Technology Autobiography

My name is Sarah and I’m a first time blogger!  I began my Masters in Secondary Education program at Indiana University- South Bend this past fall. My content area is currently Chemistry, although I may expand to Math and Biology at some point in the future.  I am enthused by the subject matter of this course in media applications and intend to build my skills in technology for both inside and outside the classroom!

When it comes to technology, I am not highly knowledgeable of the technological world.  I tend to just get by with the basics of a variety of devices.  I utilize my cell phone and computer on a daily basis.  I also use other devices frequently including a watch, digital camera, radio, TV, Ipod, and GPS.  My iphone is the one device I carry with me practically everywhere I go.  Ironically, my cell phone can be used as everything mentioned above.  Additionally, I use it to play games, read books/articles, check e-mail, and it can also be used as a calculator.  It is amazing how far technology has come for one device to be so versatile and universal. 

Technology is generally used to simplify our lives.  It allows us to communicate almost instantly with a touch of a button.  Additionally, technology is used to educate/ inform others.  An unlimited amount of information can be discovered over the World Wide Web.  We hear the news, weather, and current events over the radio, TV, computer, and cell phones.  We find out updates about our friends, families, communities much sooner than if we were not connected to these people through technology. 

Most forms of technology require a battery or other electrical power source.  We often forget what life is like without these devices- that is, until we lose power.  Once there is a black-out or the battery dies we then remember how much we rely on technology and how “lost” we feel without it.  That is, until we reunite with our obsolete friend, the telephone, whose phone line can is undisturbed by such power shortages. 

Some of the technologies that have had the most significance to me are the alarm clock – the device that gets me moving each and every morning; my cell phone- which allows me to stay in touch with others as well as them able to get a hold of me; the internet – a place I can get lost in browsing, yet find the answer to almost any question; and the GPS – which has practically saved my life on a number of occasions when I have been literally lost.  I am thankful to not know anyone who relies on assistive technology for any health conditions like a pacemaker or hearing aid, yet I do realize that these means of technology must have a much more significant impact to those who rely their life on them, then the technology I use for my own life’s simplicity.

Technology is all around us and it is nearly impossible to not incorporate it into our classroom.  It is a tool that can provide an infinite amount of possibilities.  My future integration of technology will heavily rely on what I learn throughout this course.  Up until now, I am not tech savy.  I know only the basics of computers and other devices, but have an open mind for what is yet to come!