The graphs and documents below show the results of my two-day observation of
my usage of media and technology. The day before I began this observation project,
I spoke with my mother about it over the phone. I explained to her that I thought the
project would be interesting, but I didn’t think it would surprise me in any way. I
told her that I knew that I used different types of media and technology everyday,
in almost everything I do. From the obviously tech-centered activities, like using
social media or Netflix, to the less obvious, like looking up chords to songs to play
on my guitar or even doing homework, I knew that I could barely make it through
a normal day without my devices. While I was not surprised by how much media I
consume and utilize in a day, I was a little taken off-guard by what I used it for.
As you can see on my graphs, I broke down my information into three important
categories and took a closer look at the media I utilized, the devices I used to access
that media, and what I used the media to do. I was a little bit surprised that I spent
over 32% of my time watching shows and movies. Part of this surprise came from
the fact that I initially didn’t think about how much free time I would have this week.
Due to Independence Day, I only had three hours of classes this week, when I usually
have four times as much. As a result, I was able to spread my (also diminished)
homework over several days. Instead of spending most of my time in classes or doing
homework, I spent a lot of time each day playing games or watching movies. This
week was also out-of-the-norm because I usually would spend more free time outdoors,
but it was so hot and humid outside - and I hate the heat - so I used a lot more media
instead.
my usage of media and technology. The day before I began this observation project,
I spoke with my mother about it over the phone. I explained to her that I thought the
project would be interesting, but I didn’t think it would surprise me in any way. I
told her that I knew that I used different types of media and technology everyday,
in almost everything I do. From the obviously tech-centered activities, like using
social media or Netflix, to the less obvious, like looking up chords to songs to play
on my guitar or even doing homework, I knew that I could barely make it through
a normal day without my devices. While I was not surprised by how much media I
consume and utilize in a day, I was a little taken off-guard by what I used it for.
As you can see on my graphs, I broke down my information into three important
categories and took a closer look at the media I utilized, the devices I used to access
that media, and what I used the media to do. I was a little bit surprised that I spent
over 32% of my time watching shows and movies. Part of this surprise came from
the fact that I initially didn’t think about how much free time I would have this week.
Due to Independence Day, I only had three hours of classes this week, when I usually
have four times as much. As a result, I was able to spread my (also diminished)
homework over several days. Instead of spending most of my time in classes or doing
homework, I spent a lot of time each day playing games or watching movies. This
week was also out-of-the-norm because I usually would spend more free time outdoors,
but it was so hot and humid outside - and I hate the heat - so I used a lot more media
instead.
Honestly, if I were to pick one word to describe the experience of recording my
media usage, it would probably be tedious. For me, a lot of my use of media is
brief and fairly frequent. I tend to check my email, Facebook, Snapchat, ect.
frequently, but for only a few seconds at a time. I believe I probably didn’t check
these media as much over the course of these two days, mostly because I didn’t
want to take more time to write down my usage than I did actually using these
media.
If I were to assign a project like this one in one of my classes, I would try to assign
it on a regular week, rather than on the week of a holiday. As I mentioned above,
my use of media differed from an average week because I had a lot of free time. I
think it would be more beneficial to me, as well as to my future students, if the
information collected pertained to an average week. I think this project would be
beneficial to assign to students because it could encourage some awareness about
how - and how much - they are using their devices, or even what they tend to use
them for. Logs like this are great for promoting self-reflection. On the other hand,
this project might not always be useful because it would be up to the students to
record their information on their own. They could forget to log some activity, or
even lie about what activities they pursue, and the entire set of information could
be skewed.
Looking at my results, I think it is more important than I ever have that I find ways
to incorporate technology into my classroom. Our modern world runs around new
technology, and my results show that my life is no exception to this. Technology is
often seen as a bad thing, but if used properly, it can be a very useful tool for teaching.
media usage, it would probably be tedious. For me, a lot of my use of media is
brief and fairly frequent. I tend to check my email, Facebook, Snapchat, ect.
frequently, but for only a few seconds at a time. I believe I probably didn’t check
these media as much over the course of these two days, mostly because I didn’t
want to take more time to write down my usage than I did actually using these
media.
If I were to assign a project like this one in one of my classes, I would try to assign
it on a regular week, rather than on the week of a holiday. As I mentioned above,
my use of media differed from an average week because I had a lot of free time. I
think it would be more beneficial to me, as well as to my future students, if the
information collected pertained to an average week. I think this project would be
beneficial to assign to students because it could encourage some awareness about
how - and how much - they are using their devices, or even what they tend to use
them for. Logs like this are great for promoting self-reflection. On the other hand,
this project might not always be useful because it would be up to the students to
record their information on their own. They could forget to log some activity, or
even lie about what activities they pursue, and the entire set of information could
be skewed.
Looking at my results, I think it is more important than I ever have that I find ways
to incorporate technology into my classroom. Our modern world runs around new
technology, and my results show that my life is no exception to this. Technology is
often seen as a bad thing, but if used properly, it can be a very useful tool for teaching.
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