, but being that easy takes the adventure out of some of them. Many people just Google when they do not know an answer. Some people do not even stop to ponder the question, and we will never learn this way. Our society wants everything handed to them in the palm of their hand, but if that was how it always was, would we have ever gotten as far and have such great thinkers that we do, I am almost certainly positive we would not.
On a positive note, 24 hour communication is great for some certain aspects of life. Especially when I have so much homework and I forget some of it. I know that I will always be able to go to my teacher's website and poof there will be my homework. It makes life so much easier knowing that if I forget my homework, or even need to email my teacher, I will be able to instantly. But the internet has affected my homework in certain aspects as well. Because I can always communicate with my friends or sign in to my Facebook, it distracts me from my homework. I always want to talk to my friends and when I am doing homework on the computer, the temptation is so great that it overwhelms my motivation to complete my homework. Since communication is so powerful, it blocks all my need to get my homework done. This explanation also furthers the sublimity of 24/7 communication.
Teachers use the online homework to help further my education and also do other aspects to further my education as well. In US History, there are links to quizzes you can take to prepare yourself for quizzes and tests. The questions prepare me to improve my scores on the test. Psychology provides links to interesting websites that backup the aspects of psychology learned in the class. It also gives the students some interesting websites to test their brain, it is actually really neat. Physics, I feel, provides the best means of furthering my education. It gives your practice problems, as well as handouts, and multiple choice questions phrased almost identical to the AP test. Almost all of my teachers, though, post the homework online and also a daily schedule to want we should intend on doing that day in class. Communication has open up a world of demand, but also created a world of much better understanding and provided an easy way to communicate on a needed basis.
I do not have my own cellphone because I don't feel a need to use it everyday. Even though I do not use the phone daily, I do use the internet quite often. However, I do not IM like the norm, nor do I like social networking sites like Myspace or Facebook. Instead, I am an active participant in various forums where I can easily make myself widely known. On the internet, people can take on an entirely different personality, which I admit to being guilty to doing. One can put his or her innerselves online without any fear of being shunned by society. The freedom to communicate easily at any time without direct contact had made people more introverted. Lack of experience leads to not being able to express oneself in public easily.
From an educational point rather than a social point, technology has raised expectations. Researching for school assignments are much easier, but not all information can be trusted. Typing up essays makes it much easier for revising, but some people might procrastinate and choose to chat, play games, or watch a show online as I often do instead.
Typing is a common requirement in order to keep things neat, showing that teachers now have a much open mind about using technology as an learning tool. Powerpoints and Webquest allows the newer generation to learn in an enviornment comfortable to them, but at other times, students are distracted by the other media available on the internet and they put learning second. It takes a certain skill for one to use technology effectively and the teachers I like the most are the ones that balance traditional methods with the improved technological ways of teaching.
-Sanny Lin
Something very relevant to these prompts recently happened to me. I had an obligation to attend a family reunion, however, at the last minute I made other plans. I guess this was kind of rude of me, but one of my relatives pointed out something very interesting. She said that years ago, you would not be able to make "last minute plans," because you did not have 24 hour access to your friends. Decades ago, plans were made weeks in advance and carried through at the designated time and date. That seems so much different than the way things are today, and this is because of technology. We can just pick up our cell phones on a friday night and make plans with virtually anyone to do anything. If we want to see a movie, cool, we have internet access on our phones so we can look up movie times on the go. We could even go online at the theatre and do this mandatory blog post! (i don't think anyone would do this) The point is that technology has seriously impacted our society. Many adults think this is not a good thing, and they don't really like it or agree with it. Regardless, I think it is so funny when I see older people/ grandparents with cell phones and ipods. You can tell that some of them don't know how to use them, but it just goes to show how much technology has infiltrated our society.
Roughly around, one hundred years ago, people had lived without any technological advances. However, recently our history proves of great amounts of technical successes. The idea of cell phones has roamed our thoughts from 1908, when the first cell phone issued, to current times. The impression of cells phones is that they help us connect with our loved ones in an easier manner. Nevertheless, they also increase the distance between families, friends and us. The use of a cell phone seems easy, yet it eliminates our chances of having face to face conversations. Phones are a very unique devices, which usually appear to be brilliant and therefore blind people from seeing the truth. The level of communication decreases, since it is not necessary to have a conversation with someone directly. Nonetheless, I will not deny the assistance that cell phones provide in an emergency, but still I believe that phones usage should be kept to a bare minimum. The advance of cell phones is not the only one, which currently dominates our society. From the time of the first computer, fifty years ago, till recently, the lives of most human beings, if not all, have changed. If truth be told, the appearance of the Internet helps us, to uncover information at a great ease. Without computers, medical technology, and modern life would not be as simple as it remains now. The internet is not only a source of information; it is also a device to display individuality. Many teenagers and adults travel to various websites, like Facebook, Myspace, and etc…, where they will be provided the opportunity to expresses their personalities. From a child to an adult, anyone and everyone is able to be unique by having certain screen names, or emails. Thus, the internet provides each and every single person with an equal chance at creativity. Furthermore, the ability to communicate twenty-four hours a day makes our lives even better. In emergencies, people can receive help faster, not to mention that help in received not only medically but also in other professions. Having the option to communicate whenever, wherever provides people with a great sense of certainty and comfort. Thus, increasing courage and enhancing educational levels. With all these sources, at the tip of our hands, we are able to further our knowledge in this world. Without any effort, students can locate well-informed sources at any time they desire. It is pure human nature to take the easy way out, and the internet provides that path in an educational sense. The internet constructs a portal for students, teachers, and all human beings, thus improving our lives and increasing our knowledge of the world.
Cell phones do not please me. Personally, being a timid child, I used to be a bit afraid of talking on the phone because it was awkward. Now I’m grown out of it but cell phones bring back a bit of awkwardness because of the delayed pauses between remarks and fuzzy receptions. It was not until the beginning of my sophomore year that my parents bought me a cell phone, and this was only because I no longer had my sister to drive us home after practice so I had to call them to pick me up. I am amazed when my friends call my cell phone and leave me a message because I warn everyone when I give out my number that there is about a 1% chance of ever reaching me because 1. I never have my cell phone on. 2. I never have my cell phone on me. 3. I never check it. 4. Just call my house phone! I actually listen to the message recorder! Though I’ve found that some of my friends would rather call my cell phone, leave a message, and not receive a return message from me until three or four days later than to call my house number and risk the chance of my parents answering the phone. Therefore, communication with my parents concerning the use of technology only makes it easier to get a hold of each other for me to let them know to pick me up after school or to ask if I can go out or tell them I’m running late. With my friends, cell phones are useful to communicate directions and quick conversations, but other than that, I’ll stick to the good old faithful home phones.
I <3 the internet. Seriously. I am no computer expert, and I do have my trying moments, but I know my way around the internet. My mother is constantly amazed when I tell her I’ll look something up on the internet for her because she is technologically challenged and can’t grasp the concept that you can find ANYTHING and EVERYTHING online. I love being able to change my icon on aim and leave crazy, thoughtful, funny, or quick away messages up depending on my mood. I once had a myspace, but I deleted it after knowing full well my parents would not approve and not really having much purpose for it anyway. Sure, I have a livejournal (though it’s rarely used and I’m considering dropping that too because facebook is taking over everything.)
Michelle Larson
Facebook makes everything so much easier. I can message my friends with a much more organized layout of our conversation than through email, “poke” my friends, send free gifts to make them smile, write quite notes or comments on their wall, invite others to a social gathering, join groups with common interests to share our thoughts and concerns or advice, draw pictures using “graffiti” that can even be replayed (this can be quite amusing), share pictures of me with my friends and comment on them, and even let everyone know what my status is (like what I’m up to). Is it bad to be addicted to facebook? Possibly. I have it on usually 24 hours a day just so that I can pop in my computer room, refresh my home page, and see if anyone’s messaged me or anything. Facebook also provides a great way check up on your friends because you can see what they’ve been doing on facebook, how they’ve updated their profiles, and it is even possible to see when they’re on aim without going on yourself. I was reunited with an old friend from grade school who lives in Palatine now, but we would have had no other way of contacting each other had it not been for facebook. It was a smart move to allow non-college kids to join this web because everyone’s hooked. Safety does not even concern me because I can control exactly who sees what I’ve posted and I have control over whether I confirm or ignore requests from others. Yay facebook!
Michelle Larson
I love technology! Without technology, there is no way anyone in high school today would be able to live normally; they’d probably curl up into a fetal position and cry all day if technology suddenly disappeared. Without cell phones, how would teenagers stay in touch at all times? Whenever I’m out, I always bring my cell phone; it makes me feel connected to the rest of the world. Now, whenever I need to get a hold of someone in a hurry, I just call them up. When I do not have my phone on me, I feel out of touch and alone; it is my lifeline to the rest of the world.
If I don’t use my cell phone to talk to people, I usually am online IMing them. The internet rocks out loud. To express my individuality, I set up a Facebook account, which I format to represent who I am. I also use the internet to do homework, or to pass the time. In tandem with the cell phone, the internet also helps me to communicate with other people, whether it is by email, IM, or Facebook.
As for the impact of technology on education….wow. Just wow. Without the internet, it would take far longer to do research papers and other assignments. I use the internet as a dictionary, a thesaurus, and an encyclopedia, and I use the computer itself as a typewriter and a storage device. I would so rather not flip through huge books to find information or have to rewrite a paper every time I made a mistake. And teachers know the impact on education and use it to help us. They know that the internet is a far more efficient way of finding information than going to a library and searching a whole dictionary or encyclopedia. They also comprehend the ability of computers to save papers, which is a much easier way to revise and edit papers than rewriting the whole thing. Without technology, how would we survive in this modern world?
Brian “Glib” Konieczny
No matter where you are, cell phones can connect you with the outside world. I love the ideas behind cell phones, but some of their aspects are not so great. In no way are cell phones even remotely close to a person-to-person conversation. Although communication is easier, it is not necessarily better. This also pertains to things like myspace, facebook, etc. By taking away components of communication such as body language, which are rhetorical devices, we take away a big chunk of our message.
Technology in general however, can be a very good thing. I can access homework for almost every one of my classes online this year. Whether on my computer or cell phone I can increase my participation score, check the score for a Bulls game, and have the peace of mind that if an emergency were to occur, I can communicate with the outside world and receive help. For the right reasons, I think technology can be beneficial to all those who use it. If the Internet did not exist, I could not be typing in this blog. I think, therefore, that technology has been beneficial to my educations, and because our teachers use it in order to improve our learning, it should continue to expand in the future.
-Scott Sobie
-Period 8
I still remember when my parents got their first cell phones years ago. They were huge and looked like the cordless phones in my house. They were rarely used, and now cell phones are a necessity in my family. My parents and I are really busy managing work, school, and our lives in general. Cell phones are the easiest way for me to stay in touch with them, as well as my friends who also have equally busy lives. I communicate more with my parents now then I did before, and I can talk to anyone no matter where I am. Cell phones have helped save time for other things, and without my cell phone I honestly think I would be lost.
I’ve become so dependent on technology that I express myself better on the Internet than through pen and paper. Instant messaging is a great way for me to be an individual through smiley faces, AIM shorthand, and networks. Facebook and Myspace have made it so easy for users to personalize their profiles with music, layouts, and applications. Of course there is also blogging, which is another great way to voice your opinions.
As mentioned before, cell phones have made it easy for me to stay in touch with friends and family during a busy day. As an only child, my parents tend to worry about me more than others, and cell phones are a good way for them to check on me. I also love being able to make spur-of-the-moment plans and picking up my cell phone to let my parents know. Also, when my friends and I go out, cell phones are a great way for us to find each other if we get separated in big crowds. I can also call a friend on her cell phones if it’s too late into the night, and I don’t want to bother her parents by calling the house line.
The biggest positive impact technology has made on my education is the time saved. I find typing essays and papers more convenient than hand writing them. I hate having to handwrite those thought questions for AP U.S. Computers go hand-in-hand with school. Whenever I do research for a project, I use the Internet first. I can’t remember the last time I didn’t use the Internet for a research project or paper. As a result of typing everything up, the quality of my handwriting has decreased. I make a lot of grammar mistakes, and my spelling is not as great as it used to be. I am so used to having all of my spelling checked on Microsoft Word, that I unintentionally become careless when I handwrite something. However, teachers definitely use technology to their advantage, and to the advantage of their students. Teachers can post homework assignments online and e-mail students outside of school. They also post grades online to make it easier for them and the students. In class, teachers use computers for things like PowerPoint and online videos. More than half of the teachers in the school take their classes to the cluster labs at least once during the year.
Without technology, my life would become really unorganized and chaotic. During the beginning of the school year, that big storm knocked out our power for 4 days. When we finally got it back, the first thing I did was log on to Facebook. I’m living in an era of technology, and I prefer it that way.
- Payal Shukla
1. My cell phone has definitely become my lifeline. It is an easy way to talk to my friends and family at the touch of a button no matter where I am. My cell phone is pretty much permanently attached to my hand at all times. Although it is a major convenience, I have no doubt that it has harmed my regular conversation skills when it comes to my friends. We’d much rather send a simple txt message than have an actual conversation. It seems that txt messaging has become such an available technology that the human interaction of an actual conversation is avoided at all costs. When it comes to communicating with my family my cell phone is wonderful. My parents can contact me at all times and I gain more responsibility because of how east it is to communicate where I am at. While having a cell phone does benefit my family life, it also takes away from my social interaction.
2. Through popular sites like myspace and programs like aim I find that I can easily express my opinions. I think that using iming and messaging online give people an opportunity to say what they feel with out worrying so much about what everyone else is going to think. It’s easy for me to say what I mean when I send an instant message. On sites like myspace people design their own pages and make their site represent themselves. I think it’s great that people can be able to put themselves out into the world even if they are just at home behind a computer.
3. Communication has become so easy with cell phones and internet that there is no excuse for a lack of information. When ever I have I question I know that all I need to do to find the right answer is to ask the right person. Technology has made information so easily available and communication has never been easier
4. Technology has made resources for school easily available and really come through for students. Research through search engines like google is great for school. Online text books make it easy to do your work when you miss school or even simply forget to bring them home. Out of the class room technology is extremely beneficial, but in the class room it’s not always the same story. Teachers often assign online activities that really are not as good as an actual teacher in a class room going over lessons. With so much technology between teachers and students clarity on subjects can be easily lost. Not everyone learns by reading online and may need the teacher to accommodate their learning styles. Some teachers just use the actual tests from other teachers and previous years because they are saved and easily reprinted. Technology can sometimes just create barriers between students and teacher which are harmful towards the students understanding of the material and overall success in a learning environment.
5. Yes, my teachers make my assignments available to me online and it is very beneficial. Knowing what is going to be assigned ahead of time makes time management easier and clarifies any missed information in class.
-sarah russell
per 8
1. Personally, cell phone communication has not drastically altered the way i communicated with the people around me. It seems that cell phones are more or less used to text friends rather than to actually talk to them, which is fine and almost admirable through my eyes because i cannot text for the life of me. Cell phone communication has broadened how messages are reach people all over the world. My cell phone usage is limited to Illinois, but one thing can be understood for sure, life without a cell phone would cut off daily communication for many people.
2.It seems strange to connect individuality and online communication together because information can often be misinterpreted without a tone. The fact that all E319 students are blogging on this very post right now is a form of individuality and how we convey our message. In addition to blogging for school, many of us (including myself) use Facebook or Myspace. These types of websites represent nothing but individuality online. All networking websites are part of a larger global community, the world wide web.
3. I could not say how my life has changed with the ability to communicate 24 hours a day with ease because I have never been a situation where I could not communicate with ease (unless the power goes out, but then you just deal). I do know however that when we are cut off from these sources, we take for granted our infinite resources to communicate with the world. For example, when my computer crashed, I was quite devastated because not only is it a tool for academics but for social communication as well.
4. For better, technology has made my life a lot more convenient. Information is at your fingertips with technology, especially the internet. Researching and learning are made possible to a broader more expanse generation and we can readily understand much more about our culture. The internet is an undeniable source of such information, but it has its negative side effects as well. Online sources must be analyzed carefully due to the credibility factor. Wikipedia, as much as I love it, is not the most reliable source for information. Because of its quick access to information, it provides ease for us.
5. For the most part, teachers try to provide information access for students. However, when a teacher solely relies on online resources and does not integrate information in the class, it is at the expense of students how cannot readily access the internet. Overall though, teachers leverage online resources quite well. (except when teachers don't post grades up!)
Salwa Shameem per.8
I'll sadly admit, my cell phone is a big part of my life. Cell phones these days only get fancier and a lot more high tech so naturally, the way we communicate with one another will change or improve. Conveniences such as bluetooth and text messaging provide us with alternative ways to send each other information. Plus, a cell phone is portable and it can go where ever you do so it makes life a lot easier. Having some for of communication on at all times can definitely help you out. For students, the e-mailing world is always open and it makes contacting teachers a lot easier and you wont have to worry about calling. (awkward.) For parents, it makes it easier to keep tabs on their kids and information through the web is easily accessible. Speaking of the web, it's makes school work easier and more convenient because you have the multitudes of sources right at your fingertips. You don't have to go to the library of you don't want to or if you can't go at all. The internet also helps when it comes to sending material to your teacher. You can send papers, ask a question, or do whatever else you want to get accomplished with a click of a button. However, the internet provides a lot of distractions as well. Commodities like Myspace and Facebook provide many people an opportunity to express themselves at a global scale. Using personal sites, you can create your own page however you like it and make it your own domain about whatever you want. Just like everyone else, teachers use the internet to benefit the students. For an example, they use the internet to keep students up to date on what's going on the classroom. They can post assignments and class schedules for students to refer back to if they need to find a specific piece of information. They can also use the internet to conduct class activities that can have more detailed information such as visuals to better students education.
Having a cell phone completely altered the level of communication between my family and friends and me. My parents gave me a cell phone for Christmas freshman year. In elementary school and junior high, I really did not need a cell phone. I was usually with my parents, and if I needed to get in contact with a friend, we had a house phone. When I got to high school, a connection in any place became something that seemed necessary. I would be gone at night with my friends and my parents like to follow me everywhere I go, so they loved being able to call me constantly. The past two years, I always needed to call my mom to pick me up when I needed a ride home. Now, I call them any time I need to, and I easily use my phone multiple times every day. I rarely see my best friends in school because we have no classes together, so we call each other every school night to talk about the day. My house phone only has one line, so I use my cell phone because I do not want to tie up the line for my little sisters or parents.
Texting is something I love. I had it for a long time, and when I received a bad grade, my parents knew that was the way to punish me because it killed me to not have it. After sophomore year, I convinced my parents to get me unlimited texting because I always went over. Then, a few months ago, I used 4700 texts in three weeks, and my parents told me I was addicted and removed it, according to my dad, forever. When I had texting, my mom constantly took advantage of it. She would text me in school about my grades, yelling at me when I did poorly. She would text me no matter where I was, so communication was very easy. Without texting, it is a little harder to stay in contact because she cannot talk to me during school or when I am in a loud place.
The internet is something that many teenagers use as an expression of individuality. For me, the internet is not so much an expression of myself as a person, but simply another form of communication. I use Facebook like an e-mail account, messaging fellow students, people on my sports teams, or members of clubs to get information. Some people display way too much information on the internet, and after hearing all the scary stories of predators, I am terrified to do so. I have pictures of my friends and I, but my account is private, so the pictures are for my friends to see, not the entire world. My business is not theirs.
One might think being able to reach anyone and everyone 24 hours a day would improve life. However, you cannot forget that this also means anyone can reach you 24 hours a day. My life truly feels more stressed with these constant lines of communication. I went to Ohio last weekend with my family. My phone died on the drive there and I did not have a charger. It was a very nice break. I could call people if I really needed to, but no one from home bothered me. It was a peaceful weekend. I go running every day and leave my phone at home, and that is the only time of the day when it is not with me. That is also my favorite part of my day.
Technology has changed my education in both good ways and bad. Having a cell phone and the internet has improved my education because it provides a link with other students. When I need help, I just call, IM, or comment another student asking for assistance. On the other hand, I had texting this summer when I was in summer school, and honestly, I could not resist texting. It hurt me so much because it kept me from paying attention in class. As much as I hate not having texting now, I know I am doing better in school without it. I have no distractions in class.
My teachers definitely influence our use of technology. They do not allow cell phones and if someone’s rings, they always tell them to turn it off, and some even take the phone. They known technology provides distractions.
My cell phone opened a whole new world of communication into my life. Not only did it keep me closer to family and friends but it lets me express my self different. I have always been a very shy person, but my cell phone helped change that. Talking over the phone or even through texts helps me warm up to a person if I don’t really know them that well. Then, when I go and hang out with them, its easier to start up a convesation considering I may know common intrests that we have. Texting in particular is very important to me. Instead of calling a whole bunch of people on staurday to find out what they are doing I can easily text people and if they don’t text back then oh well. Also, when I have something on my mind I can text them and whenever they receive it they can text me back. If I tried to call them and they did not answer then I would just be out of luck and I may not ever be able to hold that conversation with them. Of course, my cell phone helps my parents know where I am at all times and gives them more control over me. With more control they then feel they can trust me more and let me do things that they might not let me do if I did not have a cell phone.
Using the internet is part of my everyday life. I will admit I have facebook and im on it all the time considering I have a computer in my room and I can stay logged on. No, I do not sit in front of my screen for hours and just browse other peoples pages but I do check it every so often and it helps me stay close with friends who live far away. It also lets my express my indiviuality because I love taking pictures. Yes I take the “myspace” picture where I take a picture of myself but I photoshop or I do my makeup in a crazy way or wear a crazy fashion outfit. With expressing my individulaity through pictures I also take pictures of me and my friends that really express who I am and what I like to do.
With the capaility of being able to communicate 24 hours a day, I have built stronger relationships with people. Sometimes the simplest text means the world. If a friend was having a really bad night and then the next morning you send them a text asking how they are it means a lot to them because it truly shows you care and do think about them. It also helps me learn about other peoples personalities and how everyone is different and you need to learn acceptance.
My education has not really suffered. I have maintained my grades however when I re-read an essay I do sometimes catch the occasional “ur” or “u”. But, since I catch them it does not effect my grade. It also impacts learning because now that I always have technology at the edge of my fingertips I feel like I should use it. The time I spend on AIM, Facebook, or just simply the internet could be time devoted to studying or helping out around the house. But, I do feel that the internet is part of the education process. Facebook may seem like simply a waste of time, but there is always something educational about it. Kids of this generation are learning how to create websites and put there ideas out there, and when we are older technology willl be that much more advanced and children will need to have these basic skills.
Teachers can go both ways with technology. Some like it and some do not. For instance, Mr.Robin is my only teacher that has a blog and really gets his students to write on it. My chemistry teacher last year had one, but she never really emphasized it so many kids never engaged in the blog itself.
-Period 2
I have never particularly enjoyed talking on the phone. It takes up the majority of my attention and limits my ability to multi-task. Landlines were a necessity, yes, but not one I ever used for my own pleasure. When I got a cell phone it seemed like my whole world opened up, especially once I got into high school. I could talk to my friends without going through my parents, and I found that I could better manage my life. Now I talk more than ever on the phone, and when I leave it at home I feel like a huge part of my control over my life is gone.
The internet has also changed my means of communication as well as given me extensive amounts of access to the outside world. Despite the massive depths of knowledge and information the internet provides, I have not found that it impedes my individuality in much of a way at all. However, when I do talk online I try to make sure that I am keeping to my standards for any type of communication. I do not instant message in a different language than how I speak or write; I feel that I have outgrown the stereotypical web lingo that I employed in junior high. However on popular sites like Myspace and Facebook it is a little harder to fully express oneself to friends and strangers. I would much rather get to know and communicate with people in person, so I keep my web postings conservative and as true as possible.
It is really an amazing feeling to have access to my friends at any time. I can ask for homework help late at night, or just find someone to talk to when the work becomes unbearable. I use the internet to talk more than the phone, and it makes my life easier in that I never have to go far for a quick chat or some advice. Internet communication, though ultimately less socially fulfilling, is a lot easier and less complex. The speed at which I can accomplish things is increased, leaving time for other important matters in my life.
In terms of education, technology is a help and a hindrance. Computers make writing and homework neater and uniform. I can type faster than I can write and therefore finish my work faster. I can access a variety of texts and sources of information that help me to better understand certain concepts and research specific events. Also, the resources that are available in class like projectors and graphing software make it easier to focus on the lesson rather than the set-up or basics of the subject. On the other hand, some websites tend to be very distracting, and between comments and emails my homework becomes the least of my worries.
Having grown up my whole life learning about computers and the corresponding technology, I am aware of how to operate the programs and devices at school without too much trouble. Since many of my teachers have not had the advantage I have had of growing up with this technology, its use in the classroom is not always without a hitch. Oftentimes I feel that the technology at school is not explained in a clear way and that teachers are not always entirely sure as to how it should be used. Also, there are many restrictions set up on the computers so hardware from home is not usually compatible. Sometimes I feel that I am unable to utilize everything at my disposal.
Shaina Cavazos
I actually did not want to have a cell phone but my mom forced my dad to get me one. Now that I have it I do not know what how I would live without it. All my friends’ numbers are in there so I can call them whenever I feel the need to talk. Also I can keep in touch with my parents so they do not freak out when I get home. My phone plan lets me have unlimited calling to my family members and all my friends on my network, and even free call after seven o’clock. My parents especially take advantage of unlimited calling and we can keep in touch. A cell phone can bring people who are far apart closer together. Communication is the key to making relationships work.
I used to use a myspace which kept me in touch with friends who I cannot see very often but I prefer talking on the phone. I got really consumed in myspace with decorating my page, commenting, and especially getting comments. The way each person decorates their page is unique to that person, it lets them express themselves. A lot of times I would post pictures which let my friends know what I had been doing. I also used to express myself on myspace with the comments I made to friends. Everyone can see the comments from other people so what I wrote on myspace represented me in the eyes of other users.
I love being able to communicate with other people 24 hours a day. Letters are nice, but by the time it arrives the letter only has old news. It is really a nice to just call up a friend I have not seen and find out how they are doing. If I cannot see someone very often it is important to stay in touch and I am lucky to have so many options to use to communicate.
I believe school would not run as smooth as it does if technology could not used. Every project I do in any of my classes mainly depends on research from a computer. Books are also a good source but the internet moves fast and finds exactly what I am looking for. When I write an essay for say English I do not write it, I type it up on the computer. A lot of times when I am typing up a paper I get stuck on finding the right word that fits my point. No problem, all I have to do is go to dictionary.com and look a word up in the thesaurus. For Physics and U.S. History I can take online quizzes that help me receive a better grade on a test or quiz. The list of ways technology can make education better can go on forever. The only way I can think technology could make my education worse would if I went online and found an unreliable webpage to collect my information. I would learn the wrong information and if it was a project I would spread incorrect information to my class. Over all technology opens many doors for students to explore, broaden their knowledge, express themselves, and keep in touch. Technology keeps the world connected.
Technology runs my life. I hate to admit it but I would not be able to function without my cell phone or the Internet. My entire family is spread across the country, and I rarely get to see them so the Internet and my cell phone is how I stay connected to them. As soon as I got my cell phone I could call any of my family anywhere anytime. I love it because all I have to do is send a quick text to say hi, and I’ll get a reply back instantly. In my case I don’t have the face-to-face option so texting and instant messaging are the only ways I can connect with loved ones at any given moment. Another benefit from Internet communication is that I can express my individuality without the fear of public speaking. I am terrified of talking in front of people, but the Internet lets me express my opinion with nothing more than a click of the mouse. With communication available 24 hours a day I don’t have to worry about time differences or if I’ll be home early enough to call my family and friends, I can just e-mail them and they’ll read it when they have time. What’s even better is that now schools are constantly using technology. It’s easier to write papers, and if you don’t understand something all you have to do is look it up online and you’ll find help. Because of technology’s help, teachers use it to improve our learning by offering us more sources to obtain information from. Though being with people face to face can be more meaningful, technology has just as an important role.
Communication for the present generation has shifted from a once all human interactive form to a technological one. With the advancement of various forms of technology including computers and cell phones, follows changes in the way we communicate, express ourselves, and learn.
More than a dozen times, I have heard my friends say “I can’t live without my cell phone.” Quite frankly, I could not imagine not having my cell phone either because I always feel paranoid and “out of the loop” when I forget it someplace or another. My phonebook gives me the luxury of not having to remember my friends’ and family’s numbers. Despite the distance between a friend and me, whether they live down the street or in another state, I can talk to them virtually anytime, anywhere with the click of a couple buttons. In the past, home phones and pay phones restricted telephone conversations to the home and within the vicinity of stationary pay phones, but with my cell phone, I can converse almost anywhere I please where my phone has service, particularly important in cases of emergency. Whenever anybody needs to reach me to talk, ask questions, etc., they can just call or send me a text message. My mother finds it exceptionally convenient having the ability to call me whenever she pleases to ask me to run errands for her or know what time I will be home. Since my parents have the ability to contact me 24/7, I have more mobile freedom when I go out. Yet with the ease of dialing a number and talking via phone without much restriction of where I can talk, I no longer have as much face-to-face interaction as I once used to. I sometimes find it more convenient to talk on the phone as opposed to making the physical effort of getting out of the house and seeing somebody, which usually entails longer, in-depth conversation. Another form of technology that has added to my increased lack of face-to-face interaction is the internet.
Throughout the past couple of years, online networking sites like Facebook and Myspace have gained popularity. I use them almost daily, along with AOL instant messenger. Individuality is depicted visually as it is in person but in a different way. In the world of html, “about me’s” and lists of your favorite movies and musical artists help define your internet persona. Your choice in screen name, graphics, and pictures also give people a sense of your personality and what you enjoy. For example, through my Facebook, people can learn that I enjoy Chuck Palahniuk novels and Tim Burton films and infer from my photo albums of friends that I enjoy the company of others. Apart from the social side of the internet, the internet and technology in general serves educational purposes as well.
Teachers have adopted various technological methods of teaching. Powerpoints and projectors visually present information in the classroom, which helps me and other visual learners understand concepts and new information. The use of concept or information videos in the classroom helps makes learning more entertaining, while at-home tutorials gives me the hands-on ability to learn. My teachers, especially this year, have enforced the importance of time-management, made easy with the availability of online class and homework schedules. If I ever have questions about homework or projects, I can conveniently email my teachers or simply search the internet with search engines like Google. The internet makes researching easier, but the internet often creates distractions as well, helping me procrastinate in starting my homework. All in all, though, the internet has made a positive impact in the educational realm.
Despite the lack of face-to-face interaction in talking or sending a text message on a cell phone, expressing yourself on the internet, and sending your teacher an email or checking their schedule, daily communication is still present. With the advancement of technology, communication has developed, rather, into a more convenient form.
In today’s world, and more specifically the United States, technology is heavily relied on in every aspect of life. Science, communication, politics, they all in some way relate to high-tech gadgets and tools. Not only does everything relate to technology, but is greatly influenced by it. For instance, before cell phones communication was not as easy as digging into a purse or back pocket, flipping open a cell phone and pressing the speed dial. If a person experienced a flat tire in the middle of nowhere and did not have a cell phone, communication to call for help would be impossible or at least highly unlikely. Pay phones, believe it or not, are even more unpredictable than cell phones and do not possess tracking devices or programmed phone numbers.
Another way communication has been made ridiculously easier compared to twenty years ago is the internet in all its global wonder. With social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace, it’s impossible to stay out of touch. On the one hand such sites are great for long distance friends. I have friends from Michigan, California, and New Jersey, whom I did not meet online but through camp or they moved away, and we can easily stay in touch and keep up our friendship. However, the internet can also make relationships distant without any real human contact. When people and specifically teenagers begin to solely use the internet, a problem arises. The thing that’s so appealing about the internet is that there are no awkward silences. Speech is unnaturally pre-meditated, making social contact go oh-so-smoothly. The problem is that people forget how to act in real social situations that involve speaking and not typing and friends no longer hang out and chat on the internet instead.
Though technology has greatly impacted the social world, it has also spread to other areas. One field highly influenced by technology is education. This influence has both positive and negative outcomes. On one side, technology makes doing homework faster and easier. Mistakes can be backspaced instead of crossed out or erased and revisions of papers as well as research are done with ease. Personally, I find it much easier to write a paper when I do not have to bother with adding sentences in on a piece of lined paper; it isn’t easy and definitely should not be my priority. Making the completion of homework more efficient also presents some problems though. Teachers may feel compelled to give more homework, which is not always necessary. On the other side, students may feel they can procrastinate for longer and often misjudge how much time they have to complete an assignment leading to sleepless nights or a low grade on such assignments.
Another negative aspect of technology in education is that many teachers assume that all students have easy access to a computer. This is an incorrect assumption and although computers are accessible at the library students who must use this resource and being punished for something they have little control over. Students without computers then have to do more work than those who have them in their homes. Not to mention computers, as well as all technology, is not perfect. For example, a student may be required to type a term paper on the computer. They work very hard over several days, constantly saving of course. However many times the student saves though, if some kind of freak accident happens and all the information is erased or the computer breaks, the student is left with nothing.
I suppose such losses are just a part of the technological life we lead these days. It sure is a rollercoaster or emotions but in the end, I think it may be worth it. It’s hard to deal when your computer shuts down on you or you forget to save a document, but you have to remember all the positive aspects of technology before you kick your computer modem and dash to your room in lamentation.
-Vanessa Vanderzee
Technology has a significant impact upon my education in both positive and negative ways. To start off technology brings the entire world to every student’s fingers through the internet. We can reference all types of information with just a click of the mouse. In the classrooms, technology makes things quick and easy to access. Items such as the overhead projectors have replaced technologies of the past (remember the overheads of elementary school with the markers that had to be cleaned from the plastic screen?) It provides an easy way for students to take notes and absorb information. Technology in the classroom allows for teachers to be more proficient in their work, using PowerPoint for their presentations in class, and even You Tube to get a creative point across. Teenagers are using the computer all of the time, so using technology in class makes material seem more relatable. With all these amazing capabilities it provides, it’s hard to imagine the education system without it.
But there are some drawbacks to the wonders of the modern machine. The technological world is constantly changing, making it difficult for schools to keep up. These high-tech updates are expensive for school systems, but necessary in order to keep the education process going. When technology, whether at home or at school get s behind, it makes it hard to transfer information form one area to another. Another problem that technology brings forward is a lack of reliability. The modern student can understand that issues due come up when technology is brought up. Countless presentations that refuse to cooperate when a project is brought into class in various forms ranging from floppy disk to USB flash drives. Although when operable, these forms of technology can be extremely beneficial, the problems they present can be frustrating. Technology will always be part of our society, and we can only hope that the benefits outweigh any problems it may initiate.
Since technology has come into our lives, things have changed, for both the better and the worse. I think that technology affects people differently, depending on location, age, and status. Those who can't afford many technological devices, such as cell phones or ipods, probably do not have much of an affect by technology. People in an older generation probably do not feel that technology affects them as much either because they went so long in their life without it, that they hold no true need for it. As for my generation, I cannot image life without it. Everything we do involves technology in someway. As this very moment, I am using technology to share my ideas and thoughts for others through a blog.
Image what things would be like if we never had computers or cell phones; it would be pure torture. Cell phones keep us in communication with each other at all times, which could benefit the safety and over well-being of a person. This could also be bad because it blocks some outward communication between people and widens the communication gap between generations by using words such as LOL, LYL, or BRB.
Computers also greatly affect the education processes of students. Every assignment we do now is typed, which makes things much easier. The children in elementary schools use computers at such an early age that they do not even have time to develop good handwriting skills. This is bad for the children because if they do not use there natural devices then they could eventually lose them.
The world will never be the same without technology, and that can be a really good thing. It speeds up our activities in a world that is constantly in motion, and makes communication easier. Though technology can be our best friend, it can also damage us in the end. Too much technology can ruin our intrapersonal skills with others and simple skills we learn at an early age.
Sarah Kitlinski
Technology has a huge impact on our daily lives, especially as teenagers. There are different aspects that have become a necessity for many people, including myself. The mere thought of not having my cell phone makes me nervous, some might find this a bit of an exaggeration, but it is the reality of many. Technological devices have become so incorporated into daily use that it is nearly impossible to find someone with a cell phone, MP3 player, or computer.
Cell phones have a huge impact on my life, not all feel this way, but a majority of people concur. Having a cell phone has made the communication with my family members and friends so much easier. I am able to have more freedoms with communication, I can call the people I want when I want to. Forget writing in address books, I can easily store the contact information for the people I need much more easily, and more compactly. When I am out of the house with my friends before having a cell phone, there was no way to contact my parents unless I was at my friend’s house. Now I have more flexibility in getting a hold of them. Though I sometimes do have frustrations with my cell phone, such as dropped calls or no service, the benefits of easier communication outweigh the nuisances.
I am able to limitedly express my individuality through technology. I have a Facebook, Myspace, and AIM, having these programs allows me to show my individuality. All three have profiles where you can discuss yourself and put anything you want people to know about you. Facebook has many applications to share your variety of interests and ideas with a large amount of people. AIM allows you to choose a screen name which gives you much flexibility. I feel that expression of my individuality can be seen better in person, but it is also made possible through technology.
I feel being able to communicate at all times has benefited my life. Just recently I left my purse at home which I noticed while on the bus to school. My dad would have already left for work by the time I arrived at school and could use the school phone, but here comes my cell phone to my rescue. I was able to call my dad and have him drop off my purse before he went to work. Though technology has helped me, I do not really know the true impacts because there was never a time where I did not have the technology to communicate twenty four hours a day. Since I was a child I always had technology helping me, so to understand the realities one would have to go to someone who has experienced both sides.
Not only has technology impacted me for my leisurely activities, it has also had an affect on the educational tenet of my life. Technology usually aids me and I found out how much it helps me with school this year. When in AP US History we have to write some essays for class and they have to be hand written. In doing this I have to have a draft because I make many mistakes. If using the computer I can easily fix these mistakes with Microsoft Word, but the luxury of the “delete” button does not translate to written assignments in pen. Also projects are made much easier because of the Internet, we don’t have to go through different books, just type what we are looking for onto Google. Though it helps me in school, it also affects me for the worse. This is especially true when technology does not work. For example if you need to present a project and your USB or floppy disk does not open it in the school computers, many times teachers do not tolerate these issues and give you a zero. So although it does help me significantly, there are also issues while using technology for school.
I think, considering that many teachers are from a different generation, they make strong efforts in incorporating technology into improving learning. In many of my classes devices such as the ELMO and projection systems are replaced chalkboards. Also many of the teachers now use the computers and “web quests” to help us find information on the internet. Overall, I feel they do a decent job of integrating technology for our educational benefits.
I feel like Facebook, Myspace, Google, text messaging, etc. allow students to stay in contact with one another in a more fun and interesting way. Facebook and Myspace allow you to share pictures, information, and converse with relatives and friends that live farther away. I am able to stay in touch with my relatives in London by Facebook, rather than calling them every night and racking up the international phone charges. Also it gives us an opportunity to express who we are, as mentioned earlier, when discussing individuality. Text messaging is slightly different; it allows us to communicate with people in times where we just do not feel like calling them. Not only this, but it also enables us to correspond with them in times when we can not talk, like in the library Having these programs handy is just a enjoyable way to communicate with our relatives and friends.
When I was in elementary school, technology did not play a significant role in my life. Sure, there was the occasional power point project or online game, but I never used it to any great extent. Since then, my dependency on computers, cell phones and other forms of technology has steadily increased. The ability to communicate with anyone at anytime through the internet, cell phones, etc, is extremely helpful, but at times rather addicting. A couple of years ago, a good part of my free time was devoted to sitting in front of the computer and instant message my friends and/or myspacing. At the time, it impacted my life in a somewhat negative way because it got in the way of more important things such as homework.
As of now, I don’t really “express my individuality” online. I used to go on myspace quite a bit, but I hardly go on the computer to do other than homework nowadays.
Technology has impacted my education in so many positive ways that it greatly outnumbers the negative. With access to the internet, I’m able to do research, write papers, make PowerPoint presentations, email teachers, and so much more. On the other hand, it also is a great source of distraction when trying to do homework or other things. Even as I speak, my brothers are watching Smallville and it’s extremely tempting to join them right now.
My cell phone is awesome. I didn’t get a cell phone until after I got my license last year. I love how quickly and easily I can now text message or call my friends or family without having to search around my room for their phone number.
My teachers most definitely leverage technology to improve my learning. I can’t even begin to count the number of times I have been to the computer lab to work on papers or do other projects in class. Everyday I have at least one teacher use PowerPoint for a lecture or to teach a lesson. A couple of my teachers even provide class schedules and homework online.
1) I use my cell phone all the time, and rarely use my land line. I usually do not even answer the land line. I text and call my friends and family on my cell phone. Personally, land lines are becoming obsolete. In a recent issue of Transworld: Skateboarding¸ one pro skater said he is constantly made fun of for only having a land line and no cell phone.
2) I express my own individuality online through the use of sites like MySpace and Live Journal. I am also connected to the internet with iChat (I am a Mac after all) and my email address. I control all these conveniences myself, so I am able to express my own individuality.
3) My life has changed greatly being able to communicate 24 hours a day. If I forget about some homework or cannot understand some project, I can just call someone and find out what needs to be done, or just brainstorm some ideas to help each other. Also, if I really just need to talk to someone so I can relax or just contemplate existence, I can easily reach any of my friends at all times.
4) Technology has both greatly helped my education and hindered it. When going on the computer to do homework, I very easily get distracted by the internet and iChat, and I end up staying up until 3 am just to finish my homework. Technology also helps because I can bounce ideas off of my friends to try and get an idea for how to go about doing my homework. This would speed up the process if I could ever stop talking once we get off topic for school related work. Technology also allows easy access to what homework I must do since many teachers post the day’s homework.
5) Teachers most definitely do leverage technology in order to improve our learning. Some teachers post their homework in advance, so you know how to manage your time and carefully complete an assignment versus breezing through it and not learning much. They also use online sources of learning such as tutorials or other online teaching instruments. Teachers also require most things to be typed up on the computer. This allows for the use of spell check and neater writing, and access to a thesaurus. Technology aids in the improvement of students’ learning.
Nathan Macnider
period 2
Web 2.0, what does it really mean? Working at the Schaumburg Township District Library, I have been fortunate enough to get a head start and a preview on this topic. From what I got from the library is that Web 2.0 is the new web; how we use the internet and other mobile media for communication. Blogging is the way of the future, and sites like myspace and facebook (which I have an account on both) make it capable for people to meet and learn about others. Why is it so popular though? These electronic resources, with the addition of cell phones, make it easy to communicate with one another literally 24/7. People even go as far as sleeping with their cell phone right by their bed. I admit I am guilty of that, but really who is going to call at 3 in the morning? I will admit that I do like getting phone calls at that time because it makes me feel important, but really it serves no purpose. Mobile phones now are so much more complex than they used to be. I’m sure everyone remembers the old brick sized cell phones; all they had on them was the capability to call someone, nothing more. Now cell phones have call, text, games, ring tones, and even full blown internet. There are downsides to this, one being that cell phones have created a distraction in school. I’m willing to guess a high majority of students, after knowing the rules of cell phones off, still keep them on with a vibrate mode that can only be heard and noticed by them. This technology is not all negative; the internet is a great resource that has changed my life and my education. Our parents did not have computers, they had type writers. They had to look up everything in an Encyclopedia, God forbid we ever have to do that! Everything we need is on the internet, and it is so much easier and faster to find what you are looking for. You can not look anywhere today, and not notice technology. Take cars for example; cars today are so much more complex due to technology than cars of the past. Old cars had 8 track players or cassette players. Then it was CD players. I like to think I’m a little bit ahead of the curve when it comes to cars, and I even installed myself a touch screen DVD player where I can watch my favorite music videos. Who would have thought that was possible 50 years ago? Gadgets have become smaller and smaller and can fit into places never thought possible. Technology has changed everyone’s life (well maybe everyone except the Amish), and created jobs for millions. Only the future will show how far we can take things, and it sure will be cool to look back as we are now, 50 years from now and see how far we have come.
Technology is all-around us. It's unavoidable (unless maybe your omish?).
1)With the technology of my cell phone i can communicate with many of my friends at the same time through text messages. If I have something to say that involves a numerous amount of people then i just will send a text message with all of those people attached. When I found out that we were still going to have school on thursday (today) because the teachers voted not to strike then I texted all of my friends since I was the first person to find out (I have connections haha). Texting also allows me to talk on the go, when I can't be on the phone the whole time (while I'm doing homework, driving, at an activity, etc.). I take my cell phone with me just about everywhere I go (unless it's charing or something). It's very helpful when I need to call for a ride or make plans with my friends while I'm not at home. As of lately, it has helped me know the actual time during school since all of the clocks are wrong and each of which are wrong by different amounts of time.
2)As the typical teenager these days, I do have communicative tools on the internet such as myspace, facebook,aim, and msn messenger. These tools allow me to show my own creativity and personality through the way I write about myself and about others. Obviously if you start bad mouthing people on their myspace or facebook then you are lowering your ethos by showing your lack of class. However, if you say nice little comments or tell inside jokes then you may be highering your ethos by showing your respect for hat person that you have commented. (btw...I can't believe I just talked about ethos on the internet, even if this is for english class...for some reason it still feels awkward...almost like I'm out of my element). One may also express themselves in the global community through the many backgrounds, images, and graphics available to put on one's myspace, facebook, etc.
3)The internet allows people to communicate 24/7 and anywhere as long as that place has internet access. With this handy communicative device, I can check my homework and grades, play online games whenever I have free time (which I haven't done, literally, like in years), watch online videos, check my friends' myspace or facebook, talk to my fellow procrastinators online late at night (or early in the morning) about homework assignments, find information for just about anything that comes to mind (for school projects, essays, or looking up stuff for fun). Basically, anything you can think of has been thought of and has been put out on the internet so you can access that information at anytime that best suits you. Also, I have friends that live across the Atlantic Ocean, so without the use of emails or the internet, communicating witht hem would be almost near impossible with the time difference. I have remained very close to one of them, and without the use of emails or the internet, I most likely would not be in communication with him anymore.
4)Technology has definitely helped my education. Like I said before, the internet allows students to look up his or her grades or homework online, find his or her teachers' email addresses to ask any questions they may have while away from school, or find information for school projects or essays online. Some classes have even used programs on the computer for labs, studying tools, improving standardized test scores, and to even show videos. The possibilities are endless!
(Well i guess that most of my answer for #4 answers #5)
With technology improving the way we find information and change the way we communicate with others, it broadens our views on how we see the world around us. Technology helps make our world become smaller by the way we can easily communicate with others around the globe. By no means do I think is a bad thing. Technology helps us better understand other cultures, view, and all aspects of the world around us.
<333caitlin becker
Technology such as cell phones and the internet have impacted my life in many positive ways. It allows for a constant connection with help and information, and teachers use it to help teach and reiterate concepts learned in the classroom.
My cell phone has changed the way I communicate with my family and friends in terms of making plans. My cell phone allows me to make more flexible plans and be able to communicate any changes that occur. However I don’t use my phone as much as many other people do, but I still make use of the modern convenience.
I admit that I don't really use the internet to "express my individuality in a global community," as much as others do. I have a myspace that I haven't updated since the beginning of the school year, which I don't intend on updating anytime soon. I should also mention the fact that I didn't even create that myspace until this past summer. I also don't have a Facebook account or a live journal or anything of that matter. My internet usage consists of Googleing information for school and catching up with the Grey's Anatomy episode I missed because I had too much homework to do.
Being able to communicate with anyone 24 hours a day has given me have a greater sense of security. Along with my friends and family, I can use me cell phone in case of emergencies to call for an ambulance or the police. Also If I ever get lost in a crowd or when driving somewhere I can always call someone and ask for directions, or find out where to meet my friend.
My education has also been impacted by technology in terms of me being able to research anything online. I can easily use search engines to find information necessary for a project I have to do. My teachers post homework and assignments up online for my advantage, just in case I forget what the assignment is or I lose a study guide, I can just print it out. My teachers also use technology in the form of Power Points and assign online tutorials that reinforce what we've been studying in class.
-Ellen Kostecki
p. 8
1) My cell phone changed the way I communicate with my family and friends by making it possible to communicate with them in different places. My cell phone has granted me the ability to go to far places, without my parents having to worry about where I am because they have a direct connection to me. The same can be said about my friends. I can talk to them wherever and whenever I want to. My cell phone, in other words, gives me a chance to be mobile.
2) The internet gives me the opportunity to express my individuality in a global community by helping me get my voice heard. Back in the time before the internet, people had a hard time communicating and expressing themselves at length much less communicate with a relative overseas. However, with the introduction of email, YouTube, AOL instant messenger, and other blogs and political posts many now can have their own voice and individuality in a global community. Personally, to get my voice heard I participate in political blogs, gallop polls, and I use Face Book to communicate my interests and ideas with others.
3) By being able to communicate 24 hours a day with relative ease, I am able to get to know my friends better, become more mobile, and connect with family overseas. Many of these things I would not have been able to do with an otherwise no internet society.
4) Technology has impacted my education for the better. Technology keeps me connected with my teachers and my school work. I am now able to use the internet for research purposes (debate) and for further help in learning. A testament to this would be the online encyclopedias such as answers.com in how it is easy to access information and learn new things.
5) Teachers do, in fact, leverage technology to improve learning. Power points, online movies, and email all are major educational factors in today’s successful classroom. Many of my teachers use these conventions for the betterment of education.
Vishal Naik
Receiving a cell phone completely changed my life. It changed the way I could communicate with my family and friends. Before getting a cell phone, it was always hard to get in reach with my parents when I went out, unless I had a friends phone near me. It was hard to let my parents know where I was at, at all times. If plans with friends changed suddenly, there was no way to let my parents know. My cell phone also let me communicate a lot more with my friends. I did not have to wait for our home phone to not be in use to talk to them. With my cell phone I can call them up whenever I please or even send them a text message, which is even easier. For the most part, texting has replaced phone calls. If someone does not feel like talking on the phone, all they have to do is text.
Having access to the internet, it is very easy to be able to express my individuality in a global community. With technology today, anyone can do anything. For an example, myspace. With myspace, I can express myself completely. I can write an “about me”, in which I can write practically anything about myself for people to know. I can express myself artistically, with what color I choose as my background or what picture I choose to have as my default. But really, now a days, you can post on the web whatever you want about yourself. People can almost get a sense of who someone is.
My life has changed a great deal with being able to communicate 24 hours a day. I can talk to whoever I want, whenever I want to. It is easy to stay connected with friends. Being able to communicate with my parents whenever, I can stay out a lot longer then I used to be able to. I can stay out longer because they can always call me up whenever they need to talk to me or need to know what is going on. Also at night, it is easy to stay up late and text people for however long you please. I do not have to stop talking to people when it is late anymore. I can easily stay up and talk to them without my parents knowing I’m awake. This can be a good and a bad thing.
I think that technology has impacted my life in a really good way. It is so much easier to get homework done when you have the internet right at the tip of your hands. I do not have to look through dictionaries or go to the library just to access the internet. In a couple seconds I can have whatever information I need. But, in some ways technology has impacted it for the worse. Many times, I can get distracted with AIM, or myspace while doing homework. So, it takes me longer to finish and I do not fully concentrate on it all the time. It also can sometimes impact it in a bad way, when I use different versions of words. So, instead of saying I have to go, I would say” g2g”. It does not really impact my education, but sometimes someone can forget and start to write with these shorter versions of words.
I think that teachers do leverage technology in order to improve learning. They do not always have homework that is done online. But, many times everything is typed up on a word document. It makes it easier for the teachers to read and students can think about what they want to write, and change what they have written whenever they want.
carrie s. per 5
The use of technology has impacted our generation greatly. Many kids constantly use and misuse things such as cell phones and the internet. Cell phones have really changed the way people communicate, especially for teenagers. Many teens can’t even live without their cell phones because we depend on it to keep touch with their family and friends. It has changed communication drastically since it is faster. I can keep track of friends near and far away or even call my brother from downstairs on his phone to come down for dinner!
Many teens (including myself) use things like Facebook, Myspace and AIM to express individuality. People can find out a lot of things about your personality by looking at your profile. The profiles express many things about oneself such as interests and favorite music, movies, etc. The use of these kinds of technology and being able to communicate 24 hours a day is extremely time consuming. It’s really hard to find a lot of teens that are not texting, facebooking, chatting, or talking on their phones constantly. If one were to take these things away, it would really hard for a lot of teens. Personally, I probably render away more time on these things then I should and makes it easier to procrastinate. I would probably even have better grades if I did not have all these distractions. However, technology can also have a good impact on education if used appropriately. Teachers are able to communicate with students through the internet and also make available homework assignments and schedules. Students can also use the internet for research and also to learn many things. There are encyclopedias, dictionaries, and many websites available to further a student’s educational purposes. Overall, technology can be a good or bad thing depending on how one uses it.
-Jeslin Panicker
My cell phone has definitely changed the way I communicate with my parents. I got it after freshman year when I was living with friends and I couldn’t see my mom everyday. It was nice because she could still call me and we could talk about our days even though we didn’t see each other for weeks on end. It also was nice to have a way to call my friends and ask them about homework or just talk about our days like my mom and I did. I have friends who go to different schools and we rely on Livejournal.com to stay up on each other’s lives. I use it as an outlet to let out my ideas, thoughts, and feelings. I think the ability to communicate like this has made me a little obsessive compulsive. I get uneasy when my friends haven’t updated their livejournals, facebooks or myspaces. (Or as I lovingly refer to as m-space) When my phone doesn’t ring, I get upset. The ability to communicate all the time make me paranoid that no one wants to communicate with me. I get scared that I am out of the loop, but then of course, I remember my homework and I have a whole slew of other things to worry my little head about. However, I think that technology has improved my learning. As much as I wish I could use the age-old excuse “But I didn’t know we had a Junior Research Paper due!” almost all of my teachers have homework schedules posted online. I guess this teaches me responsibility, but I’m not sure how much responsibility I’ll need when I’m a trophy wife.
-Julia Wisniewski
1. Despite their sometimes exorbitant costs, cell phones really do make a difference in my life. Owning one allows me to contact anyone at any time from anywhere. With a cell phone, I can get directions when I’m lost, send last minute reminders, and get answers to questions that suddenly appear.
2. A most useful tool that I often take for granted is the internet. With the internet, I have the power to post anything and everything that I want. I employ this power on my Facebook, where I post my opinions on places, people, and society, my pictures, and interesting facts that capture my interest. Facebook not only allows me to post information, it allows me to access it. With a click of a mouse, I can find answers to my questions as well as see information posted by my friends. This is the lure of Facebook: instant connection and transfer of information between friends who cannot seem to get their fill of each other’s company.
3. The ability to communicate 24 hours a day with ease has definitely made an impact on my life. E-mail allows me to send unobtrusive messages that do not require the person on the receiving end to be present. It also allows me to type what I would otherwise be forced to handwrite. Some people would say that this is detrimental to the development of good handwriting, but handwriting is taught before typing, so time for handwriting practice has already been given prior to a person’s introduction to the keyboard.
4. Technology has impacted my education for the better, because it has helped me to learn. A significant majority of people, myself included, are visual learners. I learn best through videos, simulations, and pictures.
Technology makes these learning tools more readily available through elmos, projectors, televisions, and computers. However, technology has also impacted my education for the worse, in that I become too dependant on it, and when it fails, something that technology tends to do often (especially the night before an assignment is due), then I am left hanging.
5. Many of my teachers leverage technology in order to improve my learning. Online practice exams are made available to students. Simulations and additional text reside online for students who care to learn more. Lessons can be structured in PowerPoint format. All these things utilize technology in a positive way.
-Karalyn Chen
There are many views on how technology affects our lives, and there are many stereotypes that arise from it as well. Most kids have had something around these lines happen to them:
Adult: “Hey, how many songs ya got on that ipod thingy?”
Kid: “I don’t know, a lot.”
Adult: “Oh yea, how many do you listen to?”
I know I have heard that one before. Usually it is from an older generation telling us how lucky we are, “because back in their day...” (Fill in the blank) Don’t get me wrong, many adults are computer savvy and use technology to benefit them. But as a newer generation we grew up around technology and choose to use it to our advantage. Whether it is instant communication that can span across the world, or to type papers and make projects for school, technology is a great thing.
Teachers most definitely use technology for leverage in learning. One clear cut example is Mr. Robin asking us to do a mandatory blog entry. Through expressing 80 students’ ideas and bouncing them around in one place, we get different takes on the technology issue, that could not be achieved from the everyday classroom setting. Another thing that I noticed even in my own years of growing up, is that in elementary school and some of junior high, my papers had to be hand written or in cursive (which I still can’t do), but now everything is typed up. I think this is great because misspelled words can be fixed with one button, it eliminates messy handwriting (which I have), and you can save many drafts without having to rewrite the entire paper from scratch. But wait a minute, can this be a bad thing? Will my cursive ever get better? Will my messy handwriting ever get better? If I were to practice out of school, sure, but due to the computer age, handwriting is going to go down the drain.
A problem with technology that attacks us all when we have our back turned, is the common computer or printer malfunction. Whether it is due to viruses or broken parts, a computer failure is a terrible thing to go through when a paper or project is due the next day. Teachers no longer buy that excuse, so we need to have alternative means to getting our work done. Of course, technology saves the day. We can use things like e-lockers and jump drives to save our work and transfer it to an alternative source if our best laid plans go astray.
Technology is a huge vicious circle. We love technology, until it stabs us in the back. Then we use other technology to fix that problem. When will it stop? It can’t. For technology to stop would mean for the world to go hay wire, from online banking, to ebay. We depend heavily on technology one way or another.
Mike Ciupka
As technology increasingly becomes more available, and easier to use, the communication gaps between people grow closer together. The use of cellular phones and internet helps to aid the change of this communication gap.
These days the new thing to do is text, and I have to say that I am a victim to this craze. Texting is a much faster and easier way to relay messages to friends, or even family. Instead of having to waste a couple minutes in a conversation, you can now just text the short phrase or sentence and it avoids the time consuming process of having to call someone, and although text messaging is less personal, it helps to save time. Text messaging is just one of the many ways a person’s cell phone comes to use.
Cell phones are a great thing to have, not only as a leisure toy, but as an important way to contact people in case of an emergency as well. Having a cell phone to take with you everywhere you need to is a great sense of comfort due to the fact that help, if need be, is only a call away. Because I take my cell phone with me everywhere I feel lost in a sense without it. I feel as if communication with family and friends has been temporarily cut-off, which is an uneasy feeling when you’re use to someone being so easy to reach. Cell phones, along with the internet help to bring people closer.
Having advances on the internet such as Myspace, and Facebook help to bring the many people in this world much closer together. Although I do not have a myspace page, I do have a facebook, and it makes contacting friends and meeting new people in not only my school, but schools in the same district that much easier. Not only does it make talking to friends about social life issues easier, it is also a great help when some guidance is needed for homework assignments and such. These social websites in combination with educational websites aid a great deal to homework questions and concerns. Now you can just google a topic or question that you don’t quite understand and the answers are laid out right in front of you, not to mention emailing teachers is just as easy and effective as well.
Cell phones and internet are both fun and helpful when it comes to both social and educational life concerns. Whether it be texting, searching the web, making a phone call, or even emailing teachers, the answers to life’s questions are not as hard to find as they used to be. The advance in technology has undoubtedly changed the way I communicate with family and friends for the better.
Technology has become a huge part of society. The developments in technology make life seem more convenient through each step it takes. A final product never seems to be in sight because there is always a new development, upgrade, or customizable feature left to perfect, and when the list seems to run out, they just move on to a new model of iPhone or Blackberry etc.
Although I am currently out of a cell phone, I was able to enjoy the opportunity of owning one for about a year. Through this year I realized that a cell phone is not very necessary unless, of course, you are not home that much. Unfortunately, I am homebound because I cannot attain insurance for my car. Until the point that I become more mobile, I feel like the need for a cell phone is nonexistent. When I had a phone I found it almost annoying because I was even more reachable, and if I did not want to talk and my phone started blowing up with calls from a whole bunch of people I might silence it and get it over with. Since I am at home, I just use the house phone because it is free under my plan to call pretty much anyone for as long as I want for a set price.
The Internet is such a huge place that it can be very generalized which would make it hard to express any kind of individuality within this “internet society.” Websites like “Facebook”, “Myspace”, and “Yahoo Geocities” have made this individuality attainable to most that have a good understanding of computer technology. Currently my Myspace is a very bleak place consisting of all of the basic things contained in a new user’s profile, which is quite the eyesore to any of my friends who bother to look at it. At one point however, I made a web page using “Yahoo Geocities”, an application used to create a personal page where you can post pictures and write things about yourself, almost as a shrine to yourself. My website was decked out with all kinds of funny animations, pictures, and many palettes of decoration, which flaunted a bit of my creative side.
In terms of being available all day and the ability to communicate Twenty-Four hours a day, I find it to be rather annoying. Owning a cell phone would just be a burden for me, and I only check my Myspace twice a week, if at all. Why do people bother messaging you then ask you the next day if you had read their message, if not they will verbalize it to you. What was the point of messaging me in the first place if we can talk about it right now? I like and prefer to talk to people face to face. Even if a situation of a story were easily explainable over the phone I would much rather talk to them personally because I am a very active speaker. I like to make many motions and facial expressions that I feel are necessary to the story, which is why many people ask me if I am of Italian descent. I also feel a need to see the instant reactions of my friends when I talk to them.
Technology has affected my education in many helpful ways. The use of MS Word in order to type my essays and papers is a huge plus because of my terrible chicken scratch handwriting. MS Word, coming fully equipped with spell checking and neat formatting has made my life in the writing world a lot easier and more manageable. On the downside, I do not have a printer set up in my house, which is cause for annoyance when I have to constantly ask my friend to go to her house and print up all of my documents. In order to counteract this downside, I own a flash drive, which is basically attached to my person at all times. Some people say that their phone is their life, but I say, “Love the flash drive.” It has proven to be the most effective piece of technology that I own as it holds many important documents. It is very convenient because I just plug in and print when I get to school.
Many of my teachers utilize technology to make both of our lives easier. A few of them post schedules so that I can try to plan my week accordingly to accommodate the homework, which is now expected and not an unknown factor. All of my teachers use the webgrade system, which makes it very easy for me to see where I stand in the class at any given moment. Through this blog, Mr. Robin can go beyond the classroom, and give extra opportunities to those who do not participate well in class, an open forum to become immersed in discussions concerning the topics of the day.
Overall, I would have to say that technology is my best friend, and without it I would be at a huge disadvantage. My writing assignments would drop like flies at legibility, none of my documents would ever be in on time, and I would have to spend far more time to complete assignments that would be quick with technology. It seems to be expected that in this age all be acquainted with technology and its uses to better our lives. I feel glad that I live in such an advanced age where technology can make everything so easy for me.
Jerry Lewis
Period 8
1. The cell phone made communicating with my family and friends a lot faster, but I close to never use it. Most calls I get for free [hooray family and friends plans], but I still have trouble finding use for it. I see people text messaging in school and it bugs me that they can not stand 50 minutes away from their friends and that it must be very important, or they would not risk having the cell phone taken away (or put in French) in order to do it. The only times I use my cell phone are the times when my parents need to get a hold of me, or I am out with my friends and need a ride home.
2. I am addicted to the internet. I am an active member of 5 different forums online, and do not plan on changing that. I express my individuality by speaking to people from all over the world on forums and making friends across the country, and even in countries such as Japan and Germany. I am currently speaking to one of my friends in Japan even while I type this response. Having the internet and communicating all over the world can be a solution to having wars, because I believe in the logos "If you talk to someone in a foreign country, then you would not bomb that country." If we can globally communicate with this much ease, why would we have to resort to violence?
3. My life has become a bit easier, being able to call for a ride when I need it, or being able to set up plans with my friends faster. I am proud to say that my longest conversation on my cell phone is still less than 5 minutes.
4. Better: Being able to view grades online as they are uploaded and having online homework calendars has made me more attentive to my grade.
Worse: The internet is a huge distraction.
5. Teachers use technology such as the Elmo in class to help our education but other than using the technology to show things on the screen, AP English is the only class that I have actually participated with online.
6. I have a myspace and I hate it. I hate facebook, it should be renamed 'hell book' The only thing that I have seen come out of myspace and facebook (Rhetorical choice- not capitalizing names)are stupid teenagers posting pictures of themselves drinking and making bad decisions. I know someone who gave out their personal information to a stranger on the internet, and was almost hurt by it. I constantly see 'bulletins' on myspace about which alcohols are the current favorite of people, and it makes no sense to me. Myspace and facebook make me want to scream to people, "HELLO! THE WORLD CAN SEE WHAT YOU ARE SAYING! WHY WOULD YOU TELL EVERYONE THAT YOU DRINK?!?" I think that teens and students love the freedom of the internet, but still there are a lot of people who use that freedom and do not quite understand what they are doing. The school puts on assemblies about why you should not put pictures up on myspace of drinking and about not giving out your personal information to strangers but I have not seen a change at all in what has been happening.
S. McKenzie
Ah, cell phones; the greatest invention ever. Cell phones have allowed people to communicate from pretty much wherever they want whenever they want. Lately, however, cell phones have involved less talking and more typing. Students all over the world type on their cell phones. Personally, i find this much easier and less time consuming. However, not having to talk on phones seems to have created a lack of vocabulary, and an inability to talk. So while cell phones, I believe, have changed communication of not only me for the better, but anyone who uses a cell phone.
Technology, a technological process, method, invention, or the like, has impacted my education for the better by making many of the things i do in school easier. For instance, when typing a paper on my computer, I am able to press spell check and the paper is guaranteed to be perfect. However, is it possible that making things easier is detrimental to the entire education process? Yes. When presented with the option to type a few words in a search engine or go look something up in the encyclopedia, one will most likely choose the search engine. Technology has thereby created a sense of laziness in all people. No longer do we go outside to play soccer, rather we play fantasy soccer. No more do we go to a dictionary to see if a word is spelled correctly, now we go to dictionary.com. It is in this way that technology has impacted my education for the worse. It has instilled a sense of laziness in me that right now I cant see living without.
Being able to communicate twenty four hours a day with ease, like this blog for instance, has allowed me to adjust my life however I want. I am now able to go take a nap and wake up early to complete an assignment. Again, having the ability to communicate whenever needed is wonderful but it has created a sense of procrastination that is hard to get rid of. When I was younger, I would finish everything before six oclock. Now that I am able to communicate with anyone at any time if I have a problem, I have found myself putting things off until the last minute. As long as I get it done, right?
In the third millennium of the Common Era, American teenager’s lives have changed immensely. Whether or not they deliberately or accidentally got caught in this net of communication and convenience, they have grown to become dominated by it. The cell phone has displaced face-to-face conversations, decreasing the proximity between two people in communication in exchange for speed and efficiency. For those that heavily use their cell phones, these effects have come to foster negative behaviors, as without any perceivable immediate consequences, teenagers say more things without thought, leading to miscommunication and awkwardness. Cell phones and other forms of communication through the internet even foster false personalities. Without the directness of personal conversations, the cell phone removes anxieties that a timid person might have in socialization. Since the timid person would normally be shyer, and since an opportunity to express him or herself without perceived definite direct consequences, he or she will exploit cell phones and online communities such as blogs as opportunities to be someone more confident and amiable or someone more assertive and aggressive. Particularly, since the internet provides global communities through forums and other public communications, it appears to give people an easy way to express themselves. But when they act as if they were communicating to a machine and don’t express who they truly are, then real socialization skills and the expression of individuality cannot occur. However, the benefits of the cell phone and tools such as the internet cannot be disregarded. Projects and meetings can be easier to coordinate. Information can be rapidly spread. Time can be saved. Thus, teenagers now have more organizations and efficiency, which allows them to have more time to use in the day.
But more time might not mean much. If teenagers are able to save time through the use of technology, but they waste it on unnecessary things such as randomly surfing the web or instant messaging other people, then time has not really been gained. It has just been reallocated to another source of entertainment. The real problem is when a teenager uses more time for online diversions than he or she has. Suddenly, school work isn’t being done, and people with illegitimate complaints about course work begin to surface. Thus, people aren’t spending as much time on school work as they need to, such that they then do consistently worse work than their potential would indicate. But school work can still be done more quickly by manipulating the internet or calling friends for help. A subtle implication must be observed, however. If teenagers are getting ideas or assistance from the internet or their friends, then they are not thinking as much about an assignment than they should be. Tools such as Spark Notes exist for a reason: people use them, blindly obeying whatever information they give, much like a robot blindly accepts programmed information to be true (perhaps the internet fosters cheating, and if so, is this monitorable and is there a duty for teachers to monitor it?). If teenagers are not using their own brains in education, then they cannot intellectually develop, causing them to lag behind in the educational system. However, one benefit of technology surpasses all other benefits and perhaps justifies some negative consequences: research. The internet not only provides a faster way to find research but access to more research. If the individual is competent and consciously uses his or her own brain to evaluate such research, then he or she can learn new things and thus advance his or her education for him or herself. Since research has shown that learning for one’s self increases the effectiveness of that learning, then a student can easily advance his or her education through the use of the internet.
The internet does not only provide self-learning; teachers also use it to teach. Teachers use email to help answer questions, take advantage of innovations such as YouTube to visually demonstrate class material, and create blogs to enhance class discussion and participation. The key here is not whether teachers use technology to attempt to help learning, but whether the extent of the benefits of technology outweighs the negatives. Proper usage of technology can lead to a meaningful class experience, but an improper usage of technology may just be another waste of time.
As teenagers continue on in the twenty-first century, technology will evolve and continue to encompass their lives. Since the inception of new collaborative concepts in Web 2.0, teenagers have used features such as myspace and Google to their delight. When these tools are used properly, teenagers can both cement existing friendships through greater self-expression and become part of a network of people with similar thoughts and ideas. Simply put, teenagers need an outlet for their own expression and want to be part of a group. Since Facebook and text messaging are convenient ways for expression and the development of a sense of belonging, teenagers embrace and depend on Web 2.0 features. Certainly, as technology spins a larger, more complex web, teenagers will need to adapt and to decide how best to use it.
Personally, the internet is primarily a tool for homework for me. And has the internet increased the homework load? Are there more research projects and assignments such as web quests as a result of the internet? Just as the internet can be used for good, it can be used for evil as well. Do the benefits outweigh the potential harm? Do the threat of viruses (specifically, in trojan form, but that is another issue) justify stricter use of the internet?
Now, imagine a world without the technology in the past fifty years. Oh right, since for many (young) people, it's nearly impossible to do so, which just goes to show you how embedded technology is within our lives (is this good or bad?!).
Kevin Chen
Cell phones give students the ability to interact with their world on an immediate basis. With use of a cell phone, I’m able to send a text message, or call whoever I want, right then and there. Cell phones have eliminated the aspect of waiting for time to convey information. I don’t have to wait until I get home to contact my friends, I can call, or text them whenever it is convenient. Cell phones have made scheduling much less of an issue. Plans can be alter within minutes, rides can be established, locations confirmed, and meetings planned. Without my cell phone, a large part of the freedom I enjoy is removed.
The internet makes global communication possible. It is possible to find anyone with similar beliefs as your own, or far differing opinions. The internet allows one to converse, or debate their ideas with many interested people. There exists a sort of barrier between ourselves, and what our internet self is able to do, or say. The internet is both a disconnection from one’s identity, but it is always a much easier way to express your views and designate yourself more clearly. I find that forums, blogs, face book walls, and myspaces all make communication and self expression valued and individual. There is so much control available on the internet, a person is able to alter every detail they see fit to change.
Immediate communication has it’s pros and cons. It makes it far easier to ask questions, give answers, and seek information, at any time I need to. My life has been altered by blurring the boundaries between work and free time. At any point I can get the information I am seeking, and this edge is quite helpful. The only foreseeable con to immediate communication is that the time spent thinking about what I will say is gone. Occasionally things will be said that I don’t mean, or that or unclear, or even rude. It is due to the fact that as soon as the thought occurs, we as a society are able to convey that thought to others.
Technology has made education infinitely more dynamic. Email has made it possible to communicate with teachers on a basis that I have never before had. The projectors in every class room aid the discussions with valuable visual aids. Computers have made it possible to interact with various programs designed to teach by example. All of these instruments have made education much less strict and single tracked. Education has been given a dynamic edge, and it allows for leeway. Each student can learn in whatever way is best for them, in part to technology.
Teachers do use technology to benefit their cause, but I have always seen the potential for so much more. At the current time, teachers tinker with technology, sprinkling it in here and there. Technology is used mainly for viewing purposes, but the ability to ask questions is still very restricted. Most teachers do not utilize email, while others communicate with students daily. The education process is old fashioned, although some teachers toss in technology. A full use computer that the teachers may look in on, that serves as a notebook for each class, as well as a portfolio of work gives the teachers a better look at the students true comprehension. It would also allow for teachers to dole out work as needed and on a personalized schedule for each student. Technology has greatly enhanced the learning experience.
Rob Rademacher
Just to put it out there, I completely agree with everything Sam Mckenzie commented about the internet. Modern teenagers can be pretty dumb.
1. To put it simply, I depend on my cell phone a lot. My family doesn’t even own a house phone because our cell phones are much more efficient and always on us. I used to be a talkative person on the phone, but with six AP classes, I can barely hold up a ten minute conversation. Cell phones are very useful to me in case I get lost while driving or need help with something.
2. Yes, I am a conformist; I have a myspace, but I also have a Xanga which is where I vent out all my thoughts. I like sharing my views with other intellectual people and getting their opinions on my beliefs. It’s a nice way of asking for structural criticism.
3. My life is easier because I know that with one call I can get help. I’m an AIM [AOL (America On-Line) Instant Messenger] addict. I seriously think I’m logged on for days at a time (unless of course my computer decides to explode on me and shut down). It makes it easier for my friends to contact me if they need advice.
4. Better: The ELMO is useful because it gets through lessons quicker. Hands-on activities on the web, such as webquests, help students comprehend the material we're learning. I know I love it.
Worse: There can be a lot expected from students on projects and essays because more information is available to us. It can be an overwhelming load of work.
5. I love the fact that my teachers post schedules online because it helps me manage my time wisely and makes it easier for me to obtain missed assignments. AP English is definitely the only class I have a chance to blog, which I love (YOU ROCK MR. ROBIN!).
6. Myspace and Facebook are such a waste of precious time. I do not understand how people can be logged on for more than a few minutes. I realized people do stupid stuff on there now. Like Sam said, why would you post pictures of you and alcohol? A better question, why would you associate with people like that? I prefer spending my time with REAL friends in person that I actually know and won't sexually harass me. I still get freaked out by the reality that there are myspace predators. Definitely need to sort that out.
Cell phones have drastically changed the way that I communicate with my friends and family. I no longer have to memorize everyone's phone number because of the fact that it is programmed into my phone. When I am out with my friends, my parents can contact me whenever they want. Cell phones really have made my mom’s life easier because she always likes to know where I am, who I am with, and what I am doing whenever I am away from home.
I like the fact that cell phones can be used in emergency situations as well. Two months after I got my license, I got into a car accident in a parking lot. Some woman backed into me as I was driving by; she was not paying any attention. Luckily, I had my cell phone with me so that I could contact the police and my mother. The nice part about having the cell phone was that the woman and I got everything taken care of with the police officer right away. If I did not have my phone with me, we could have been waiting longer than we did for the police officer that evening.
One other thing that I really love about cell phones is texting. My family and I have unlimited text messages on our cell phone plan so we text all of the time. Sometimes it is just a lot easier to use the text messages to communicate with one another. When I am doing homework, I would rather talk to someone through text messages because I do not find it as distracting as talking on the phone. I even got my mom, who is technologically challenged, to learn how to text people. The only bad part about texting is the fact that it requires the use of abbreviations if you are trying to say a lot in one message. If people use texting all of the time, then when they are handwriting a paper they are likely to use those same abbreviations. Overall, cell phones have improved the way that we communicate and have made our lives a little bit safer.
Kalee Koburi
E319
Mr. Robin
9 November 2007
How Technology Has Changed Me
Technology over my short sixteen years of life has improved drastically. The improvements in technology have changed my life as well as the lives of people around me. Technology has impacted my life in many positive ways as well as negative ways, but it has affected my life nonetheless.
Unlike most kids my age I did not get a cell phone until the end of freshman year. All of my friends already had a cell phone, so I was really excited when I was finally able to have one. From the moment I got my cell phone my life was changed. My friends were now able to contact me wherever I was and not just when I was at home. It was also a lot easier on my parents because anytime they needed to talk to me or check up on me they were able to. Besides being able to call people wherever I was, text messaging also ha a huge impact on my life. I text people more than I call them and now instead of just talking to one person at a time on the phone I can talk to multiple people at a time while text messaging. Even my mom and dad use text messaging and find it very useful when they need to tell me something where they cannot be talking out loud. I think over all my cell phone has had a very big impact on my life and will continue to with the new and improved phones.
The Internet is something that I use everyday, not just for school, but in personal ways too. My most recent interest on the Internet is facebook. Facebook is a very easy way for me to connect with all my friends and find friends who I haven’t talked to in a long time. Facebook allows me to post all my pictures that show all about who I am. Facebook also gives me the opportunity to share music that I like with other people. My music along with my pictures expresses my individuality.
Being able to communicate twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week has had some negative and positive affects on me. On the negative side being able to communicate all the time can be distracting. When people text message me and I’m doing my homework I often get sidetracked and lose the precious time that is supposed to be for my homework. On the positive side if there is ever an emergency or I need something important my cell phone is always there to help. Also, when my power goes out it is definitely nice to have a cell phone handy.
Technology has impacted my education in more positive ways than negative. The Internet has allowed me to get more resources for my schoolwork. Also, the Internet has allowed me to be able to check my homework online incase I forget what I am supposed to do. The only negative way the Internet has impacted my education is by it distracting me when I’m supposed to be doing my homework.
My teachers do use technology to greater improve my education. New technology has allowed me to view many different videos and online clips to further my education. Also, the Internet has allowed my teachers to post my homework online and other resources, such as study guides, to help when I am at home.
Overall, I think technology has improved drastically over the years and has impacted me for the most part positively. I am to experience more things online and in school to further my education and experience. With all the ways of communication now I feel much more connected and in some ways more safe and informed.
Man is the lowest-cost, 150-pound, nonlinear, all-purpose computer system which can be mass-produced by unskilled labor.
-NASA in 1965
1. My cell phone has become one of my best friends. I use it every day for one reason or another. In fact, I use my phone so much that I need to recharge it every other day and I am not sure what I would do without it. Once upon a time, when I did not have a phone of my home, I was forced to rely on my home phone. That was a nightmare. My parents and my brother all love to talk on the phone for hours. Many of our friends simply do not call anymore because their phone bills skyrocket every time they call my house. When I did not own a cell phone, I would always have to wait until the phone was free. That could be thirty minutes or three hours. Finally, now that I have my own phone, I call my friends to ask what the homework was and many call me to ask for help on the homework. Although my cell phone has saved my life, ironically, I wonder what would happen if the old superstitions about cell phone radiation are true.
2. Facebook is the social networking equivalent of God…at least for now. Myspace, Xanga, and Tagged.com are three still very popular, but popularity for them has receded lately. Right now, there are probably at least 1000 students from only Schaumburg High School with a Facebook account. I was blocked after 500 people from continuing for apparently abusing one of Facebook’s features. My individuality seeps through my writing in my Facebook and my emails. I have been told many times that I may be too upfront and bold. I need to be subtler. When I have an opinion about a topic, I am not afraid to directly come out and say it.
3. Easy communication has been the blessing of students and the bane of parents everywhere. Easy communication allows me to talk to someone whenever I want, no matter what the topic. I can call someone, text someone, email someone, or post something of Facebook as soon as an idea comes to me. I do not need to worry about how I can say something or to whom I can say something. If nothing else, I can send my raw thoughts to my closest friends so they can develop those thoughts into something that can be publicly expressed.
4. Technology is the proverbial double-edged sword. It allows for easier communication of individual thoughts onto paper. This is an enormous benefit to the teachers, who gain more vehicles by which to convey their knowledge to the students. Students can also use the technology when looking at the amount of information they have learned. They can use the computers to organize information into groups that make sense to them, and these groups can be changed. This second point is the major change from the permanence of paper and pencil, where the student has to start anew every time he changes his mind. The dark side of this technology is that the same thing that can be used to teach can also be used to distract. Calculator games, Internet web sites, and music are all distractions specific to high school student, myself included. Right now, I am writing this response, checking my email, checking my Facebook, watching television, listening to music, and talking to my friend on the phone at the same time. This poses a problem when I need to concentrate.
5. Teachers use technology all the time to try to appeal to the “younger” generation. They know that students are more likely to be responsive to students when they do something the students like, i.e. use the computers. When the teachers use technology, whether that includes a PowerPoint, a movie, or anything else using a projector, they capture the students’ attention for a moment. That is why teachers always use the PowerPoints and videos. The problem occurs when teachers cannot maintain the enthusiasm that is created. Students are quickly turned away from their moment of excitement if the teachers do not take advantage of the moment and do something new. This happens in my foreign language classes all the time. The boring teachers turn on the projector and the students are momentarily excited; however, the activity turns out to be the same thing that they have done for the past six months to a year. They do not put any creativity into their job. The fun teachers are the creative teachers.
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Shalin M. Shah
The cell phone has greatly influenced the communication between me and anyone else whom I know. My cell phone has greatly expanded the range in which I can communicate with my family and friends. Before I owned a cell phone, I (obviously) used the home phone, which limited the number of people I could access. With a cell phone, I am able to contact any person I want at any time, regardless if my parents are using the home phone. The cell phone gave me an almost unlimited use of the phone, with complete control in my hands. Not only am I able to contact any person I wish, I can do it in a variety of ways. First, there is the traditional method of calling. This method remains the most efficient, but the cell phone offers more techniques to communicate. The text message is very useful when I need to tell someone something, but I am too lazy to talk. Whenever I have to tell something to my friends, I can write one text message and send it to all of the people I want, all at once (which is preferable to calling each person individually). Overall, I would say the cell phone has positively influenced communication.
The Internet allows anyone to express anything they want about himself or herself. As for me, I have chosen to stay away from expressing my individuality in the global community. I guess I have not had the motivation to do so, or I am lazy. However, other people have deeply nurtured their individuality at the level of a global community. Websites such as myspace have allowed people to express themselves to the world. I would probably label myspace as sublime, for one can show themselves to the rest of the world, yet at the same time reveal classified information that should not be in the hands of others.
By being able to communicate at any time of the day, I have felt important results that have helped me survive my everyday life. For example, if I had a doubt on a homework assignment, I could easily communicate with a classmate through I.M. This instant form of communication has greatly influenced my life in a positive way.
Technology has only improved my education. Online teacher websites have, and will continue, to allow me to check assignments as well as other class information. Also, the fact that we are able to check our grades online has allowed me to see where I am at in the class. The online grades have let me see where my faults and strengths have been (concerning classes and assignments).
I definitely believe that teachers use technology to improve our learning. One of the most important pieces of technology used by my teachers is the projector, for it allows the teacher to present information in a clear manner. Another great example of technology used by in the learning environment is the Internet. Teachers use web quests and other online activities in order to expand on a given subject. Online searches allow students to access a grand variety of information, which greatly improves the possibilities of learning.
I first got my cell phone in seventh grade. I was excited just to have one because it for some reason made me feel older and more responsible. However, I never really found much use for it because not many of my friends had cell phones. But as I entered high school and started to participate in more activities, I found more of a need to communicate with my parents and friends when I was on the go. This may sound superficial and materialistic, but now I can't really imagine my life without it. Of course, I am exaggerating, but it has seriously made it so much easier for me to contact my friends and family. I also never really knew how to text people or what it even meant back in the seventh grade. And now, I find myself constantly checking to see if I have received a new text message. Looking back to before the seventh grade, it is sometimes hard to imagine how I ever got by without my cell phone.
There are many different ways in which I express myself with the use of the internet. I have both a Facebook and Myspace, and log into them on a regular basis. I display photos of me and my friends having a good time. Although not realizing it when I posted the photos, they represent my appreciation and respect for them. (Even if I do post an unflattering photo of some of them =]) Another way I express myself online is through AIM Instant Messenger. The things I put in my profile, my screen name, and my buddy icons all express my personality and individualism. I was also a frequent blogger on Xanga.com, in which I vented about the school day and things that were bothering me. Blogging allowed me to be real with people and let my feelings out.
By being able to communicate with others, for essentially 24 hours a day has really made my life exceptionally easier. For example, I was absent from school for 2 days and in order to get the assignments, I instant messaged my friends from my classes to get those assignments. It is also great to have many different options for communication as well. I didn't have to instant message, I could have text, e-mailed, or just plain called them as well. It has also made communication easier in an emergency situation. Last year, my dad went for a bike ride and when taking a sharp turn, he fell off of his bike. Fortunately everything was okay, and he had used his cell phone to call my mom and tell her what had happened. If my dad didn't have his cell phone, he wouldn't have been able to fill my mom in on the incident.
I feel that the internet and other forms of communication have definitely had some type of impact on my education, both in a positive and negative sense. With the use of the internet, it is easier for teachers to communicate with their students through the use of e-mail and their WebPages. Many teachers post their assignments and curriculum online, making it easy for their students to access it. With the use of e-mail, we can ask our teachers questions, and because it is something that is so widely used, we can usually expect a quick response. The use of the internet is also sometimes beneficial in research purposes. We can research information for projects and things like that with simplicity. However, things like the internet and our cell phones can actually be detrimental to our education. There are websites out there, such has Wikipedia that have false information on them. It is so easy for us to fall victim to websites like these. Our cell phones also serve as a distraction. When doing homework, I often get text messages or instant messages from my friends that often cause me to be distracted and unfocused.
Cell phones in general have really been more of an asset than anything else. In situations such as needing a ride home from school that ride from my parents is just a cell phone call away. I really don't text that much making the problem of overusing my cell phone really nonexistent. Another technological device would be the Internet, which I can assert myself as an individual by the sites I visit as well as what I leave behind on the Internet. By looking at such sites as myspace I assert my willingness to be social as well as express my individual identity with what I put on my myspace. In many ways this ability to communicate 24/7 makes life a lot easier to receive and send important information such as school closings and emergency calls. As far as technology's impact on education most of the impact is positive. Internet especially allows for access to a wide variety of resources but in a negative sense the Internet's various amusing sites tend to distract people. Technology is definitely a device used by teachers to improve our learning such as this blog.
1. Having a cell phone allows me to contact my friends and family whenever I need to. I don't even use my house phone anymore because using my cell is so much easier.
2. I don't really use the internet unless I'm doing homework. For people who do use the internet to express themselves, they do so because they want their voice to be heard. The internet is accessible to most the world, so communication via the internet is fairly simple.
3. Being able to communicate 24 hours a day makes me feel a lot safer. I know that as long as I have my phone, I will be able to reach someone in the event of an emergency.
4. Technology has helped my education because the internet is helpful when doing homework. Sadly, technology doesn't always help. When something is wrong with my computer, assignments take much longer than expected because I have to go to the library to finish my homework.
5. Yes, most teachers try to post assignments on the internet and provide additional resources online.
Maddy Kloster p.2
1. Since I got my cell phone it has been easier to communicate with my family and friends and I have also been more accessible to them. A cell phone makes it possible for my parents to contact me when I’m not at home as well as making it easier for me to call them and let them know where I’ll be or what’s goning on with plans. I occasionally use it more than I should. In fact, unlimited text messages have been added to my family’s cell phone account because I used to send way too many. I don’t text that much anymore, but when I first got my phone, it was like an addiction because the option of sending texts was always just there and it was very tempting. It was like a new toy that I always played with. Now that I’m used to it however, it isn’t a big deal and I don’t use it as much.
2. On the internet, websites like myspace give people all over a world a chance to express themselves to virtually anyone with a computer. I personally use myspace to just talk to friends and pass time when I’m bored. A myspace page is where people express who they are, what their interests are, and represent themselves to the global community. They put certain things up and decorate it in a certain way to show what they like. My myspace is the same way. The song people play on their page also says something about them. But they have one chance to show themselves to the world and express themselves to the world and only one page of information to show them, so it becomes even more representative because of what they choose out of everything else to put up.
3. With technology now, people are easily accessible 24 hours a day. This obviously affects sleep for some people, but also the way people think. Nowadays, if somebody can’t get a hold of a person they want to talk to, they will go almost insane because people are so used to being able to contact whoever they want whenever they want. People will call any and all phones someone has, as well as texting them and probably emailing them as well. I think that talking to people with technology has become an obsession in today’s society.
4. Technology has made a positive impact on education. Online, students can access lessons, notes, or reviews. Homework is also readily available online if a student misses school which prevents them from having to catch up. When doing research, students have a much easier time because they can just go straight to the internet and search for something and get answers for exactly what they’re looking for right away. They do not have to search through countless encyclopedias and research books to find answers anymore. However, the internet is not always right and students need to be cautious of what websites they believe. The internet also provides a distraction for those trying to do homework. The lures of chat rooms and various websites cause them to procrastinate more if they are doing work on a computer.
5. Teachers definitely utilize technology everyday. Power points are used more and more, the internet is used for homework and study lessons, and students can now easily send homework assignments in by email. All of these uses of technology make it easier for students to get their work done and also provide them with a beneficial way to communicate with teachers and ask questions they may need to ask even when they are not in school.
Technology changes our lives every single day. Because of it, the world is advancing farther into fields that people never felt would be ventured in to. This is something I can not relate to, however. Rather, I can relate to technology on a personal level. I can see how it affects various aspects of my everyday life, how it makes my life so much easier than it would be otherwise. I can see how the world is at my fingertips because of this ever changing
My cell phone is essentially becoming my life. It has everything I need on it. It is my tool for communication with the rest of the world. Prior to a cell phone, which I find it difficult remembering because I have had one since fifth grade, I communicated solely in person and a little bit over the home phone, but not much because I had limited capabilities of where I could talk. With my cell phone, I can communicate with anyone, anywhere, anytime. When in my car, I e-mail my teachers about any conflicts I am going to have that day, text message my friends about hilarious stories that happened over the weekend, and call my mom and let her know that I got to school okay. This is now a necessity for me, whereas before I would have viewed it as a privilege. Without my phone, I honestly feel I would be lost.
Another way I would be lost is if someone took away my individuality. I express through the internet, not often, but sometimes, mostly through my Facebook. On Facebook, I am able to customize a page all about me to my liking. I can put music I enjoy listening to on there, post pictures of my friends and I having hilarious antics, and even communicate with my friends once again. I can watch and share videos about funny things going on in the world and join groups whose causes I support and believe in. All of these are expressions of me. My personality is revealed through this page, from the paragraph about myself to the Brittney Spears song that plays when you click onto my page. This truly had changed my life by giving me an outlet for personal expression.
My life has also changed due to the fact that I am now able to communicate with the world twenty-four hours seven days a week. Everything is just becoming more and more convenient, or so it seems. If I run into a problem on a project after I leave school, I e-mail my teacher from my phone and when they get back to me, I am easily able to devise a solution to the problem. Also, this constant communication has enhanced the relationships I develop with my friends. I know being able to reach someone whenever I need to talk to them has helped me immensely. If ever something goes wrong or I get into a fight with someone, I simply text message one of my friends and then they begin to listen to me. That text message never comes more in handy then when I have a problem at one o clock in the morning and through sending a text message, I am able to develop a resolution. Without that message, I would have had to call. I would not have called, however, out of fear that the entire household would have been woken up. This would have resulted in me stewing in anger and depression for quite some time. This has impacted my life for the better, especially in regards to the problem of education.
Technology is largely impacting the field of education, and largely for the better. Ten years ago, you would not have been able to put a worksheet on the projector by using an Elmo. Actually, you would not have known what any of the aforementioned objects even were. Rather, you would still be using the rusty old overhead projectors to get your task accomplished. Tablet PC’s would not be scattered throughout the science department. All of the notes would still be taking place on the chalkboard and everyone in the class would have to strain to read them. Homework is more easily conveyed through the use of the internet, and messages are easier to get across from the teachers to the students. Personally, my handwriting is quite atrocious, thus the invention of the computer has helped me immensely because now all of my teachers can read the assignments I spend hours doing, such as a portfolio. All these positives don’t stand alone, however.
Technology has also brought a couple negatives to the classroom as well. I feel that technology makes everything seem more distant. When I ask a teacher about homework assignments, the response is always check the internet. I feel this is an example of how all the relations are being taken out of education due to technology. My sister, for example, has a college professor who will only announce homework and other assignments online. If her internet were to go down, she would have no way of knowing the assignment. This is another whole. Technology can fail. If for some reason technology is to fail, and you are under a deadline, then the circumstances are very unfortunate. An example of this would be your computer crashing the day before a massive essay is due. All your work was on that computer, and since it crashed, your learning process has come to a complete stop.
Teachers have begun to utilize technology to improve our learning process as well. The main way in which this is done is through the invention of web quests. The web quest is a supplementary tool a teacher uses to further learning by making a student find answers on their own. This aids in the learning process because it is a variation of a lesson plan that makes the classroom more exciting.
Technology is forever changing the face of the world, my world in particular. I am able to do work faster, communicate more often with more ease, produce better looking products, problem solve more efficiently, and become a better learned person because of technology. Although it does contain some minor drawbacks, the Tech Life is something I would not give up anytime soon.
Cell phones have made it easier and safer for me to go out without my mom worrying so much about me, because she knows that I have a cell phone with me and she knows that I would use it in case of an emergency and that she can check up on m whenever she needs to. My cell phone has also allowed me to text my mom in case of an emergency at school. If I forget a project I know that my mom is only a couple of buttons away. In a way I agree with her, it has possibly made me more lazy, I don’t stress over remembering it because if I forget she’ll bring it to me- but that has more to do with my mom spoiling me than with technology.
I used to use the internet to “express my individuality” but now it just makes me sick. Sites like Myspace and Facebook make the world more impersonal everyday. Kids use the site to stay connected, but eventually it disconnects them from everyone because instead of actually going out and hanging with their friends they sit at home on their computer. They all write out their “About Me”s like it is the defining moment in their lives and personalities, trying to prove how different and special they are like anyone cares. Then they try to prove to you how they don’t care what you think, but I know that’s false because just by them saying that means that they do care. The worst part is when teens actually care who’s commenting their pictures and what they’re saying and they post one thousand bulletins telling everyone to comment them, then they get mad when you don’t. There are few who say they are done with the site, they say they see all the negative aspects of it-but then they stay on it! Its addicting to have all of your friends right at your fingertips unless you really see what its doing to you. It makes it so much harder to actually talk to a friend in person, the computer is the easy way out because you get to think about what you’re saying before you say it. Myspace and Facebook give everyone the false confidence they need to really “be themselves”. I understand that some of your friends live far away, and the computer is an easy and free way to talk to them fast- but it is also a great way to meet online predators and other criminals. Others try to meet people online which isn’t safe an no one should do because you never know if that person is who they say they are. If you’re stupid however, and you put your real information on the site, they know who you are, where you go to school, your name, possibly phone number and address, who your friends are, where they can find you in what after school activities you participate in. And for those who really have no common sense and like to show off pictures of them drinking and getting high, its and easy way to one-look stupid, and two-get caught. I know part of the reason I started to gain weight has to do with me sitting home on the computer all day, the only way is to cut it out of your life completely. Sometimes it makes me feel like I’m missing out, but I know if I sat home on the computer all day I would miss so much more.
Brittney Gergen
Mr.Robin told us that he originally created this Blog in order to give a voice to those who do not normally speak or participate in class. This idea that people can communicate more over the Internet is revolutionary, it is having more of an effect than I believe anyone could have ever imagined. People who don't normally voice their opinions find themselves under the security blanket of the Internet. He caught onto a phenomenon that is taking a role in everyone's lives; the Internet gives people a sense of freedom that many feel they can not express in real life without getting judged. The Internet allows people to say things without ever confronting anyone in real life. Although this is great, people are getting a chance to do things they would not normally do, in some cases people are being abusive with this freedom. Since in most cases people will never meet people face to face, they feel that they can act even more outside their character without consequence. I think this is what bothers me most about the Internet. It causes a disconnect between what is socially okay, and often leads to the intern et having many vulgar and abusive attributes.
If you take a look at the general content you can find on the Internet, many are topics that you would not normally discuss in person. It changed what is socially acceptable to talk and even show. It introduces people to many things that would not normally be shown in person. The amount of different forms of pornography on the Internet is outrageous. It is hard to Google anything without being exposed to an advertisement exploiting sexuality. In real life you do not have people coming up to you asking you if you would like to see “more” of them. Even the ideas communicated between people on such media's such as Aim is far from what is said in real life.
Many people interact with others via Forums, Myspace, Facebook, and other Blogs. The issue with this, is that with so much freedom given to them that they often take abuse of it. Blogs were created in order to give the individual a place to express the ideas that they normally can not express in person. But there comes a point where too much expression can turn bad. Some people take Blogs a step further, where instead of listening to what others are saying they take abuse of this and sometimes backlash or attack what they are saying. In the end, the people who originally wanted to express their ideas, end up getting judged, which is the very thing they might have been trying to avoid.
Any who! I think I went off on a couple of tangents there, but I just want to say that despite the fact that this is a Blog, like millions of others out there, I really enjoy the fact that no one is abusive. Mr.Robin's Blog is a place where people can truly express their ideas freely without worrying about being judged.
In sixth grade, I moved out here from Algonquin. As a twelve year old, I figured a half hour’s worth of distance was no different than living on opposite ends of the world. Being the dedicated gymnast I was back then, I had no time to commute back and forth on a regular basis. Practically living at the gym and also in the car made the use of land lines almost inconceivable, and thus, the “need” for a cell phone came about. For hours and hours, I was able to communicate with ease while in the car and on the go any time I pleased, especially since my best friend and I had free mobile-to-mobile minutes. It was much easier to talk to my dad after my parents divorce without having to go through my mother and tell her everything he and I had conversed about. Cell phone simplified what I had thought to be the impossible. Friends and family were merely eleven digits away, the one-plus-the-area-code included. Even now, five years later, I enjoy the freedom of contacting those I love when needed. I can keep my conversations private with no repercussions.
I am guilty of making both a Livejournal and a Myspace account. Livejournal was merely a way to say whatever I felt the need to say about anything at all, though I almost never elaborated on anything serious. I do not think the internet is a place to throw out one’s woes in an attempt to receive sympathy in return. Much of what I wrote about was arbitrary ramblings on anything from questioning the sanity of the man who invented the Furby to information on my “band of the week” to a rant about how narrow-minded a person may be if he or she believed Earth is the only planet that supports life. Myspace, on the other hand, is just another way for me to communicate with friends. I do not generally gravitate towards the internet to express myself or my individuality. A person’s true character cannot be defined and interpreted accurately based on what is written in a blog or how his or her “’space” is laid out and designed. Real judgment can only come from personal experience.
I cannot honestly give insight as to how much my life has changed as a result of being able to communicate with anyone anywhere at all hours of the day. I have had this privilege for much too long to remember, let alone even imagine, my life without the technology to do so. That being said, though, the impact must be profound. The idea of limited communication is no longer part of my reality. When I leave for college in a couple years, this may very well change and it will undoubtedly make me extremely uncomfortable. The paradigm shift will be huge, and until that point in time, it is hard to compare my life with the ability to communicate 24/7 to a time without that privilege.
Ahh, technology. With every fiber of my being, I believe technology, especially the internet, has stunted the growth of the developing vocabularies of my generation. As the years go by, cell phones are found in the hands of younger and younger children. Kids these days prefer to go online and chat or sit around texting their friends, rather than pick up a book and read or draw or write. There is no motivation to get out and learn when there are so many distractions out in the technological world to discover and make use of. On the other hand, it is hard to deny the advantages of technology. An innumerable amount of resource cites are at the fingertips of anyone who chooses to use them. What was once only found with hours of effort in a library can now be found in seconds or less in the comfort of the home. Visuals on the computer to aid in the learning process in the classroom help those who cannot comprehend a unit fully without seeing it visually by giving them that video clip or power point.
Teachers definitely depend on technology to improve learning. If a projector is broken or a computer crashes, the world seems to end. Pictures must be drawn on the board and homework must be gone over orally without the aid of the elmo. They encourage students to use whatever online resources we can find that will help us understand lessons and topics brought up throughout units and discussions. Exceptional power points downloaded from a woman in New York are used frequently in the social studies department, because they convey information much more thoroughly and concisely than many other sources. Technology is just an easier way to get a message across to any number of students when there are so many different ways for an individual to learn.
Jessica Brewer
8th
to everyone - wow.
My cell phone gave me several ways to stay in touch with my friends and family. Before I had a cell phone, I rarely spoke to my friends outside of school. It was harder because I had to memorize numbers in order to call my friends. Texting also helped me stay in touch with friends and family. Instead of calling someone, I can just send a text and they can respond when they get it. Also, texting helps in the way that if I was with my friends, I can just text my mom or dad. This saves me the embarressment. My cell phone also allows my parents to know where I am at all times. If they need to know where i am, they can just call my cell rather than hope I am at my friends house.
Other ways of of expressing my individuality is through the internet. I can use pitures to express how I feel like in myspace.
My life has changed being able to communicate 24 hours. It allows me to build relationships with other people. I can just send a text to a person and it could spark for an entire conversation. It can also help to get to know another person's personality.
This new technology has helped my education rather than hurt it. It helped in the way that I can get information at a moments notice. But it also has caused me to write with words like "u" and and numbers for words like "2." Another negative impact is that it takes time away from homework and studying. For example, I could be studying and then I get a text and I end up talking to that person for the rest of the night.
The only teacher that really uses the internet, in my case, is Mr. Robin. He makes us use it for the better because when we blog, we have to use complete sentences and check for grammar.
-Period 2
With the cell phone, I am able to talk to my friends and family anthime I want, thus creating the feeling that I am never alone. This is a good thing because my mother never worries about me and that I dont like being alone. It gives me a sense of security that I can always call someone. With the internet, facebook and myspace have become quite popolar for expressing people's individuality, but that isnt always the case since if you have a facebook, something millions of people have, then are you really unique? Our lives have become so much more fastpaced and dependent on technology. If the internet fails for even 1 hour, we beceome totally lost and unable to communicate, so I think this has hurt us in the long run since we have become so dependent on technology. Technology has had a negative impact oin my education since my computer wasnt availible to me all last wee, causing me to write this blog late. Teachers use powerpoints to teach us the lesson but I feel this is bad since it takes away from the individuality of that teacher's methods, thus causing the lessons to be boring.
The cell phone has become a part of who I am. I don't go anywhere without it. I use it constantly to talk with friends, and am an avid texter. I think it might be affecting my sleep, because some nights I'm guilty of texting at 12 in the morning. But that's one of the benefits. The cell phone has provided a way of being in communication with others at any point in the day. Like Hakan said ahead of me, it's a way to feel secure and to never really be alone. If I need to talk to someone, I'm just moments away from communication. And if they don't respond, I can text, try them on aim, or leave a myspace message.
The internet has become a way for me to be close to my friends and to express myself and individuality. Myspace and facebook are just two different pages that allow a person to customize their page and show who they are as a person.These websites have become a way people communicate and express themselves in a creative way.
Technology has influenced teaching and the way teachers work. Many of my teachers use the computer every day, in giving presentations and as a tool to help visual learners. Many teachers assign homework over the internet too, but it provides students with more information and always up to date. Personally as someone who learns best with examples and visual displays, the change in technology has greatly influenced how I learn and interpret information.
Technology is growing and developing, and will continue to do so exponentially. Technology has improved life in many aspects and changed how people act in everyday. Technology influences and governs people in everything they do and has become a major part of society.
Cell phones make communication between my family and friends much easier. Having a cell phone allows me to find out where people are at all times, making plans much easier to go through with. Before having a cell phone, calling my friends houses was my only choice. With cell phones, no matter where my friends are I can get a hold of them. If the person I’m trying to reach doesn’t answer their phone then I’ve always got my third choice, Facebook. With Facebook the same thing goes just to a whole other level, where no matter what I want to say to that person I get it across, and every person that their friends with can see it.
In the Chicago Tribune, I found an article about blogs that I found interesting and thought related to our technology discussion. (I’m typing this in Microsoft Word, and I’m surprised “blogs” isn’t listed in my MW dictionary because of its common use as internet lingo.) In “Welcome to obscurity: Blogs and the real world,” it is stated that there are over 109.2 million blogs tracked by the Internet search engine Technorati. Within two months since August, there has been a 16% increase of blogs tracked. Since it’s estimated that 1 billion people in the world use the internet, 109.2 blogs means there is one blog for every 23 people. Yet as staggering as these numbers are, the vice president of Technorati admitted that over 99% of the 109.2 million blogs, some of which are spam blogs, are never looked at, which goes along with the theme that anything created on the internet is forever on the internet.
Jessica Sudo
Period: 5
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