Five Uses of Technology

What an eye opening experience it is to truly track your technology use for a day. This has actually been a focus of two class assignments that I have done and it has really effected how often I check my phone. There was a connection I felt as though I needed, just to unlock my phone with no purpose of doing anything on it. Well the day I logged my technology use was one of my busier schools days. Every use was on my phone, except one school article I read on my computer. It is crazy how our phone can displace so many other sources because everything can be accessed from one device. My activity log shows just as much time on entertainment (social media) as it does on school work. Though I on less busy day I use technology more leisurely.  It is something fun and mindless that distracts me from the outside world. Which is why I also use it as a coping strategy, to get my mind off other things. Though I don't believe media has effected my identity formation at this stage in my life, I do believe that the magazines I read helped construct my identity in my early adolescence. High sensation was never a use of media that effected me. I don't listen to a lot of music and am more laid back then action that promotes high sensation. I believe that the most important effect of media for me as an adult and future teacher to think about is youth culture identification. Media keeps evolving and it is already so different from when I started using the internet. I didn't have social media until sixteen and students are going to be introduced even earlier. Social media opens up so many doors into unrealistic expectations and anonymous bullying. Students are going to be able to search whatever pops into their mind and access material that may not be age appropriate. I hope to teach younger kids and remind friends that everything seen on media isn't realistic. What I learned from my technology log is that sometimes media is helpful and sometimes it's an necessary use of time.