The three most influential communication technologies in my life are 1. Ipad, 2. Blackberry, 3. Ipod. For myself as a teacher, I would like to know if Olivia is able to make a healthy divide between using technology in a smart manner for school such as taking notes, research, etc, vs. going overboard in which technology becomes more of a distraction. This is important because while she is obviously very savvy with technology, being able to text very fast and knowing how to change a myspace background with codes, it seems as if she is on a track where her technology use would become a distraction in further education such as college. This is a very common problem that I see all the time not only with students in high school but with college students as well. They have the mind set that they are going to get all of their work done efficiently on the computer but instead spend hours on social networking sites.
As a future high school teacher, I would want my students to realize that college level work as opposed to high school level work is much more time consuming and requires complete attention at all times. The fact that Olivia spent 4 to 5 hours a day mostly on her myspace page, while acceptable in high school and with high school level work, would not be able to be done in college where time management is everything. If I were a teacher of students similar to Olivia, I would give them strategies to avoid this problem such as allotting specific time during the day to study in which during this time, their cell phones must be shut off and put in another room as to avoid temptation. Another method that I would suggest is having a friend log onto their facebook or myspace page locking them out so they cannot go on during study time.
These three technologies ( iPad, blackberry, iPod) have had a very large impact on the ways in which I learn new information and life in general. Beginning with the iPad, I am able to takes notes, read books, and research information conveniently on a device that is small and easy to carry from class to class. Previous to this, I would bring notebooks and textbooks to class. I did not like this because not only was it an inconvenience to carry so many items across campus, but it took more time to have to look in the book for information, highlight certain aspects, take notes on it, etc. that would make me tired and therefore not be able to do as much work in the allotted time. Now with the iPad, I can do all those things in half the amount of time, get the work done more efficiently and have everything I need throughout the day on one small device. Aside from the iPad, my blackberry is very useful in my learning experience, not so much with learning new information but with being able to contact certain people at all times for school purposes. For example, when a professor emails me or I need to email a fellow peer regarding a class, I am able to send/receive emails promptly from my phone and not have to wait until the evening when I return home or when I turn on my iPad. Taking a look now at the iPod, it does not have any impact in terms of learning new material or school at all but rather is used as a tool to help my mind relax for a while in between doing work and studying. After a long day at school, I take half an hour or so to listen to music on my iPod to relax my mind from the stresses of the day and simply take some time for myself. Overall, these 3 devices, although used for different purposes , make the ways in which I learn and do work very convenient.
There are various similarities and differences regarding uses of technology between myself and the other young people in these 2 videos. Beginning with Olivia and some of the students in the second video regarding the use of cellphones, I am able to relate to them in the fact that I always have it with me in my hand, checking my emails, texting friends when I get out of class, etc. I can also relate to one young man in the second video who stated that he always uses his laptop at all times. That is how I am as well with the iPad, bringing it everywhere I go. One difference between me and the people in these two videos is the need to go on facebook and other social networking sites, such as Olivias story. I make sure that I do not let those sites get in the way of getting work done because it is very easy to do and can become a big problem.
