But You’re a Techie
I realize that there’s a fairly good chance that I use technology more often than any of the other 75 staff members in my school. However, I really don’t see myself as someone who “overloads” herself with technology. In my school, most people use a bit of technology (email or Internet searches) at least once a day. Unfortunately, some of the nicest people (and some of the best teachers) are using very little technology in their personal and professional lives.
Just recently, I realized how much technology I use on a daily basis. Obviously, there are people out there who log MANY more hours than I do, but this is an example of a typical day in my house. (sidenote: My fiance’ is an IT guy, making him a bad influence. 
)
Early AM: CNN is on TV, Fiance’ checks Blackberry to see if any emails from work have come in overnight.
Work: Our school is still Web1.0, so I teach Internet research, Microsoft Word, Publisher, PowerPoint, Excel, Kidspiration, KidPix and just started PhotoStory 3 to my K-5 students. I use an ActivBoard to teach lessons. I check work and personal email throughout the day. I Twitter, check my Google Reader and occasionally check comments on this blog. While doing so, I add sites to my del.icio.us. In total, 75% of my school day is spent looking at my own or students’ monitors.
Early PM: Email Fiance’ about dinner plans. Check supermarket circuluar online. Find recipe for dinner online. Rent movie from RedBox online. Check banking account to make sure we have money to pay for dinner…online.
Late PM: Laptops are open while hockey/basketball/Lost/Daily Show are on TV. Conversation includes comments such as, “Hey, did you know…” and “It says on this website that…”. I check my MP3 player for songs I want to listen to at the gym the next day. I check the voicemail messages on our Vonage VOIP phone system and delete the messages that I’ve already listened to via email.
We’ve been living on a tight budget, so we don’t have half of the technology toys we’d love to have. Being “plugged in” for so much of the day doesn’t make my life feel any more efficient…but it does seem richer and I’m absolutely more informed than when I was “unplugged”.
How plugged in are you? Is your entire family plugged in? Does being plugged in positively or negatively affect your family/personal/professional relationships?
Photo: Woman with Computer: Bloomsburg University Residential Computing
3 responses so far ↓
Amber // May 28, 2008 at 12:52 pm |
Wow, your day/night sounds so much like mine. I’m quite addicted to being “plugged in”. I have managed to plug in my mom and 2 sisters, too, by creating a Ning especially for our family gossip (discussions, planning trips, birthday parties, sharing pictures and videos, etc.) Really neat to see them participate since they normally only just use email.
I think it affects my life negatively and positively- positively in that I learn so much and stay connected, and negatively in that I sometimes spend too much time doing so!
cmtvarok // May 28, 2008 at 1:19 pm |
Thanks for the comments, Amber. I love the Ning idea! I should do the same for my future in-laws in Louisiana. I think my students would love it as well for their pen-pal projects.
linnic // May 28, 2008 at 6:40 pm |
I feel like I too am more plugged in than a lot of people, probably way more than I need to be. I cringe every time I see the question “how many hours a week are you on the computer?” Feel free to stop by my site sometime: http://teachingtomorrow.wordpress.com