Justin's Blog

Hi, I'm Justin, a grade 11 student at William Lyon Mackenzie CI. Welcome to my wonderful blog for my IDCICT class. Enjoy!

[heyitsidcict]

No Brawl? No problem.

First things first, I expected this to be way harder than it actually was. I was tasked with giving up some form of technology for a week, in the hopes of becoming more productive. Believe it or not, that actually ended up happening! (To an extent of course.)

As soon as I heard Ms. Cuttle say the words “Tech Detox”, I knew exactly what this meant for me. It meant I would be giving up Brawl Stars. Brawl Stars is a mobile game that me and many of my friends find super addicting. If you’ve ever walked past room 115 at lunch, you would’ve most likely heard a group of 10 or so teenage boys on their phones yelling at each other over some game on their phones. It’s basically become an epidemic. Me, along with my two friends Oscar and Jon started playing religiously about two months ago. Jon and I both got to top 1000 overall in Canada, with some of our characters reaching top 150 in Canada. For a game with almost 10 million players worldwide, that’s pretty impressive. Enough bragging though. I knew I had a problem when over the winter break I checked my phone usage and I was told I had logged 34 hours of Brawl Stars in the past week. That’s almost as much time as a full-time job. Spent on Brawl Stars. It’s almost like this assignment was meant for me.

Tuesday came along and I was feeling confident. I remember doing our learning strategies assignment a couple months prior and recalled how well that went for me. I exhibited crazy amounts of self control and became vastly more productive (See the blog post for more details!) I was ready for this detox, hopeful to cure my Brawl Stars addiction (for one week at least).

My first “lapse” came Tuesday morning at exactly 12:00 am, aka the second the detox was supposed to start. See, I was already playing at the time, and didn’t realize it was Tuesday, and then proceeded to play 3 more games before i DID realize it was Tuesday. So, I’m just gonna let this one go. It was 3 games (10 minutes at most?), I completed my punishment, and failing here had NOTHING to do with my lack of self control. It doesn’t count.

My first REAL lapse came that same afternoon at my friends house. I was feeling common withdrawal symptoms of not playing my favourite game, shakes, vision problems, dehydration, and loss of coordination. I was super bore. I just had to get my fix. After that one game, I decided that it would be the last one, and surprisingly, it was.

After that incident on Tuesday, I didn’t experience a single subsequent lapse. I still logged on to collect daily rewards and chat with friends, but I stuck to my commitment and didn’t play any matches. And like the learning strategies assignment, it was way easier than I could’ve imagined. I guess when I have some sort of motivation, like my marks for example, it becomes really easy for me to control my impulses.

So I didn’t play any more matches for the rest of the week! I don’t know how. I have the worst self control. I’m a chronic procrastinator (current time 3:19 am) and likewise, I play too many games of Brawl Stars based off the reason “why not”, when in the moment that I make this decision I can literally list millions of reasons why not to play a game of Brawl. Why these Self-control assignments are so easy for me are honestly beyond me.

I cut down my usage of brawl stars from almost 5 hours a day to around 10 minutes a day during this week. You’d think that with so much free time I’d actually get sh!t done, but that’s a very, very, VERY bold assumption. What really ended up happening was, instead of procrastinating with Brawl Stars, I, wait for it, procrastinated with other things! I finished season 9 of the Office, watched a whole bunch of YouTube, learned a new song on the Piano, the list goes on. So while I am very satisfied with how much Brawl Stars I was able to cut out over the past week, I’m not as satisfied with how I used all that extra time :p.

[heyitsidcict]

Placement Wrap Up

Did you enjoy the experience? Why or why not?

If I’m being completely honest, I enjoyed working on this placement. While it was a really big hassle, as we needed to wait a month (28 days to be exact) in order to actually start working on the placement, I found working on the placement to be a good experience. We got to work at our own pace, without fear of deadlines, and with ample class time to complete our work. Additionally, working with a teacher and helping them with a specific project or task was a nice change from, say, a presentation.

What went well with your placement? What difficulties did you have with your placement?

WELL, let’s start out with the difficulties. A lot of our placement was in complete shambles. We were tasked with setting up an online classroom for Ms. Law, where her students could submit work and receive verbal feedback. We decided on using turnitin, and you know as well as I do how difficult it was to gain access to turnitin so we could actually create a classroom for Ms. Law. While we were waiting, we had various odd jobs to occupy our time, such as creating a “Google Classroom vs Google Sites” infographic for teachers, and rearranging the demo slam website. After we finally got the turnitin key, we began working, learning about the turnitin features, creating a info document for Ms. Law to reference if she needed, and setting up the actual class. After about a week of work, we finished our guide, and we were ready to teach Ms. Law about turnitin, Time to finally begin our placement wrap up!!! Or so we thought. Apparently, we had misjudged what Ms. Law had wanted out of her website, which means we had to search for a new software (meaning we spent a month waiting and another week doing the work for nothing :( ). We settled on using Kaizena, a chrome extension, paired with Google Classroom to create Ms. Law’s online classroom. In the end, she ended up liking Kaizena, so we could finally finish our placement!

Basically, our placement was a complete mess. From waiting a month to even start, to having to do pretty much everything all again, it’s a miracle our placement is even done today.

Now some positives. Yi and I were able to work together efficiently and effectively. We evenly divided up all our work and we were able to communicate and problem solve together. Additionally, both Ms. Law and Ms. Cuttle were super nice and understanding, which helped a lot throughout the placement.

Do you consider your placement a success?

Yes, I consider our placement to be a success. We achieved our goal of creating an online classroom for Ms. Law where she could provide voice feedback and complete her marking online. We also spent much of our placement time completing tasks such as rearranging the demo slam website (which turned out well), and creating the Google Classroom vs Google Sites doc (which I hope turned out well).

Do you think the project is useful/has value for IDC students/teachers/students of placement teachers?

Yes! Like I mentioned before, I really enjoyed doing placement work. Working on our placement was a very nice change from regular projects such as presentations and essays, and I think many of my peers can back me up on that. On the other end of it, placements allow many teachers to have IDC students do things like research and design websites for their classroom or hold workshops for their students. Placements really do hold value for everyone involved!

How could the project be improved for future IDC classes?

I know this is specific to my placement, and not at all the fault of my group or my IDC teacher, but making sure all potential technologies that are presented to IDC students for use during their placements are” ready to use” would improve the timeliness of some placements.

Overall though, I don’t see many areas for future improvement; Students had a say in what placement they wanted to do, their placement group, had a very flexible deadline, ample time to complete the placement, and so on.

[heyitsidcict]

Nosedive

Black Mirror is a British T.V. series first airing in 2011, which portrays a society similar to our own, however there are various technological features and advancements that alter the characters’ way of life.

What technologies are depicted in the show?

The episode Nosedive (S3E1), takes place in a society where individuals can give others a “rating” through an app on their phone, from one star to five stars. These ratings are based off real world interactions, and can also be given when viewing another’s profile, where one can post photos and videos of their lives.

As well, additional technologies are also shown, such as contact lenses that can create holograms, virtual reality gaming devices, and futuristic electric cars.

Briefly, how have the technologies changed people/business/society/government choices and behaviours?

These ratings dictate the lives of each and every person in the society, and as a result, the lives of the people in Nosedive revolve around keeping their rating as high as possible. Someone’s rating can determine where they can work and live, what they can buy, who they can be friends with, and so on. We see examples of this throughout the episode, such as someone needing to have a 4.5 star rating to qualify for a discount on apartment, or a 4.2 star to be able to buy luxury plane tickets.

In a society where ratings like these are so important, it is not unusual for characters to behave in ways we may not be familiar with. People have useless, shallow conversations with complete strangers, plan their days to have new and exciting content for their profiles, and are barred from interacting with certain people, all in an effort to keep their ratings up. Almost every single person we see has a mask on, a fake outer personality, only showing others friendliness, fake laughs and never revealing any negativity whatsoever. People cut off friends, get into fights, and perform good deeds, where their only motivation for doing so is to keep their ratings from falling.

These ratings are used to judge one’s self worth. People strive to get good ratings, and for many, satisfaction only comes with 5-star ratings. Anything below that, 4, 3, 2, and God forbid a 1-star rating, causes a flurry of negative emotions and self-dread. People judge others based on their ratings; a person’s rating is your first impression of them. People can judge you as “lower” than them simply because your rating may not be as high, and in a way your rating is used by others to dictate what kind of person you are. In reality, however, these ratings measure how well you are able to adapt to this society. How well can you pretend to be happy and friendly, and how well are you able to portray yourself to others?

Overall, are the technologies portrayed in a positive, negative or neutral fashion? What evidence do you have to support this?

At the beginning of the episode, the rating technology is portrayed to be a “cool new app” that everybody has, however as the episode goes on, through the life of Lacie Pound, we learn about the many negative side effects having a rating system can cause. Lacie starts off at a 4.2 rating, hoping to achieve a 4.5 in order to qualify for a discount for a new apartment. Lacie, along with most of the shows characters, is addicted to this rating app, and scrolling through profiles is all we can see many of the show’s characters doing with their free time.

We are able to see how one of Lacie’s coworkers loses his job following a split with his partner, and subsequently a hit to his rating, how Lacie is unable to book a flight after hers is cancelled due to her rating being too low, and Lacie’s distrust and prejudice of anyone with a rating too much lower than her own. We also hear the story of Susan, a widow whose husband was denied medical care in favour of another patient whose rating was 0.1 stars higher than his own, effectively costing him his life.

However, if we dive deeper, we can see other societal problems a system like this creates. Lacie is invited to her old friend, Naomi’s wedding. Lacie was asked to give a speech as one of Naomi’s oldest friends. It is later revealed, however, that both Lacie and Naomi only agreed to participate in hopes that both their ratings would increase, as opposed to them actually being good friends. Naomi even tells Lacie not to attend her wedding after her rating drops below 3 stars, as Lacie’s attendance could mean a hit to Naomi’s rating. Lacie’s brother, Ryan is critical about the concept of ratings, and doesn’t think that ratings should be able to judge a person or their character, and this opinion creates multiple conflicts between the siblings.

Would you want to live in this future? Why or why not?

No, no no, no no no. I would 1000% NOT like to live in a future like the one portrayed in nosedive. Some of the technologies, like virtual reality gaming or holographic contact lenses would be really cool, and I hope to be able to use technologies like these in the future, however I would never like to see a rating system similar to the one in Nosedive implemented into society.

Having a rating seems way too stressful. A good rating in Nosedive is necessary to have a good life, which means time and effort needs to be put in to achieve a good rating. Knowing that after an incident, fight, or breakup, your rating could plummet would be much too stressful for me.

I do not want to live in a society where I’m judged only by my rating, and where I judge others the same way. I don’t want to have to put on a mask every time I go outside to seem more happy or friendly than I really am, I prefer listening to music, saying a short “thank you” to someone who might hold open a door for me, and mind the rest of my business. Similarly, I don’t want to deal with everybody being fake, for lack of a better term. With everyone being kind and friendly, it’s hard to tell who really means it and who is putting on a show solely for the benefit of their rating.

We already have effective rating systems in today’s society. Think Uber or your credit score. With Uber, after every ride, you can give your driver a rating out of 5 stars, based on the quality of your trip. Drivers need to maintain a certain rating in order to stay driving, and if their rating drops below a certain point, their account may be suspended. This is a system by Uber to make sure customers get the best possible service they can get, keeping good drivers in and bad drivers out. Additionally, there’s no reason for your driver to stress over their rating, as long as they are somewhat friendly (e.g. a polite greeting) and efficiently get you from point a to point b, they have no need to worry about their rating.

Credit scores work in a similar way, and both are examples of rating systems we have today that are both effective and useful. Nosedive, however, portrays an extreme version of these rating systems, one that affects almost every interaction in your life, rather than whether you can keep driving for Uber. The rating system in Nosedive requires constant attention, causes constant stress, and in many ways dictates how you live your life. I don’t want my life to be controlled by a number that is the result of fake people and fake interactions. I want to live in a society where I can be myself, be friends with who I want and act as I please without the fear of my rating going down.

[heyitsidcict]

Our Smartphones in Society

There’s no denying it. Our lives revolve around the smartphone. The cell phone has managed to evolve from a useful tool we use to reach friends and family on the go to a magical attention-sapping internet box where all productivity (or lack thereof) lies. In the past few years, the smartphone has managed to squeeze its way into almost every aspect of our lives. We use our phones as our alarm clocks, our cameras, to manage our tasks, set reminders, watch netflix, you name it. I’m one of those people who uses their phone for EVERYTHING; you’ll never catch me without my phone within 3 meters of me, and I’m ashamed to say that I am fully dependent on my smartphone, as I’m repulsed by even the idea of not having my phone on me at all times.My daily average of screen on time is approaching 9 hours (seriously), and I’m ready to admit that I have a problem, which leads me to the question: Do smartphones have overall a more positive or negative impact on the world?

I know I’m not the only one who has a smartphone dependency, my entire generation has managed to incorporate our phones in our everyday lives. Through my own research, I’ve found that many of my peers have daily averages of screen on time above 7 hours, and there’s a reason for it. Our smartphones, aside from being very addicting, are very useful. I can’t imagine not being able to text my friends for homework help, not being able to look up a random fact on the go, or not being able to call my mom to tell her that I’d be home late. There’s a reason that the smartphone is so ingrained in our society, as it allows us to do things that previous generations wouldn’t even have imagined. It’s a supercomputer that eliminates countless tools previously needed in our everyday lives, and has earned it’s reputation in today’s society. 

All this being said, it’s important to evaluate the repercussions of our smartphones. Our smartphones connect us to the world. You’re always within arms reach of anyone, no matter how far away they are. But sometimes, you just want to disconnect from the world. Have some time to yourself, or spend time with your friends or family.

With the advent of the smartphone however, disconnecting from society is nearly impossible. Sure, I can turn on “do not disturb” or leave my phone in the other room, but I always end up checking my phone anyways, I feel drawn to my phone like there’s a mysterious force connecting us. I get a severe case of FOMO (fear of missing out) without my phone, and all I can think about is if my friend texted me, or if my grandma called me, or what the score of the raptors game is.

In February, me and all my friends went on a 3-day school trip 4 hours north. There was no time to use our smartphones and no cell service or wifi if we made time. And honestly, I had the time of my life. I barely used my phone and had so much fun. I want to go back to that time, where I didn’t feel drawn to my phone.. After those three days, I came back to society and went back to my old habits, and writing this post today, I haven’t felt as happy since the trip. I know that I need time away from my phone to myself,  but I find it almost impossible to find that time, to disconnect, and to leave society behind for awhile.

New studies have come out linking smartphone and social media use to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Our generation is spending more and more time on our phones. We get less sleep, spend less time out with friends, and spend more time and effort maintaining an “online image”.

All in all, I feel as though incorporating smartphones into our lives is a good thing. Having a personal device, never more than an arm’s reach away, able to do more things than we could ever ask for is something that I think we take for granted. However, we need to know the risks involved with our increased smartphone dependency. We need to learn how to use our phones in moderation and find ways to use them in a healthy manner. Smartphones are here to stay, and we should embrace them and find new ways to use them to their full potential.

[heyitsidcict]

Learning Strategies Reaction

Summary

Over the past two weeks, I set out to change my procrastination habits. I used the pomodoro technique to try and tame my impulsivity. My plan was to use a classic pomodoro (25 minutes of work followed by 5 minutes of break with a longer break (15) minutes every 4 blocks*). I would start at 8:45 pm every day, and finish at least one cycle*. If I had more work to do, I would keep using the pomodoro until all my work for the day is done. If I had no more work due the next day, I would stop working. If, in the rare event that I somehow did NOT have homework, I would do something else productive (study for tests, get ahead on future projects, study for DECA, etc). Once a week on Friday I would take a break day and do no work (unless I somehow felt super productive). For more clarification on my plan, look at my previous blog post.

How successful were you at implementing the strategy or technique? What helped or impeded your success?

As a big surprise to everyone, me, my mom, (and most probably Ms. Cuttle), I was really successful at implementing the pomodoro technique into my studying. I honestly thought that I would do it for a couple days, get lazy, stop and go back to my old habits, but that didn’t happen. I used the pomodoro almost every single day, only missing one or two days throughout the two weeks. That isn’t to say I didn’t hit any road bumps or challenges along the way. Most notably, I sometimes failed to hit my quota of 1 cycle per day. The least work I did in one day was 0.75 cycles, or 1.5 hours of work, and the most work I did in one day was 2.25 cycles, or 4.5 hours of work. The other issue I had was not starting at my planned out time, some days I wouldn’t get home until later in the day, others I would be busy eating or napping, and others (aka most often) I would just be lazy :P. That being said, I never started working at an unreasonable time; I never started working past 11, allowing me to finish one cycle before 1 am (still pretty late but it beats starting from 10-11:30 on most days). Additionally, I was rather reasonable about when I would start working. If I knew I had more work to do that day I would always start on time at 8:45, however if all I had to do was finish a worksheet, I might’ve started a bit later. Don’t get me wrong, I TRIED to solve this problem by giving my phone to my mom or by setting an alarm so I wouldn’t forget to start working, but this only worked for a couple of days before I went back to my old habits (starting later than planned).

Overall though, despite my apparent struggles, I am extremely proud of myself. I found it very easy to stick to using the pomodoro to improve my working habits. All I had to do once I got started was turn on a timer on my laptop (I used a website), and put my phone somewhere out of my reach.  Even if my phone was constantly buzzing or I was getting bored working, I found that it was very easy to resist the urge to check or open my phone (aka my main distraction). The simple solution of putting my phone out of my reach resulting in me to have to -physically stand up to check my phone was enough to dissuade me from opening it every 30 seconds (really goes to show how lazy I actually am). I regularly completed at least one cycle per day and I was happily rewarded with a higher quality of work, as well as more importantly no bedtimes past 2am.

Did the strategy improve your learning or reduce your procrastination? What evidence do you have to support this claim?

As I said before, I really think that the pomodoro technique helped to reduce my procrastination. I stopped taking 30 minute breaks while in the middle of working and actually started my work earlier, causing me to finish earlier. This means I would be working earlier and get more sleep. This means more energy while working and a higher quality of work. During these two weeks, I feel as though I was much less impulsive. I stuck to the cycle and was able to keep distractions to a minimum. My total work time decreased, and also as I said I went to bed earlier averaging out at around 1 am and never past 2.

Will you continue with the strategy?  Why or why not?

I’d love to continue using this strategy. In the past two weeks I’ve seen my work quality, efficiency, and hours of sleep all go up. I’ve felt more awake during the day and during my times of work. All this being said, I honestly don’t think I’ll be able to continue using the pomodoro technique. Without the incentive of doing an experiment (and the (hopefully) good marks and bragging rights involved), I don’t think I’ll have the motivation to keep practicing the pomodoro. I know what my problem is. I get distracted too easily (by my phone especially) and never seem too start my work at a reasonable time. Sticking to a strict schedule in using the pomodoro technique would definitely fix this, and I know it too.

Hopefully I’m wrong. Hopefully I can continue to use the pomodoro and see the levels of success I’ve seen in during the experiment. I’m really glad that we did this experiment and I hope that even if I can’t continue doing the pomodoro (due to my overwhelming laziness), I can keep some of the elements of the pomodoro in my routine, as well as

*a block refers to a 25 minute work period and a 5 minute break, and a cycle refers to 4 blocks and a 15 minute break at the end

[heyitsidcict]

Habits Experiment

I have a problem. I procrastinate. A lot. Before it wasn’t that bad, I’d start my homework the day before it was due at 9:30pm, but ever since grade 11 started, I’ve been out of control. I’ve been starting my homework at 11:30pm on a regular basis the night before it was due, and with a greatly increased workload between grade 10 and grade 11, I’ve been struggling. On top of starting my work late, I’m constantly distracted by my phone, my piano, food, my cat, you name it. It’s no wonder that on an average day I go to bed at 2am. I don’t even just procrastinate on schoolwork either. I’ve put off learning a new language for years now, I can’t seem to start caring about my health (what I eat or getting some exercise, and I’ve been yelled at by my parents for showering past 1:30am at least 10 times since school started.

My goal is to fix this problem. But I’m not dumb, I know my limits. I know there is no way I’m going to be able to snap my fingers, and instantly have all my bad procrastination habits vanish. Instead, I’m focusing on trying my best on one task at a time. My goal is to effectively use the Pomodoro technique to try and fix my homework habits and impulsivity (for 2 weeks at least). Additionally, I would like to be able to go to bed before 1 every day for the next two weeks.

Game Plan

My main (and more likely achievable) goal is to tame my impulsivity while doing work (e.g. randomly stopping work to browse social media on my phone). I plan on starting my work daily at 8:45. This isn’t too early, as it gives me enough time to nap, eat dinner, and have some time on my phone or on the piano (my 2 biggest distractions) before starting my work. For 25 minutes straight, I will work. This means no getting up to go eat, no getting up to play piano, and especially getting my phone out of the picture. This can mean giving it to my mom or putting it in a physical location out of my reach. At the end of the 25 minute period, I will reward myself with 5 luxurious guilt free minutes of phone time. Then, rinse and repeat. After 4 cycles (2 hours), I will reward myself with a 15 minute break. The cycle counter goes back to 0, and the process repeats until I have finished all my homework due the next day. If there is nothing due the next day, I will work until 10:45 (one cycle) and call it a day. Fridays are my off days. Unless something needs to be completed for Saturday, no work will be done on Friday. Saturday is a half day. I will only work until 9:45 (½ a cycle) unless something needs to be done for Sunday, or if I’m feeling super productive.

All this is subject to change, such as my work to break ratio and my days of rest. It all depends on what happens during the week and what life decides to throw at me.

Directing the Rider

My main motivation right now is the need for sleep (the current time is 2:18am). I haven’t gotten more than 6 hours of sleep on a school night in over 2 and a half weeks. Additionally, I feel as though finishing up my work daily at 2am has hindered my work and study quality, which I hope to improve. While I greatly doubt it, I hope to keep at least SOME of the habits I used while practicing the pomodoro technique.

Shaping the Path

The main thing I need to do to maximize my chances for success are to put myself in an environment where distracting myself is hard. Like I said before, doing things like giving my phone to my mom or putting it in a hard to reach or faraway place can help. In addition, making sure I eat before starting my work (no snacking!) and closing the piano will help me stay on focus.

My mom knows all about my procrastination habits and hopefully, she can support me while attempting the pomodoro technique.

[heyitsidcict]

Technology and 21st Century Learning

So I’m a grade 11 student, born in 2002, and my generation is the generation where schools really started using new technology. Just as an example, In primary school I remember teachers rolling in big TVs on huge stands that were shared by the entire school. Now, almost every class I have has a smartboard or an overhead projector. Really goes to show how fast technology is advancing.

Do you feel school is preparing you adequately for your future? Why or why not?

Honestly, I don’t think school adequately prepares me for my future. The real world is so much different from what you do in school. School doesn’t teach me many life skills that will be needed in my everyday life. School doesn’t teach me how to drive, cook food for myself, buy a house, pay my taxes, I could go on. School prepares us for higher education, for university or college. School CAN prepare you to get a diploma and a degree and potentially a job in the future (If only I knew how to find jobs or write a resume (careers is honestly a joke and doesn’t teach anything)). But I can bet you any money, if you take any student who just graduated high school and give them a couple thousand dollars and tell them to survive on their own for a MONTH, I can guarantee that when that month is over they’ll have had called their parents at least a hundred times and be on the brink of 3 different mental breakdowns. High school doesn’t prepare you for anything. University is a bit better, but still doesn’t do much in teaching students about life after school. It gives students an aspect of living by themselves or with a roommate, taking  on more responsibilities. However, ask any uni student how their life is going, and I doubt they’ll give you a positive answer. School does prepare you for work, but not so much for the real world.

How do you personally use technology to learn?

Do classes that use more technology appeal to you? Is it easier for you to learn the content?

Does it matter to you if a teacher uses technology in class? Why or why not?

Technology can be really useful in school use. Imagine trying to go through high school without a computer or any tech related programs. No thanks. I find that using technology greatly improves my quality of learning, in more ways than expected. I can use google drive to edit my documents anywhere using my phone, or work on powerpoint presentations with my group in real time. I use YouTube to research some topics or learn more on those I might not completely understand (like science or math concepts), and I use desmos to graph and visualize functions for math. Even today, I used Ms. Cuttle’s website to look for this blog’s prompts; no paper required.

Some of my classes use technology more than others, for example my IDCICT class uses more technology than say, my law class. And if I’m giving my honest opinion, I prefer if teachers use technology more in my classes. Growing up in a generation immersed in technology, I find it makes more sense to use the resources we have to their greatest potential. Now, I could care less whether a teacher chooses to write, say, a math problem on a smartboard or a chalkboard, but the difference really comes if a teacher for example, decides to give a Powerpoint presentation along with their lesson, which can make learning both more efficient and higher quality.

Personally, I would prefer if my classes could use technology wherever see fit, as technology is a great way to heighten my learning experience. So yes, I assume classes that use technology appeal to me more, but I wouldn’t say it’s a deal breaker. Technology in most aspects DOES make it easier for people to learn by appealing to various learning types of students in the class. Personally, I’m a visual learner, I prefer looking at diagrams or watching videos with animations rather than just listening to someone talk. Bringing up Google Drive again, it lets me stay organized, knowing where all my files and documents and presentations are, in a much easier and more secure way than having everything on a flash drive.

Technology is great, and not just because it lets us look at cat photos, technology can make our learning better, easier, and more efficient. I love it when my teachers can use technology in such a way to heighten my learning. Only good things can come from technology use in schools later on, and I hope to see what technology is used in the future!