Week #0 - Practice Post - How do I use technology everyday?

So, this post is about how I use technology on an every day basis. First, let me say that I loooooove technology. I'm a total nerd about new technology, even if I don't understand it. The recent articles on a robotic pancreas (here), the advent of solar roadways (here), and all the other technology news that comes up is just fascinating. It makes my mind whirl with possibilities. One of those possibilities is how will the technology affect my daily life.

Solar Roadways!!

In my own life, I use all the standards of the day - cellphone, laptop, desktop, connected TV, tablet, etc. Having the power of a computer in my pocket allows me to schedule important events, remember birthdays and check on future dates. I can play games when I'm bored, I can look up directions to a restaurant or store, I can check the prices on the item I'm looking at in the store. My cell phone is a powerful device! I can even look up information from the vast pool of the internet.

Of course, none of this is news to anyone reading this. As a teacher, I encounter that last one fairly frequently from the other side. Students in my classroom love to look up information and tell me tidbits from the web. Recent surveys put the numbers at 70% for teenagers and 79% for young adults as smartphone owners (Nielsen).  This means that most of my class has instant access to supplemental information on whatever I'm talking about. But the real question is: Is this a good thing?

As my title suggests, I believe it is. Any time a student is interested in a subject, I want to foster that interest. I want them to delve deeply and participate in the discussion. Does it take their attention away from me? Yes, of course it does. But it keeps their attention on the subject and maybe even carries their attention outside of the classroom. I recently came across the idea of "situational interest" in a class I was taking for my master's degree. Situational interest is the idea of a thirst for knowledge - that by being curious about a subject you gain interest in that subject until such a time as you find the answers you are looking for (source). If students are able to derive their own situational interest by using their phones in the classroom, I hope that we can drive their curiosity and their engagement.

I guess I got a little sidetracked in this post.