I was trying to come up with a title for this post and as soon as I started thinking about “a day in the life”, this Simple Plan song popped into my head, so I decided to take inspiration from Kelly’s post titles and roll with it!
As a millennial, I grew up surrounded by technology that was always changing and advancing. I was essentially growing up along side technology in a way. I still remember all the old things that were eventually replaced by something else such as dial up internet, giant block cell phones, BlackBerries, T9, Limewire, MSN, Myspace etc. Even today, technology is constantly evolving and becoming more intertwined into our daily lives. I think that the Covid-19 pandemic really heightened the use and practicality of many technology and social media related things.
Personal Use
Technology is something that I definitely us A LOT, especially in my personal life. I wake up every morning and check my phone. I check my texts & emails, do a quick scroll through Facebook and Instagram. I might also pop on Twitter and see what’s happening over there. If I am extra lazy and want to extend my time laying in bed, I might even go down the TikTok rabbit hole.
Throughout the work day, I frequently check my phone (during school breaks!) and spend time at lunch often perusing social media apps, or watching tv on days where I have lunch at home. On a weekend, I will spend a lot of my morning laying in bed watching TikTok before getting up to most likely watch tv. I am a huge tv enthusiast and I love planting my butt on the couch for hours on end. I also very much enjoy baking and have spent a lot of time online watching videos and expanding my skills by learning how to decorate cakes and cookies. I think that my phone screen time pretty much sums up how much I use some of these devices (and this doesn’t even include tv!)
Professional Use
As an educator, I feel that technology is essential in order to complete our jobs. I know there wasn’t always technology available, and that teachers did in fact get by before the internet and online resources/grade books etc, BUT I feel that now a days you will not find many teachers (at least where the internet is widely available) who are teaching technology free. Just thinking about a regular week at school, I use technology in so many different ways!
- I use Planboard’s website to plan my week and lessons/keep track of all my reminders and the craziness that comes with teaching.
- Our school board has recently switched to Edsby, which is the platform we now use for parent communication as well a recording grades, attendance and observations about student communication.
- We also use Clevr to keep track of more intimate student data as well as information on ROAs (records of adaptations) and incident reports for specific students.
- Our school division also uses Atreive to keep track of payroll, supervisions, absences, forms etc.
- There are also numerous educational websites and platforms that I use with my students such as Google Classroom, Quizizz, Goolge Slides, Media Smarts and an infinite number of website for games and learning .
- I also use many other websites frequently to find worksheets, gather information to create content, and reference the curriculum to keep me on track(Hello TPT!). There are also many software systems on our computers to help us stay organized and in contact (Outlook, Antidote etc!).
- I am fortunate enough to have a mounted projector in my room the last few years so we also use that daily to project lessons and videos!
These are just a few examples of how I use technology in my daily professional life. There are so many things that I use on my laptop that it would take forever to name them all! Even the photocopier is technology!
Final Thoughts
Overall, I think that technology has allowed us to continue to grow, learn, and connect with others in ways that were never possible before! As I mentioned earlier, the Covid-19 pandemic really showed us how important and essential technology can be. For awhile, it was all we had to connect us to others, to be informed, and to even teach our kiddos! I am a big proponent of the use of technology both personally and professionally. I think that it is something that will not be going away and will continue to constantly evolve and become an even bigger part of many people’s lives.
Mme.Cookie 
I started feeling nostalgic while reading your blog. I remember the frustrating times of dial up internet and having to log out whenever someone needed to make a phone call, and the viruses that infected your computer after downloading pirated music from Limewire to burn your own CD’s. I look back on the days of MSN messenger and compare it to present day with social media apps, and cell phones. I feel as though many people who had MSN messenger had the “fear of missing out” ideas similar to how people feel today, only with today’s day in age of “FOMO” much more amplified with all the platforms available.
Great post! I look forward to reading more of your blogs.
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I feel super grateful to have the access to technology for my personal and work use. However, I tend to also fall into rabbit holes and find myself checking my phone way too often. I need to find a balance, but it’s really difficult some days.
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Hi Brittney!
Thank you for sharing your tech insights and thoughts on your blog post, I really enjoyed reading it! The fact also that you are self-taught with your cookie and cake baking/decorating skills truly is amazing! I am very lucky to have enjoyed some of your homemade goodies! 🙂 What we can learn on the internet is pretty incredible!
I appreciate your flashback as well on tech many years ago. My Mom had one of those huge block cell phones that you even needed to pull an antenna out from the top to use it! Crazy to think how much cell phones alone have evolved since then!
Your mention of TikTok is also intriguing, I have not yet downloaded this app. However, my brother and sister continually sent me TikTok videos, so it is very tempting! Those rabbit holes…!
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Hey Brittney – great to be taking another course with you! I really enjoyed your post. I especially liked your view on how essentail technology has become, which was made evident during COVID! Not only did it provide an outlet to see friends, family and loved ones, but it also provided different learning opportunities. At the beginning of the pandemic, The University of Texas ran a virtual coaches clinic via zoom; this was a great learning opportunity to learn from some of the best coaches in the game. This clinic has also led me to continue to search out learning opportunities through the use of technology and apps where Twitter has really helped me accomplish this. There are so many accounts out their for PD in whatever area you are involved in. Twitter also lets you reach out to experts with ease and most are very accomdating with their time!
Thanks for sharing!
Bret
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Hi Brittney,
I related to what you shared about using TikTok. I am kind of addicted to TikTok. I knew Tiktok from my youth participants at the YMCA of Regina. I worked as a part-time youth program instructor. They know how to post a video on Tiktok and know different ways to modify their Tiktok videos. Even now, I feel I haven’t entirely grasped the methods of modifying your video on TikTok. Kids are so good at these technologies I have to say.
These 15-second videos can be a new addiction. People may slide these 15-second videos for hours and hours. These videos are funny and attractive. It makes you keep sliding more. TikTok can collect your personal data and provide more videos according to your interests. I guess this is one of the reasons people are addicted to TikTok.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Echo
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I love how you included your screen time in your post. That wasn’t something that I even considered doing. I know when I am at work, I use my computer a lot more for day to day dealings, and thus my time on my phone looks way less. But when I am off work, my screen time drastically increases. Although this is used as a balancing tool, or to be able to pictorally see the time you are spending and in what categories, it definitely hasn’t been a deterant for me (yet). It’s something that I always look at as maybe something that I will focus on next week, or maybe justify because of this that or the other. I think I am so tied to technology that I lose focus of what I should be doing, and when sometimes. Technology can be so helpful, and so hindering at the same time.
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Gerchew’s Blah posts
Debate#1
gertbear44
Jun 27
Debate #1 -Technology in the classroom enhances learning – I Agree
that technology has advanced our society, but it is used by choice in daily lives. With Internet Censoring, it is allowed unless by request. The article quote: ” Internet is a powerful engine of focus” which is dependent on the individual. It is their choice to use the power of the search engine to aid in their learning. Overall it creates a vast learning environment if everyone follows the rules and makes the important decision to learn. For persons with inequitable situations or disabilities it can change their lives with assistive technology, they are able to self pace and learn. I enjoyed the debate and it gave me awareness to the bigger issues in today’s society. Like inequality for the marginalized and special needs groups of people within Canada and outside our nation. The debate highlighted the needs of disabled and special needs people. It gave me awareness to different groups of people who need access to the internet to make their life more equitable and communicate their needs and wants in order to be heard and seen was a major issue also.
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