Technology Autobiography

            Technology is amazing in the way it connects people, makes information more attainable and makes learning more possible. However, it is a double-edged sword in the way it has somewhat consumed our lives. My goal is to become an English teacher, so most technologies can be applied to a classroom, however a lot of these technologies can start to take away from the basis of English, which is reading and writing. Reading has become skimming on a Kindle or other tablet, and writing has become typing. That being said, I appreciate technology and rely on it every day. The three most important technologies in my life are my cell phone, laptop, and social media.

            My parents bought me my first cell phone when I was in seventh grade. It is amazing to see how much more advanced phones are now than they were seven or eight years ago. My first phone was a flip phone, with no camera, texting or front screen. Now, my phone is basically a mini computer; I can buy books, listen to music, take pictures with professional-like camera quality and watch movies all in one place. Smart phones are great because you can download and read books with one simple click, therefore learning new information at all times. One of the girls in the video said her phone was like her third hand. I completely agree; my phone is with me at all times, and if I ever lose or break one and have to wait to buy another it is almost torturous. I realize this is a huge problem; I have become so attached to my cell phone I never know what to do without it.

            My laptop is a close second in my list of important technologies. Laptops are great because they’re not that big, so you can bring them anywhere, and you can do almost everything that you can do with a computer. Learning has become so much easier with the use of laptops; you can immediately Google something if you do not know the answer, or have your homepage be a news website so you are always receiving current information. However, laptops can be a burden because they are not always reliable. If you have an assignment due at midnight and wait until an hour before to do it, the Internet could stop working and then you are stuck with a late assignment. Also, if you do not back your laptop up and it crashes, you could lose every assignment you have ever worked on. This is a huge issue for students and teachers. Laptops are great tools to learn from, but they are also not completely reliable.  

            The third communication technology that has impacted my life is social media, but mainly Facebook. While I enjoy going onto Facebook to check up on people I know and see what they are doing, I also learn a lot while I am on it. Many people post links of interesting things happening, and I get to catch up with people I might not have seen for a while. However, Facebook does have its flaws; it is set up so the most interesting things show up on your News Feed, which makes it seem as if your life is more boring than other people’s, which might not be the case at all. However, I really enjoy looking at different websites and learning more while on it.