iPod – for the
incessant background noise, forever.
Tumblr,
Twitter, & Instagram – for the incessant need to share life interactively
with others.
iPad, Kindle,
or e-Reader – for the escape that we all occasionally hope for.
When
reflecting upon technology that has shaped my life, I consider myself to be
rather conventional in the sense that I fall in line with the ranks of many of
my peers. Though my iPod, iPhone, MacBook Pro, and various other
internet-ready gadgets have overall helped propel me into the person I am
today, I reflect on the following specific items within the branch of
technology that I feel define me as a person through my own aspects.
As a future
educator, I hope to instill the importance of these branches of technology into
my students because they each have allowed me with chances for effortless
self-expression, individuality, and continual support from an interactive
friend that lives within my reality . . .
As an
eternal student, I have chosen music to be the most important technology that
shapes who I am, through the now immortal gateway of an iPod. I fall
directly in line with many of my peers in the sense that I rely heavily on my
iPod. I may not consciously think that I do, but I have it on hand
virtually everyplace I go during the day barring my ability to listen to it at
work or while sleeping. I also feel that it is endlessly able to fit my
personality because my music style changes all the time. It is simply
amazing to have all one's good times with music trapped inside a tiny little
machine. I need my iPod while at the gym to get my fitness on.
I need it to keep me going during the droll that is grocery shopping, and I use
it in between for every walk, jump, or hop from place to place during the
day. I rely on my iPod as the soundtrack to my life. I feel that
the music needs to be playing to support the dialogue and experiences that one
endures while living. Many think that life oddly resembles a movie with
the love affairs, occasional stupor, and enlightening (eureka!)
experiences. I simply say, “Let the music play, and let it keep playing”…
We can
all admit that we fall endlessly to the hands of Social Networking sites and
applications. I may not “Like” Facebook or participate in its structure,
but I honestly fall prey to Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram sites galore when an
opportunity presents itself. I have categorized these each as one
technology because their premise is the intent to network with others
socially. Each of these sites has helped me incredibly come into my own
person. They each have helped me to assume my own identity and
self-creative natures, and continue to do so effortlessly. I may come
across a funny moment and have to “post” it on my Tumblr, or Instagram to
simply interact with people I know and various people I do not. I often
find myself relearning valuable pieces of information and find myself rewording
it quickly to fit the 140-character allowance on Twitter. Though each of these
have redesigned my personality with new and interesting ways of expression,
they each have revolutionized the way that I interpret media, news, and
influences upon my own life as well as others. These networks have showed
me that I share various interests with others and when I may feel alone in
thinking or believing something, they have indicated that I am not alone, at
all.
The final
influential technology is books on the go via iPad, Kindle, or
e-reader. Though I am more firmly rooted in reading books the
“old-fashioned” way as they were intended in either hardcover or paperback, I
do recognize the important role that e-readers play in many lives today,
including my own. The ability to read any work from one’s entire library
of books, virtually anywhere, is highly important for the occasional escape we
all wish to take. The very portability that technology supplies us
with as a civilization is the most important aspect of its existence.
While waiting in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles, the supermarket, or
at the doctor’s office, reading through one of these devices serves us our own
personal portal into the lives of others rather than nonsensical lie-filled
tabloids about who’s doing what, and with whom.
Many of
these technologies have immensely enriched my mind but have also hindered my
understanding of how technology has its limits. This has probably been my
hardest lesson to learn; the extent to which technology works and when it
becomes ineffective in a classroom or any other setting as well. Where I
may have learned about myself, might have hindered my relationships with others
to some level. The most important aspect that I am continually working
toward and learning is for a moderation and balance of technology in my life.
The journey continues...
Technology
fuels our minds constantly. Even with the slightest little things it can
set our minds aflutter. I am enamored with technology through these objects,
and consider my life much more enriching by them being part of it.
