A Professor's Perspective

The frustration of technology

                After interviewing a student I thought it would also be a good idea to get the opinion of a professor. Deciding upon whom to interview was easy, my history professor Mr.Dedecker seemed like an obvious choice considering his connections to the past. As someone who has studied history so intently I thought he could give me a unique view into technology and how it has changed things. Additionally I really believe the man is both insightful and intelligent so I actually value his opinion on this subject.

                Let me start by saying that he is someone who is constantly attached to his technology as much as you and I are today. That being said he mentioned that the technology is really dividing us, it puts a barrier between those of us who have it and those of us who don’t. It also really pushes people it groups giving them titles such as “Facebook Friends” or “Twitter Followers” rather than viewing each person as an individual they are defined by their media. On the positive side though he sees the obvious benefits of technology saying that its good for research, expanding knowledge, and creating medicine.

                I moved on to ask him what he thought would happen if technology as we know it simply ceased to exist today. His response was rather comical though likely true to life “Those under thirty would go into cardiac arrest, and those over would be alright.” Finally I asked him if he had anything else to offer on the topic to which he said “Technology has opened many doors and closed a lot of others.” Profound words in my opinion, I think it’s true that technology has given us so much but also taken away a lot and yet we’ll likely never realize exactly what it is we've lost.

Caption: In return for his interview I'd like to show off a bit of his musical talent!

A Look In The Mirror

My Tech Addictions.

                 So far I've taken my time to examine how a fellow student uses technology, how a professor feels about the technology at hand, and how those around me use it when they shouldn't  now it’s time to turn the magnifying glass upon myself. I already knew this was going to be an interesting experience and having seen the results I’m honestly not surprised by them, still I’d love to share them with you. The date I’ll be talking about was Thursday November twenty ninth and I’ll be examining how I use technology, when I use technology, and why I use that technology. I can tell you now that as an avid gamer and tech lover the numbers are going to be high and as I know myself I won’t be surprised though I’m sure others might.

                My day starts at Seven when I wake up to the sound of my alarm on my phone of course though for the first few ours of my day the only piece of technology I use is my phone's mp3 player as I walk to the bus and head to school. Once there though during my down time I spent thirty minutes sitting outside the library enjoying the local internet using Facebook  From there it was off the English 101 where I used the computer for the next hour working on this very blog. Next I listened to music while I walked to my business class and for the next hour and a half my phone is away while I take a test. Afterwards comes a bit of downtime though this is mostly filled with studying in the library with a few other students I do use the computer for about twenty minutes changing my schedule for next semester. Of course in my next class I have a test yet again so from three to four my phone is in my pocket rather than in my hand. Finally with my day finished I head out to dinner with my family and we get home around six. From now on things get a bit hectic… Not only for the next six or so hours am I on my computer working on homework I also have it linked to my T.V. where I’m watching a stream and finally in my hands for most of the period is my phone constantly used to check Facebook or text.

                As I expected once I've got free time on my hands well it’s dedicated to the technology at hand. On a day where I have less tests I might have used my phone more at school but I still think this shows how much I use technology recreationally. Even as I write this Blog post I have a stream running in the background and a phone not far from my hand. At this point I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing but I enjoy the distractions even if they slow down my progress a bit. In the future it might be a good idea to try setting all this technology aside and seeing how a day goes without any of it, but that’s for another day and possibly another blog post.

Catpion: As for what sort of videos I waist my time one.
Well here's one, a trailer for an upcoming movie.

A Spy In The Class Room

If you're going to text in class
do it the right way!

               Today I decided that it was time to actually do some detective work and figure out just how distracting technology can be! So during my art history lecture I took a seat in the very back of the room and watched my fellow students (while taking notes of course). My objective was simply to see who would text during a class we were specifically asked not to use our phones in. I had a few students that I knew I would be watching; ones that often used their phones in class and were rather obvious about it at times. However once I broadened my view I got a better census of things I came to realize that a majority of those students in the room checked their phone at least once. If numbers are more solid, in a class of 29 students I witnessed 22 check their phone! That’s 72% of the students in this one class and though of those most only glanced to their phone once or twice I observed one student who was glued to her phone for most of the class period.

                

                     After noticing her check her phone 4 times within the first five minutes of class I decided to lower my scope and see just how often one student would actually text in class. Over the period of out hour and twenty minute class she looked down to her phone and at least checked a message 68 times! That means that roughly every minute she was making sure she didn't get a text, sending a text, or reading a message! Shocking numbers if you were to ask me though I wanted to know more and so as class came to an end I casually asked how her grade was in the class. She admitted that she was sliding by with a low C but if she didn't do well on the final she was going to be in trouble. I withheld from asking if she thought her constant texting was to blame but I’m sure it was on some level. Just goes to show you that technology when not handled properly can really cause problems.

Caption: As for what I think should be done when a student is caught?
This college professor has the right idea in scaring his students.