1. Microsoft Word
2. Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer
3. Facebook
It may seem strange that, of these three, I picked Word to go first. It's because I have always loved to read. Novels of all kinds provided for me escapes and adventures, insights into people and places I'd never seen. Writing went hand in hand with that and teaching. I want to share my passion with future generations employing those two mediums. In my classroom, I will impart the knowledge I gather and the same in any books I write, too.These are the technologies that have impacted me most in my life. It may seem odd to label Word as the very first. It and Firefox are probably almost equal, but there is a reason I chose Word. In Montclair now, I am an English major with a creative writing minor. Reading and writing have always been very important to me. In books, I could see explore new worlds, experience new people, and this has shaped me into who I am today. That is why Word is important to me. It's grammar and spell check taught me very basic lessons in writing early on. Now, I use it not only to compose my academic essays, but short stories for my creative writing classes, as well. Trusting merely in Word can be problematic. It is not human, but also not perfect. Sometimes, I must exercise my better judgment to decide whether what Word tells me is actually logical and it often isn't.
I listed Firefox as my second most influential technology. The internet in general has been highly beneficial for me. I am an avid reader, as mentioned above, but I don't always have the time to visit bookstores or libraries. When I'm in need of a quick fix, I can find both professional and amateur literature online, which helps me to bolster my own abilities. Not only that, the internet provides so many other services. I have found many reputable research websites on it that have aided me in constructing papers to earn nice grades. Whenever I need to stop thinking, I can visit silly websites or even watch movies online. This can cause problems, however, as proven by recent propositions like SOPA, PIPA and ACTA. People misuse the internet so they don't have to go to stores or purchase anything. I haven't illegally downloaded myself, but I'm aware piracy is an issue, and it's not the sole issue, either. I find scholarly sources online to ameliorate my writing, but this isn't always the case for others. They abuse the internet as a means to procrastinate.
Some of the most pertinent subsets if the internet are social networking sites, like Facebook. These are beneficial because they help people stay connected. I consider them influences for keeping me in touch with friends I might have otherwise grown apart from. On the other hand, I can honestly admit that it does the opposite sometimes. With more tools to communicate without being face to face, people are likely to become less personable. I myself have forgone meeting a friend because I could just as easily message them online.
My future students may be like Olivia in that they do not always have access to the technologies I need them to use. They may, on the flip side of the coin, use certain technologies too much as a crutch. Olivia's story and her quest to better herself via technology was inspiring. Other students may not be as driven. I think I should try to balance my curriculum so those who cannot access technology or do not care to are not at a disadvantage, but also so I can highlight the benefits of technology. Olivia uses it to express herself the same way I did and this touches me.
Sarin, you mentioned that you love to read—but Word isn't generally a reading tool (it's a writing tool). Wouldn't books be considered the most influential if you love to read? I also noticed that all 3 of your choices are digital technologies. Was TV not a significant influence in your life?
ReplyDeleteThese are both questions that made me think, professor, but I think I have a viable answer for at least the first.
Delete1. Generally, I prefer to read a physical book rather than something on an e-reader, which is why I did not list any technologies like this. I like seeing my personal library grow and there's something about holding a book that brings me back to my childhood. Also, I may have understated how important Microsoft Word and writing are to me. As much as I read, I write, too. In fact, I've been writing more than reading of late, due to time constraints - writing for school is a given, but I've also been writing to express myself and lower stress. I write short stories, essays, poems, outlines, so many things. Writing things out is a memorization tactic for me and my favorite method of writing is using Microsoft Word or another word-processor, like Open Office, instead of employing a pen/pencil and notebook.
2. Television did not occur to me until now. It IS an influence on my life. As an English major, just as I enjoy finding innovative plots in the novels I read, I love when the film industry creates something clever for the big or little screens. I'm aware TV is a powerful influence on others, as well. I don't approve of shows like Jersey Shore where hedonism is the only theme, but I know that people inside and outside of my classroom will view Jersey Shore and other forms of entertainment similar to it. I'd like to encourage them to watch brain food. Even if a show is not quite labeled as educational, I think it can be a learning material if it incorporates some sort of depth in its emotional and narrative depiction.
I thought it was really interesting that you picked Word as your most influential technology mostly because it hadn't even entered my mind. Obviously, as a fellow English major it has become a huge part of our lives and the vehicle to the finished product for most of our classes. I am on the other side of the English major as I find myself much more interested in the reading aspect. I'm curious if you have had any experiences with any e-readers? Part of my addiction to my iPad is the ibooks app which allows me to quickly have access to millions of book (even on a Sunday when all my stores are closed!). I'm curious if you have had any experiences similar to the students in the second video. How do you use the actual devices to make your life easier or more functional?
ReplyDeleteIt was difficult for me to pick only three. I think I'm all over the English major spectrum. I am ALWAYS reading, to the point where I self-diagnose myself with bibliophilia, an obsession for books. I have a lot-hate relationship with e-readers. I love their accessibility and how they can carry so many books, an entire library even, in one small device. However, although it's cliche, I love the feel, smell and look of traditional books. Where people carry their e-readers around rather easily (and, I admit, I do sometimes, too), I like knowing that there's a book in my bag, even if it lends to the weight.
DeleteThe reason I chose Word, however, is that I'm a writer as well as a reader. In fact, reading other people's words and using them as an escape (not in a very dramatic way; just for fun traveling to fantastical worlds) inspired in me the desire to create my own. I've been writing stories (mostly for myself) for years now, but only recently decided to take a real creative writing class. It's so much fun, as is writing in general, so Word is important to me. When I'm not reading, even if I'm not typing up an assignment, I probably have a Word doc open to write in.
Sarin,
ReplyDeleteI agree; word processors are wonderful! My computer recently crashed, and I had to re-install the OS, and the version I bought didn't have word. :( Luckily, I found this great website called doc.google.com, which is like Word, with the exception that it doesn't check the spelling, and there's no built-in thesaurus. A plus: everything saves automatically, and online--so you won't loose all the hard work in your USB gets crushed in an avalanche. I think online word processors could be a valuable resource for students, like Olivia.
That website is awesome. I have also used it and I very much like it. However, if you don't already know, I'd love to tell you about an alternative - Open Office. It's free, open source, downloadable software that mimes MS Word. It doesn't have ALL the features, of course, but I enjoy using it and find it easy. It also checks spelling and has a thesaurus. In fact, there's something about it I like a little more than Word. I think it's slightly more user-friendly, so when I'm not creating something formal for a class, I typically prefer using Open Office. You should try it.
DeleteSarin,
ReplyDeleteI particularly want to focus on the section on "Microsoft Word" because I completely agree. Word has definitely saved me from handing in a paper with spelling mistakes and/or awkward sentence structures. It has cleaned up most of my grammatical mistakes and I am grateful for that. Thankfully, I have not been one to become dependent on it. However, I know most of my students will be, especially with technology growing and becoming more vital every day. This is the problem I am scared to face in my classroom and one that I know I will. As teachers, how can we monitor our students use of Microsoft Word? For one, I know I can assign them more written work, where Microsoft Word or any other tools on the computer are not essential to the completion of the assignments. Then again, how will I know that they won't use the Internet or Microsoft word to double check for the spelling of a word? I won't, and this is what scares me because it something I cannot always control. However, I think it's important to mention to students exactly what you did in this blog...completely relying on these tools is "not human". Great insight.
I agree that outside sources like Microsoft Word can be problematic because they become a crutch for students. In my case, seeing what errors I made with a red squiggly line beneath them generally absorbed into my mind, and I tried to avoid them following. I hope it can be a self-edit system for our students, as well, though this may not always be the case.
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