Module Project: Part 2

I actually really like Prezi, to be completely honest. It has a real edge over PowerPoint and it was fun to create, add in media and move all over the place! This could prove to be a great program to use in my future classroom. I found the voice-over to be quite simple once I practiced reading aloud a few times. While I still struggled a few times in synchronizing the narrative with the Prezi, I just kept going because at the point, I was not starting over.

My Prezi presentation lists how I think writing is defined today, and briefly touches on the direction it could go in the future. Writing today branches much more than text, and encourages communication, interaction and collaboration. I discussed that many online writing spaces define the authors themselves, and writers need to be aware that their writing portrays them in that way, however negative or positive. Additionally, I give examples of how writing spaces can affect our writing styles, and the tools each writer needs to be aware of when using different spaces.

Watch my Prezi presentation and let me know what you think!

How addicted are YOU?

I think I have withdrawals- not using Facebook for a week has driven me crazy. I thought I would be able to control myself, whereas I didn’t think I would actually have to delete the shortcut off my computer and the app from my phone. WRONG. I woke up on that Wednesday morning, checked my email and clicked on the Facebook icon! After catching myself, I immediately deleted it to avoid further mishaps.

Am I crazy? Surely I should not feel this strongly about a social network. But I found myself wondering whose birthday it was, how everyone’s weekend went and what others had to say about my weekend pictures. Which made me wonder if I like Facebook because 500 of my closest friends can talk to me, or because I can see what everyone and their mother is doing. And that made me feel just plain creepy.

I know we were supposed to tweet each time we were tempted to go on Facebook, but I think I avoided my phone a lot more this week just because I really had nothing to do on it. After reading a couple articles on Facebook with relation to psychology, I found there was more than one mental test out there to see how strong your addiction to Facebook really is! Some people (…and myself) need to go on every day, maybe just to check their notifications, which I will admit make me happy when I have them. I guess part of it is the validation of “Yes, I did have a great time this weekend with my beautiful friends and if you like it, then you agree!”. I also wondered if people would think I was rude by not responding, even though I posted a status about being away for a week. Is that what’s blanketed under manners now, Facebook etiquette?

But I do know something for sure- Tuesday at 6 PM, this girl is re-downloading the Facebook app and immersing herself back in the Facebook world.

Texting, Typing, and Carpal Tunnel, Oh My!

After watching, “As Real as Your Life” by M. Highland, it really made me think of all the people I know who are addicted to video games, my brother being one of them. Not only did it make me think of video game addicts, it made me think of how many of us are addicted to pretty much anything with a screen; TV, computers, cell phones, iPads, iPods, Nintendo DS, GPS, etc. Maybe “addicted” is a strong word, but we have a sense of dependency for these items, and at this point, we don’t know what it is like to be without them. The other day I left home without my cell phone. I began to think, what if I get lost and need my GPS? How will I check my emails throughout the day? My mom, dad, boyfriend, and best friend are going to think I fell of the face of the earth, have been kidnaped, or go into a car accident and died! Even though I was already 20 minutes away, the feeling of being without this piece of technology overwhelmed me, so I had to turn around. It is pathetic if you think about it, but it is the world we live in.

As much as technology has to offer, The more I type and text, I can’t help but to think it is going to have physical implications. The dependency and addictions teens and even adults have for cell phones and computers can have a negative effect. I am on my computer at least 3 hours a day for school purposes, I send at least 30 texts everyday day (which is very low compared to teens these days), and I Facebook, tweet, surf the web, and send e-mails from my phone. Over the past year, I have noticed that my pinky finger on my right hand is always curled up and I have a very hard time straightening it. When I type and text, it doesn’t reach the keys or play a part in the texting, so it does not serve a purpose, it just curls and cramps up. When ever I am typing for long periods of time, I get a bad cramping pain in my pinky finger. I am worried it could be an early sign of carpal tunnel. I googled carpal tunnel and technology and I found out that I am not alone. Teens have already been experiencing this issue due to the mass amount of texting. I read this article, “New Technology Causing Increased Risk for Carpal Tunnel”, and Dr. Sivia was quoted saying, “The repetitiveness of using a computer for typing as well as using text on your phone, that combination can increase your risk for stress issues or carpal tunnel syndrome.” (wpsdlocal6.com).

Carpal tunnel from texting! YIKES!

 

My awkward pinky! I should probably get that checked out!

I am not suggesting that we boycott texting and typing, but I do think we need to be aware of these implications and make sure we are not using these technologies to an access. In the mean time, I am going to end this blog so I can stretch out my curled up pinky finger before it feels like it is going to fall off!